User Interaction with Chatbots
Obviously, your aim with providing a chatbot is to improve user experience. If you fail to accomplish this, you haven’t really achieved anything no matter how clever or innovative your technology is. But what sorts of objectives should you be setting for a chatbot to be a worthwhile and successful project?
A good place to start for your business might be to do an audit of what kind of problems people are experiencing with your website and what the main reasons for abandonment are. If you could solve these difficulties with a chatbot it would be a very valuable and important contribution to your website (and therefore business) bottom line and efficacy.
There are also, potentially, two phases of chatbot/user interaction that need to be considered in development;
- The interface between the chatbot and the major platforms (Facebook, YouTube, Siri etc.) that they are likely to be accessed through. The significance of this is that if you get your positioning and promotion right in this area you will get more referrals from these platforms and, ultimately, more business
- The interface between the chatbot and the user, especially the initial exchanges which could determine whether the user persists with or returns to your chatbot.
So, what can chatbots provide that will help your business and enhance user experience?
- Product Identification and Access: Users can sometimes find it difficult to find a product on a site that meets their needs and specifications, no matter how specific their search description. If your chatbot can take the user information and convert it into precise product options that meet their needs, this will be perceived as a great asset to the user and a great boost to your site.
- Customer Information: Another constant source of frustration for users is continually having to provide personal information or information requiring them to dig up documents, reference numbers, credit card statements etc. to identify themselves and their purchases or other interactions with your business. If your chatbot takes basic information and relates it to a customer file containing all their past data and interactions, this will not only smooth the process but also impress and reassure the user that they are dealing with a business that knows what it is doing – and cares.
- Understanding the Consumer Decision-Making Process: Customers don’t always know exactly what they want nor what is available to meet their requirements. If your bot is programmed to understand the nature of user needs and how products and function work together, they should be able to make suggestions and take customers on journeys that are beneficial and enlightening rather than frustrating and pointless.
- Speed and Ease of Use: Your chatbot should significantly improve the speed of interaction and search and the ease with which users interact with your site and business. This not only means a sense of improved experience but also more time – and likelihood – of you being able to sell and expand the sales range.
Achieving all of these benefits is a major process and begins with understanding your user-base, how they think, what they want and how they interact. Market analysis and user experience research are the best ways of achieving these aims. If you would like to discuss how to embark on and develop this journey, why not ring us on +44(0)800 0246247 or email us at hello@ux247.com.
