🇬🇧 Chatbots are contents, not conversations

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.

chatbot_dedicatedfunctions_ui_antoniopatti_1.jpg

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”

Chatbot's user interaction and functions example for a Utility Company - Antonio Patti
Chatbot’s user interaction and functions example for a Utility Company – Antonio Patti
Chatbot's user interaction and functions example for a Utility Company - Antonio Patti
Chatbot’s user interaction and functions example for a Utility Company – Antonio Patti

Transport Company “AP TranzPort”

Chatbot's user interaction and functions example for a Transport Company - Antonio Patti
Chatbot’s user interaction and functions example for a Transport Company – Antonio Patti
Chatbot's user interaction and functions example for a Transport Company - Antonio Patti
Chatbot’s user interaction and functions example for a Transport Company – Antonio Patti

B2C Company “AP Commerce”

Chatbot's user interaction and functions example for a B2C Company - Antonio Patti
Chatbot’s user interaction and functions example for a B2C Company – Antonio Patti

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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  1. […] but we must wait for their evolution and for our language adaptation (read my posts about Bots: Chatbots are contents, not conversations and Facebook Messenger’s Bots are direct, customizable and automated communication channels, not […]

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