The best ways businesses are using chatbots
Chatbots have taken off massively in the tech community in recent years, with industries from hospitality to ecommerce making starting to integrate the automated services with their platforms.
It’s still relatively early days, but there are some major brands and organisations that have started to try out chatbots as part of their operations – some of them to great success – including in human resources, for customer-facing apps, and for some stages of customer service.
Here are a few of the most notable examples.
1) Ecommerce and marketing
2. Customer service
Customer service is probably the most popular example of chatbot adoption for businesses today.
According to Gartner, chatbots will power 85 percent of all customer service interactions by 2020.
The integration of customer service chatbots is also a good way to automate answers to general questions that tend to come up a lot.
3. Hospitality and travel
Global hotel chain Marriot has reported a growth in chatbot use of 85 percent month over month since launching its chatbot service in 2017 with Facebook Messenger. The idea here is that customers can interact with the hotel before, during, and after their stay using chatbots.
Booking.com, meanwhile, built out a chatbot that enables people to check availability, search check-in times and other services.
4. HR and recruiting
Chatbots can also be used to simplify the HR and recruitment processes.
Chatbots can, for example, be used to automate parts of recruitment by pre-screening applicants to make sure they are qualified for the job before the interview stage.
SAP built a collaborative AI bot that helps company managers streamline tasks for employees, which also helps HR automate training and development.
5. To book a flight
Dutch airline KLM was established in 1919, a whopping 98 years ago. However, this hasn’t stopped it from venturing into emerging technology such as chatbots.
KLM has its own bot called BlueBot or BB for short, designed to help passengers book flights with the airline.
Through Facebook messenger, BB is able to provide booking confirmation, check-in information and reminders, boarding passes, as well as flight information and answer any simple passenger queries.
BB also works with Google Home, so you can ask it for packing advice.
6. To order flowers
Ordering flowers is already pretty easy with most florists going online and the likes of Interflora and smaller businesses such as Bloom and Wild making the whole process a lot easier.
However, US-based florist 1-800 Flowers has created a bot on Facebook’s Messenger platform.
The bot can send flowers and gifts, actually processing the order and its payment.
It will also suggest the best flowers for the occasion and can send payment, shipping and delivery alerts.
7. To help you pick an outfit
H&M launched a chatbot on Kik – a Canadian instant messaging platform – in April 2016 to provide tailored fashion advice for its customers.
The bot suggests items of clothing based on your set of preferences and can pull clothing from the catalogue to complete outfits.
8. To book gig tickets
The events industry is massive and could benefit hugely from the use of chatbots during most aspects of the purchase, from browsing to booking. And one Manchester-based company called TickX is trying to exploit this lucrative area.
“We can help users get from A to B a lot faster,” says TickX cofounder Steve Pearce. “You could ask it, “what’s the cheapest ticket to see Motown: The Musical in July” and it will respond in a second with the cheapest prices
9. As a credit score coach
Announced today (21 February 2017), credit checking service provider ClearScore has launched a chatbot designed to help people improve their credit score.
This credit score ‘coaching’ service will be available for free and will provide three different types of credit rating help; ‘Build’ aimed at young people that lack credit history, ‘Repair’ designed to help people with poor credit history improve their score and ‘Shape Up’, for those just looking to maintain their healthy credit rating.
10. As a lawyer
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