Chatbots are Artificial Intelligence (AI) program on websites that gives the users an impression of chatting with a live person by having pre-set questions and answers related to the website. To cite an example, if you visit a travel website, the chatbot (if available) will pop up at the lower end inquiring about the purpose of your visit to the website. Whether you are looking for a holiday package or just a hotel booking at your destination. Based on your input, the next set of questions will continue until you reach the final data capturing section. The data that you enter will usually be captured as a lead and you will most likely start receiving emails suggesting ideal holiday packages and so-called “once in a lifetime deals”.
Chatbots can either be open or closed. Open chatbots utilize AI to better interact with the user and will learn from the interactions. Unless programmed efficiently, they may result in a poor user experience. Closed chatbots on the other hand are less risky and direct the user to a specific pre-determined set of answers.
Chatbots are gradually replacing live call center agents in customer service, as it is much easier to train the bots as opposed to actual people and it does not mind the repetitive questions that each visitor may have. This does not mean that it can totally replace the human interaction (at least not for another few years) as there will be queries outside the scope of the pre-programmed templates even with the current AI advancements. They however ensure that the user is always engaged, and studies show that a good percentage of users prefer to place their order from websites having chat options.
2021 has seen a tremendous increase in various businesses adopting the online business model in order to combat the fluctuating conditions of the Covid-19 pandemic. The second wave that has hit India has taken a huge toll on the common man who survives on day to day basis. With isolated lockdown being imposed in almost all states in India, businesses that do not come under the essential services category are suffering because they need to find alternate options to sell their goods. So eCommerce websites are being opted for by many business owners. Chatbots are an integral part of an eCommerce business website. Many eCommerce website developers in Kochi, Kerala are opting for chatbots to be included to enhance the customer experience.
Also, the banking sector has adopted chatbots into its system to compensate for the lack of human interaction due to covid restrictions. Most of the functions which earlier required a walk-in at the bank can now be successfully executed via net banking. One of the famous chatbots was introduced by HDFC bank which goes by the name of EVA(Electronic Virtual Assistant). It was introduced to provide a true conversation feel for visitors to the bank’s website. Similarly, SBI bank has SIA(SBI Intelligent Assistant) which fulfills many essential functions and answers questions with predetermined responses.
Chatbots play an integral part in improving content marketing due to the vast extent of information shared with and collected from the user. They also help in qualifying leads by filtering out casual visitors through a series of meaningful questions. On some websites, chatbots even help in upselling the products. For example, if free trials for a product are offered on the website, then chatbots can be designed to sign clients up using their Credit Card details, which can then be charged once the trial ends.
Few famous chatbots available in the market today are Surveysparrow, Azure Bot, Acquire, Mobile Monkey, Tawk to, Haptik, and Zendesk. Few of them are free options (with premium benefits available at monthly subscription fees) and can help you out in case if you are on a tight budget.
The speed of getting answers and the 24/7 availability of ready answers make it a powerful tool for any business and it is predicted that by 2022, almost 82% of businesses will opt for chatbots because of its long list of inevitable pros.
At Inter Smart solutions Ecommerce Website developers in Kochi, Kerala chatbots are included in almost every website designed keeping in mind the growing popularity and the long-term usage of websites. Our client feedback regarding the chatbots helps us to enhance the overall user experience of the website.
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