Tag Archives: chat bot marketing

11,000 Bots on Messenger and Counting

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In a blog post made on July 1, Facebook confirmed that over 11,000 Bots were now live on Messenger. Since the launch of Facebook Messenger Bots, there has been an increasing number of businesses worldwide jumping on the bandwagon to provide a unique and more efficient solution to their interaction with users.
Facebook reported that an estimated 23,000 and more developers are now signed up to use Wit.ai an application that provides tools for businesses to create their own conversational user interfaces.
However, this does not come without criticism from sceptical users. Critics argue that a bot does not add value to a conversation and often is incapable of understanding complex human interaction. Many developers still stand their ground foreseeing the future of technology and business resting on the use of chat bots on Messenger.
With Facebook’s latest updates to the user interface, many important issues have been addressed, such as a comprehensive menu of options that enables users to get a bigger picture of the bot and set expectations for what it can do. Another important addition is the ratings and review update that helps the community of users come together to share their experience and feedback about the bot.
The addition of this ratings and review update comes with a burden for developers to ensure the bot does exactly what it promises to deliver. This opens a window for healthy competition amongst businesses to acquire a higher rating than their competitors. The new update also includes an option to Mute a bot similar to how users may block their friends. This update arguably changes the Messenger Bot landscape which previously lacked the openness for feedback.
As the number of submissions for the Messenger Bot increase by each passing day, the interest in conversational user interfaces does not seem to be dying down any time soon.
For more insights on Chat #Bot Marketing, get in touch with us at [email protected]

Top 5 Messenger Bot Updates and its Impact on Bot Strategy

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On 1st July, Facebook rolled out several new updates for the Messenger Bot. Here is a review of the top 5 new features and how it can impact your Bot strategy.

Dynamic Buttons for Quick Replies

To introduce a more direct conversation with users, ten dynamic buttons can now be accessed from the bot that are related to the most recent messages in the conversation. Instead of sourcing button selections from previous conversations, the dynamic buttons help set the conversation flow and only displays the selected user responses on the bot. This makes the chat look cleaner and provides a more human like interaction.

A New Menu Interface

In the earlier bot version, menu buttons on the bot were accessed by providing specific text commands such as ‘On Sale’ or ‘Go Shopping’. However, with the latest update we see an introduction of an icon placed on the message composer that enables users to choose from different options. This eliminates the earlier problem of starting the conversation process all over again if you were to select a second option. This saves time from the user’s point of view and makes the interaction more efficient.

The Inclusion of GIFs, Audio, Video and Files

Another important update is the inclusion of GIFS, Audio, Video and Files. You can now send a variety of content using the Messenger Bot. This opens the door for businesses to provide complex information to the user without being redirected to another channel to view the content.  Airline companies for example can make use of this update to send the user’s tickets directly on the Messenger chat. Businesses can also provide a more human like interaction by the use of GIF’s and videos that can be played directly on the Messenger.

Account Linking

Perhaps the most important update of them all is one that changes the dynamics of the Messenger Bot with its ability to sync customer accounts with messenger. Users can log in to their customer accounts on the brand’s website directly through Messenger to make payments or browse order information. This is an important update that encourages more businesses to consider the idea of investing in a Bot for Messenger owing to its ease of use for customers.

Ratings and Reviews

Users can now rate Messenger Bots and provide feedback on their experience directly on Messenger. This is an interesting new feature that will help set a new expectation for businesses to push for a better strategy and acquire higher ratings as compared to their competitors.

The new update also brings a potentially unpleasant feature for businesses in the form of an option to mute a Bot conversation similar to how they may mute their friends on Facebook. This provides a challenging opportunity for businesses to opt for a sound strategy that provides a favourable conversation experience to ensure the Bot is not silenced by the user.

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(Image source: Facebook)

The Evolution of Chat Bots and the Future

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As the world moves into the era of conversational user interfaces, chat bots have taken the world by a storm. However, if you have been around for a long time you would remember one of the oldest bots on AIM messenger, the Smarter Child. Over time with the advancement of technology the complexity and usefulness of chat bots have greatly improved with newer bots that cater to specific needs. The evolution is so immense that it has given rise to bots showcasing their own unique personalities. Take the instance of bots like Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa, bots can now perform a large number of tasks and replicate an almost human like interaction across the board.

With Facebook announcing Messenger bots at the F8 conference, companies all around the globe have been rushing to create their own versions that fulfill a certain criteria of interaction. From booking flights to restaurant reservations, bots are capable of providing a seamless interaction keeping the user hooked to its conversations and provides businesses the opportunity to interact with their users in a revolutionary manner.

For many businesses, the chat bot can provide a consistent tone of voice and serve as a “friend” to rely on for various suggestions and queries. The bot can be imagined as being the front desk executive’s online solving problems one chat at a time.

With the technology surrounding bots improving each day, the future seems promising for chat bots. However, it is important to note that a chat bot cannot be a complete replacement for human interaction unless the bots are developed to understand the nuances of human behavior including quirks like spelling errors or sarcasm. Until then, developers may draw a line where the bot conversation ends and human interaction takes over to seal the deal.

For more insights on Chat #Bots and Digital Marketing, get in touch with us at [email protected]

5 Things to Consider Before Your Business Develops a Chat #Bot

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As we roll into the era of conversational user interfaces, bots have taken the world by the storm.  There is no doubt that the use of bots will help the brand establish a quicker and ready solution for users that are having a conversation with the bot.

The messages transmitted are uniform across the board which helps eliminate the human-bias that a user may have regarding the company.

However, as businesses across the globe are considering whether they should invest in creating a bot, here are 5 things to consider before your business makes its decision.

  1. Set a Clear Strategy:

It is important for your business to set a clear expectation of what the bot is set to provide. Are you facing issues with the amount of queries coming your way? The organization must have a clear idea of the role of the bot in this interaction so it can add considerable value to the process. A good example is using a bot to make quick hotel reservations for a local restaurant.

  1. Analyze the Interaction

Some businesses may not be open to chat bots as yet. Understand which process of your business absolutely needs human intelligence and intervention. A chat bot is not a replacement to a human interaction but just a means to add a digital spin to the process to make it more efficient.

  1. Connect with Chat Bot Marketers

Once you have made the decision to create a bot, it is important to do it right. You do not want your bot to crash unexpectedly in the midst of an important interaction. Many marketing organizations can guide you through the process of creating a bot and the costs associated with it. You can do a run down of the opportunity cost of this decision and whether it can add value to the current processes.

  1. Plan the Voice of your Bot

Think of the bot as the person who is a spokesperson of your organization. Your bot must adopt the same personality traits as your organization and give the users an idea and history about your brand and what it stands for. A bot need not behave like a robot but a means for the business to tell their brand stories through it in a seamless interaction.

  1. Listen to your Customers

Feedback is one of the most important things to consider before you make the decision to develop your Bot. Understand from your customers as to what part of their interaction with the business poses a challenge. This can help you plan the role of the bot in solving these concerns for customers.

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