Among the trends to follow closely in 2017 is the chatbot, a tool that will revolutionize customer relationships. Chatbots, or conversational agents in India, are not a novelty since “chatterbots” already appeared in the 1960s. Recent advances in artificial intelligence explain this sudden craze for chatbots. (machine learning, automatic natural language processing, etc.), coupled with the rapid development of messaging applications. Relay between your brand and your prospects or customers: Chatbots present real opportunities for customer relations and web conversion.
Quick Reminder: What Is A Chatbot?
Simply put, the chatbot is software equipped with artificial intelligence. Like a virtual assistant, the robot can interact with a user. It compares the questions posed to a database of pre-recorded questions and answers. Thus, when a user asks a question through instant messaging, the chatbot responds in natural language.
Chatbots are integrated into messaging applications and represent considerable potential for brands, especially since these instant messengers are channels with a bright future. They have surpassed social networks in terms of users and are among the most downloaded applications. They are destined to replace the many applications that accumulate on our mobiles.
Chatbots are very interesting and helpful levers for many players, especially for e-commerce professionals. Whether before, during or after the purchase, they are of interest to both the merchant and the customer (promotions, information, after-sales service, order management, etc.). To learn more about chatbots, I invite you to discover another of our articles here.
What To Know Before Creating A Chatbot
Even if chatbots are based on complex computer programs, they are now within everyone’s reach. There are different ways, more or less accessible, to create a chatbot for your brand. We must first differentiate simple chatbots from more complex ones. The first are packaged solutions and dedicated ready-to-use platforms without necessarily having to know how to code. Conversely, the latter are algorithms that offer many more possibilities regarding artificial intelligence. However, they need to be installed by a competent person. Therefore, it is the simplest chatbot that will interest us and, above all, you.
Which Chatbot Is Right For You?
Currently, there are several tools capable of generating chatbots very quickly. Your choice will be determined by your needs, depending on your activity and the use you want to make of it. To do this, first define your strategy:
- Determine how the chatbot can be helpful to you: Is it to relay customer service, inform, manage orders, or make a purchase?
- Choose the right channel to set up your chatbot: website, SMS, social networks, messaging apps.
- Choose the platform best suited to your needs and your audience: Messenger, Twitter, Skype, Slack, Telegram, Viber, etc.
To help you search for the ideal chatbot, some sites, like Bot Stash, list the tools to create bots according to their categories and functionalities.
Which Tools For Which Channel?
The goal is not to list all the tools available for each platform but to identify those most relevant according to the media most used in France. There is also a focus on consumer instant messaging applications rather than enterprise messaging applications for internal use.
Messenger
One of the most popular tools for creating your chatbot on Messenger is Chatfuel. It is a very intuitive and easy-to-use free tool. It is, in fact, possible to set up a chatbot in 10 minutes thanks to a sleek interface that guides you through each step. You can create your bot entirely or just customize predefined bots.
The other instrument, likewise suggested by Facebook, is wit.ai. Obtained by Facebook itself, it permits you to create your chatbot essentially and for nothing without coding. You can also create your chatbot directly on Facebook since the social network has developed its bot platform, Messenger.
Twitter can be an extraordinary channel if you’re focusing on a more expert crowd. For this, converse.ai is an incredible asset, regardless of whether it is, for once, somewhat more testing to learn. It permits reconciliation into countless stages, including Twitter. Gupshup is likewise a location empowering you to make and coordinate a chatbot on Twitter.
In parallel, Twitter recently introduced chatbots in its instant messaging (Direct Messages). The “Welcome Messages” and “Quick Replies”, private messages of welcome and automated pre-recorded replies, are currently only available in the United States but should soon arrive in India.
Even though it isn’t India’s undisputed head of texting applications, WhatsApp has 8.8 million special guests monthly. A vast crowd assumes that you accept that your objective purpose is this channel. Just WhatsApp has not yet opened its foundation to bots. It is arranged; however, being happy with different media for the occasion will be essential.
SMS
SMS can also be a privileged channel within the framework of an e-commerce site. Unlike messaging applications, You just have to consider its paid aspect. Also, opting for this channel during purchase or after-sales service is necessary. Motion.ai is a platform that, for example, supports this channel. Specialized in chatbots via SMS and text. It is also a complete solution that offers a lot of leeway in developing scenarios.
The Other Channels
These are just a few examples of possible channels to install your chatbot. It can be integrated with many other instant messaging applications (Telegram, Kik, Slack, Viber, Skype, etc.), but also with web chat or e-mail.
What Is The Method To Create A Chatbot?
If some messaging applications have their own development platforms, such as Messenger, Slack, Skype or Telegram, using third-party tools to quickly and easily create your chatbots seems wise. The proposed solutions make it possible to develop chatbots on the principle of question-answer association. Some devices are limited, while others allow you to create absolute discussion paths without coding.
Which Tools To Prioritize?
- Chatfuel, for its fluidity and scripted operation.
- Motion.ai, for its various channels (Messenger, SMS, Webchat, Slack, e-mail, etc.) and its programming flowchart.
- Reboot. me for its Indian version.
- FlowXO, for its many features, including Web Widgets.
- Botsify, for its advanced features and its WordPress plugin.
- Api.ai and Wit.ai to create bots whose artificial intelligence is much more advanced.
What Method Do We Use?
Since Messenger is the channel with the largest audience, it seems interesting to show you how to install a chatbot on this platform. To do this, we have chosen the Chatfuel solution, of which here is a video tutorial in English. It teaches you how to create a chatbot on Messenger in 10 minutes.
In addition to this video, Chatfuel helps you step by step when creating your chatbot. To do this, choose the “Tutorial bot” model at the beginning of the process. Otherwise, you can choose between “Blank Chatbot” to create a chatbot from scratch and “Skeens Steakhouse” for local businesses. Then, the different categories allow you to shape your robot:
- Structure to create the welcome message and all the “blocks” of responses associated with a theme (e.g., Shoe Proposal).
- Set up AI to build artificial intelligence by associating letters with blocks.
- Promotion to promote your chatbot with links and codes to display plugins or even Facebook cover photos to download.
Some Recommendations Before Starting
- Script the discussion path: List all the questions users can ask, then associate all the possible answers. Prioritize short and straightforward explanations, then direct the user to calls to action.
- Personalize your message: Thanks to chatbots, you can speak directly to a customer one-to-one, so personalize your chatbot as much as possible. The welcome screen comes now from your Company Page on Facebook (name, description, profile photo and cover photo). It’s up to you to adapt the welcome text, message, and call-to-action buttons.
- Use the tools offered by Messenger: To boost your chatbot, use the tools available to you. In addition to rich multimedia messages (image, video, audio, file), you can integrate buttons (URL, Call, Share, Buy, etc.), carousels and structured messages.
- Test your chatbot’s scenario: To ensure the answers’ consistency, ask a group of users to test your chatbot. Depending on the solutions used, you can also test your bot live to improve it.
As you will have understood, setting up a chatbot does not necessarily require you to be a budding coder. And that is the whole point of these “all-inclusive” solutions. It remains to determine a deployment strategy, especially your customers’ questions. Particular importance must be attached to the construction of the scenario. If you are uncomfortable with these tools, you can entrust this task to us.
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