Chatbots are generating buzz in the e-commerce industry. People think that this is just another kind of gimmick in their site that can only stall time from users and give a techier vibe in their site. However, chatbots are used as a valuable part of a website that can boost all customer trust and support of the site, and continually growing.
Chatbots are like virtual assistants in a particular site or application. It is referred to as conversation agents since they are the ones that spark conversations with users. Some examples of these are messenger bots, virtual assistants, and chatbots in websites.
However, most people see these bots as only robots or programmed objects to talk to them. But, you can put a humanization effect on this using a conversational user interface. A conversational user interface is the one that lets users engage and interact with bots or people through text or speech. This kind of UI creates and mimics the experience of a user talking to another person.
With this kind of technology, it is better for you to have one implied in your site. In this article, we will show you five different ways to humanize your chatbots.
When your chatbots get to talk to your users, you want to give the best for them in the conversation. All concerns, questions, and queries should be accommodated. There should be a productive outcome and help from the chatbot to your user. However, many chatbots are made to be very limited. They are asking for users to stock phrases and respond to limited concerns of the users. These instances are done because of shorthand codes. It should be the chatbot’s task to accommodate the user and not the user will adjust to the limitations of the chatbot.
You should start to make your chatbots better by focusing on how your users interact. Get that data and coordinate that with the natural language processing that is used by your users every day. With those, you can create a more improved encounter between the user and chatbot. Also, it is possible to make your chatbot learn from every conversation to be better as time and different conversation pass by.
Yes or no questions are fundamental for a normal chatbot. With all the technology we have right now, it is impossible for people to settle on that kind of chatbot only. When designing your site, you need to include a chatbot UX designer to map out the whole experience and the conversations that your chatbot will encounter.
Overall, the designer should create conversational flow diagrams for possible concerns and queries from the user. It should be the virtual concierge of your site where it can service all needs and accommodate the conversation. After designing, you should pre-test the whole chatbot to real customers. Also, one tip we can give you is to create a natural flow with the chatbot. Yes, they are still programmed objects, but it is essential to insert a humanized stream to the bot. For each scenario, create different responses to mimic that natural feeling.
We are living in an advanced world of technology today. All platforms are evolving right now, even different chat and instant messaging platforms that support chatbots. Different messenger bots support the use of card interface in their platforms. You can seize the opportunity to use that interface in giving out visual clues from your chatbot.
For instance, you can explain the difference between your products with the aid of a visual card when explaining. Another example is if you are a restaurant, you can easily give them your menu if they need to ask about it, or even a particular food on the list. This kind of interface does not only support images, but you can also use it in producing a better way to arrange your text.
Consistency is the key for a good brand delivery in any business. Chatbots should show consistent delivery invoice and the way of answering to the users.
In staying consistent, you first need to use the language of the brand. When we say the language of the brand, it is the tone and voice that the brand is using when creating different marketing and advertising materials. It is the identity of the brand. Lastly, you need to take into account the way your audience is interacting. For instance, if you are making a bot for a medical institution, you need to make it formal enough for the site. If you are aiming the youth, you can use the different slangs and styles they are using when communicating.
Finally, if you want to create a humanized chatbot, you need to include to your chatbot what every person has, a personality. One perfect feature of a chatbot is helping your users in any concern and queries. However, you also need to connect with them emotionally and to build a relationship that will create a bond between the brand and the user, and creating a personality to your chatbot will help you there.
One way to do this is by naming your bot. For example, we have Siri, Cortana, Alexa, and more. It creates a persona for the bot. Not only it will establish a connection between you and the user, but also making it stand out among your customers. They should have a memorable experience with the bot to boost its personality.
The main aim of your chatbot is to get the answers they are looking for in your brand. It may be the prices, shipping, items, and all other kinds of queries. It should provide a fast response to them, and at the same time, it should be memorable.
Furthermore, these chatbots are not only helping your site for customer needs but also giving a better image and experience to your brand.
Kenneth Sytian is the CEO of Sytian Productions, website design outsource Philippines. He has been designing websites and developing web apps for more than a decade. He is considered one of the top influencers in web design and development in the Philippines.