Throughout 2020, we have realized the importance of digital interactions especially when it comes to Social Media. Whether staying in touch with loved ones, or reaching out to a company to check on an order, 3.96 billion people use social media today, accounting for roughly 51% of the global population (digitalmarketing.org). With the average internet user spending 144 minutes on social media sites each day, engaging with your audience is critical.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) based Virtual Assistants (VAs) for social engagement are special. They provide an alternate option for consumers to ask questions and receive an instant response. When modern messaging is deployed properly, it increases Customer Satisfaction, reduces hold times, and captures the Voice of the Customer. VAs can be positioned to be brand ambassadors, can help fulfill orders, and even answer support questions among other things. Brands like Sprinklr, LivePerson and Khoros are leveraging a version of this technology today in the form of bots to help consumers. Take a look at this quick review including: Chipotle’s “Pepper” bot on Facebook by LivePerson; The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Facebook bot for COVID-19 by Sprinklr; and Khoros’ Maia bot for the Khoros website and Atlas online community.
Chipotle’s Pepper Facebook Bot – LivePerson
Pepper is Chipotle’s order bot. Interact with Pepper in a straightforward question and answer style. The chat begins by introducing Pepper, and asking visitors to select from the following: Start an order; find a chipotle; my account. After selecting to order, Pepper asks for delivery or pickup, and then helps to find a nearby location. Users can proceed to order by selecting or typing what they want. Especially during the current state of affairs, Pepper helps minimize time standing in line, which is important for social distancing measures. Find bot here https://www.facebook.com/chipotle/
WHO Facebook Bot – Sprinklr
Want to know about the United States’ current virus count? Use this bot to get the latest information by selecting an option or typing a question. The bot suggests that visitors type the name of the country to get the latest case numbers, or simply type “daily” to sign up for daily alerts. The benefit of using this bot is an instant response regarding critical health information. This bot doesn’t seem to be chatty or interactive in nature, it gets straight to the point. Find bot here https://www.facebook.com/WHO/
Khoros’ Maia Bot for the Website & Community
According to a blog post on the company site, Maia can help find content on Atlas, file support tickets, check product status, and many other evolving tasks. If Maia isn’t able to answer your questions, you can get in touch with Atlas Guides for a more human approach. The Atlas community also has a suggestion board for ideas, or comments about Maia. Find bot here https://khoros.com/
Key Features for Social Engagement
noHold’s 20 years of experience in the Virtual Assistant and bot space has taught us that there are key characteristics to ensure the best customer experience:
Ability to Ingest Documents – No Code Required
It should not take your company an extended period of time and resources to get started with AI. Virtual Assistants should include an option to get started with existing documentation, and not require an AI expert.
Diagnostic Capability to Handle Complex Situations
In some situations, a quick Q&A is sufficient however, this is not a one size fits all world. Some end users will need to diagnose and troubleshoot a problem. If the technology is not sophisticated enough to handle this type of conversation, you are excluding a large number of customers. When a company overlooks this important piece of conversational AI, it increases frustration and simply adds an extra step in the process of solving a problem.
Conversational Features like Dialog Interrupt & Clarification Questions
Another key feature that should not be forgotten is understanding that humans will naturally misspell words. They will also need to stop mid conversation to ask clarifying questions. For example, when ordering your morning coffee, you may need to stop and ask which dairy free options are available. The barista will tell you what is available, and then go back to where you left off in the order process. You may then need to pause and ask, “What is oat milk?” The barista will stop again, explain what it is, then return to your order. An advanced Virtual Assistant or chatbot should have similar features that mimic human conversational dialog, without getting stuck in the process.
Multilingual Capabilities
Embrace the fact that audiences are multicultural, multilingual and will require you to meet their needs. Leverage a Virtual Assistant solution that can speak your audience’s language to improve satisfaction and loyalty.
These are just a few of the key features that should be considered when deploying a Virtual Assistant or chatbot solution. To learn more about noHold’s Virtual Assistant and chatbot platform visit: https://www.nohold.com. To read more about top-rated Social Suite vendors and how they compare, check out The Forrester Wave™: Social Suites, Q4 2019.
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