After my first post about Facebook Messenger Bots, I continued my research because I understand the importance of Chatbots and Instant Messaging apps. Following a transcription of the presentation that I published on Slideshare.

The assumptions from where I started my reasearch are:

• Users don’t want conversations. Users want pertinent and timely contents within the app that they use most.
• Chatbots have the reason to exist because users don’t like to download lot of apps and because mobile sites are slow or difficult to navigate.
• Chatbots are a communication channel with an interaction pattern in a sort of way similar to the natural language. They aren’t virtual sales agents.
• Chatbots have the difficult mission to bring together contents and services within messaging apps.
• The best chatbots performances aren’t based on conversations. Interacting with them requires new functions and a standardized command language.

So I can say that Chatbots are an important technology because:

• they represent a way for engaging users within their favorite apps
• they can replace apps and websites for simple and recurrent tasks
• they are the only direct marketing channel comparable with the email
• they revolutionize the smartphone’s push communication marketing
• they are the entrance point for advanced data building programs
• users interest in downloading branded apps is decreasing
• mobile navigation sometimes is frustrating
• users are accustomed in making Google searches in a conversational way

But this importance bring with it some threats:

• chatbots can’t really understand natural language
• chatbots can’t replace the all the other apps functions
• chatbots could decrease the users curiosity and research capacity
• chatbots will struggle for visibility
• chatbots can’t wrong a lot of answers and they can’t ask too much questions
• chatbots must care a lot about language, style, frequency and relevancy of their push contents
• chatbots aren’t a branded channel

Chatbots are the future of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Direct Marketing for the following reasons:

• because they deliver profiled offers and contents, receiving immediate feedbacks
• because they are an effective support for the human-based customer care
• because they will build accurate customers profiles analyzing the interactions and asking for information, ratings etc

Thinking about all these incredible opportunities, I examined the standard instant messaging apps user experience and I realized that Chatbots should have a dedicated set of functions that designed as following.

At this point I tried to go practical matching my Chatbots functions and experience with some generalistic companies.

Utility Company (following some examples)
– Personal profile login
– Bills shipment and payment
– Consumptions control
– Network status
– Direct Marketing
– Customer service support
– Surveys

Transport Company (following some examples)
– Personal profile login (Travel Card)
– Travel Cards renew and tickets purchases
– Validity alerts
– Trip planner
– Network status
– Metro maps download
– Timetables and real-time information
– Favourite stops saving
– Personalized traffic alerts
– Customer service support
– Direct Marketing
– Surveys

B2C Company (following some examples)
– Personal profile login
– Products information
– Shipment updates
– Direct Marketing
– Customer service support
– Surveys

Restoration Company
– Reservations
– Daily menu information
– Recipes information
– Real-time and direct marketing

News Company
– Personal profile login
– News topics selection
– Direct Marketing
– Surveys

A last I concluded my research simulating some content driven “conversations” between my Chatbots and some users.

Utility Company “AP Tel”

Transport Company “AP TranzPort”

B2C Company “AP Commerce”

For reading the full presentation please visit my profile on Slideshare.
Feel free to contact me for collaborations, knolwdge sharing, business opportunities etc etc.

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