In the search for constant innovation, the chatbot emerges as one of the main trends to replace some mobile applications and create new interaction patterns on top of what already exists for communication between customer and company.

Have you ever needed to contact a company and were greeted by an intelligent chat? A robot that talks to you and tries to solve your problem? That's what we're going to talk about now.

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What is a chatbot?

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It is a type of technology that aims to simulate a conversation with another human being. It is a type of robot that sits within a chat and can be configured to perform specific actions, ranging from responding to a message with simple questions to making more complex commands.

There are different types of chatbots. They can work in two ways:

• Rules-based: programmed to identify keywords and respond with specific commands and flows.
• Based on artificial intelligence: they start with simple messages and over time they learn more natural and human ways of communicating, with the help of machine learning .

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Why did chatbot become a trend?

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Digital presence is no longer a differentiator but a requirement for companies of the future. In this sense, it is a competitive advantage to transform your website into a tool that is also a business opportunity, how can you do this? Designing a solution that is not only beautiful, but with a good experience, designed for your client's needs.

Bringing back the principles of design and putting the user first, in this sense, makes you stand out and makes your relationship with the customer more agile. With the use of chatbots, your virtual assistants can simulate the work (at least initial) of some agents and reduce bureaucracy in your Customer Service (SAC) .

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What does a good chatbot need to have?

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If you are thinking about creating a chatbot and optimizing communication with your customer, we have listed some items you need to keep in mind:

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Interaction flow

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You need to study your user to build a flow of messages and prepare your robot for possible questions. A good strategy here is to list the options that the user has in the messages. This way you can start with a general question and work your way down until you resolve everything with the user.

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User context

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Have you ever seen that some types of searches on Google take our location into account? This type of intelligence is based on user experience and offers optimized answers to the question.

If you ask Google “Chinese restaurant”, it will already point out the restaurant options closest to you, and your chatbot should think the same way! Settings like this save your user time, you reduce conversation time and direct an action. It's combining the useful with the pleasant!

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An identity of your own

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A chatbot service channel is another point of contact for your brand, and therefore, it should also express part of your personality. Even through a robot, you can create ways to bring aspects of a more human conversation and with ways of speaking that reinforce your brand.

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Answers for all cases

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If you realize that you have reached a point where your robot can no longer respond, create mechanisms for the user to be forwarded to a human attendant. The important thing here is to do everything you can to let the customer know the next step.

You can direct the correct link, transfer the conversation to a person or set a deadline for them to have a response. 

If you want to study communication in a place that will prepare you to build chatbots and other tools that are trending in the market, get to know ECOM. We combine education and practical experience to train professionals who will dictate the next market needs of the future.

*Text produced in partnership with an external collaborator