If you run a business, then you might have found yourself short of hands at some point. But would a pair of robot hands help? Or rather, an intuitive AI chatbot that can interact with customers, solve queries and provide specific product advice? At enterprise level, chatbots aren’t just a great idea. They’re a necessity. Yet surprisingly, many brands fail to make them all they can be.
Want to take your chatbot game to a new level? It’s time to get personal.
Chatbot personalization goes well beyond using a customer’s first name and sending through a follow-up email. These days, AI can engage consumers, remember conversations, fix problems, and help shoppers find exactly what they want using clever suggestions. While not SkyNet from The Terminator movies just yet – it’s safe to say there’s still plenty to play with.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO PERSONALIZE A CHATBOT?
Collect demographic information
Chatbots can be used to gather important info about users, allowing you to tailor the online experience. Why is this useful? Because marketing is more effective when you know a person’s location, age and preferences. Try customizing chatbot dialogue to offer directions to your nearest retail store. Or suggest the latest anti-virus software if you know a trial is about to expire. Down the line, these insights can be passed onto your sales team, leading to a better pitch, and a better chance of closing the deal.
Create a language that resonates with customers
Language is key to building brand personality and it helps you to interact meaningfully with customers. Just be sure to read the room. If you’re a prestigious watch seller, then opt for a tone that is proper and formal. If you’re fun and light-hearted, then be cheeky and creative. Feel free to crack a few jokes too.
Key takeaway: language should reflect your brand voice.
Be as specific as possible
People click away if you waste their time. So always cut to the chase. The best way of doing this is by delivering specific, useful information. This demonstrates you understand the customer, their journey, and what they may be interested in. To really nail things, your bot needs to utilize information from previous conversations. This way you can skip the preamble and take users straight to the hottest new products, based on what they like.
Avoid repetition (that makes it painfully clear you’re talking to a robot)
Robocop is awesome. Robo talk is annoying. To help everyone get the most out of their experience, avoid endless slabs of text. Why? Because the goal isn’t to emphasize the fact that they’re chatting to AI. But rather, to make the conversation flow naturally. If you don’t throw paragraph after paragraph at your best friend over coffee in the morning, then you probably shouldn’t do it online, through a robot, who lives somewhere in cyberspace.
OKAY. NOW THAT WE KNOW HOW TO PERSONALIZE A CHATBOT, WHY WOULD WE ACTUALLY DO IT?
Improve user experience
Chatbot personalization can take the user experience from meh to really awesome. Basically, you want to create a seamless interaction for the customer that’s quick, stress-free and helpful. Ever felt like smashing your phone into millions of tiny pieces while talking to a clunky bot? That’s what we call a poor user experience. The opposite would be a chatbot that listens to your request, directs you to the right section of a website and then recommends some of the most popular products based on your price range and purchase history.
Deliver the information that customers want
No one wants to chase a chatbot down a rabbit hole. So give the customer exactly what they want, fast. A personalized chatbot can instantly draw on past interactions between a customer and the business to provide insight into what they may be interested in. This means you can generate responses that are truly irresistible. Instead of sending countless messages back and forth, your bot can look up the last pair of pants a shopper purchased, clear its throat and confidently suggest a tapered skinny jean in size 32.
Offer personalized help and support
It’s unlikely that a customer will send out an S.O.S. while chatting to a bot. But in some cases, they may wish they could. You can go a long way towards saving lives by offering intuitive support. And yep, you guessed it – personalization plays a big part. For instance, a well-designed chatbot provides help based on the query at hand. Rather than sending someone to a generic help page, it directs them to the returns and exchange section. Or it links the person straight to the website of their favorite designer (so they don’t have to slug through the returns and exchange section). This all comes down to knowing the individual and personalizing your responses to enhance their journey.
Demonstrate expert product knowledge
A good business wants to demonstrate product knowledge. So why be lazy when it comes to interacting with customers? Chatbots that attack users with everything and anything, instead of offering suggestions based on what’s left in an online cart, aren’t doing what they’re supposed to. By personalizing your approach, you can cut through the spam to deliver the best product information and the best service. Trust us, you’ll look really smart.
Build your brand name
Chatbots aren’t just used for prying open wallets. They’re actually a powerful branding tool. With an engaging and unique personality (and perfect language choice), you can create an AI system that gets customers chatting about things well beyond shorts, chinos and collared shirts. The outcome? People may actually log on for fun and to keep their favorite bot company. Would that be so bad? By exchanging jokes and building rapport, you can go a long way towards establishing customer loyalty. In time, this will pay for itself.
Convert more sales
If a customer is presented with products they are interested in, and they have access to great support, then they’re more likely to buy something. On the other hand, if they have to listen to BennyTheBot go on about spaghetti-strap maxi dresses (when they’re actually looking for football shorts), then things might not go so well. Again, intuitive AI systems can look up past purchases and use demographic information to paint a pretty picture of who they’re talking to – be it Bob, Pam or Belinda. The messaging and products presented can then be personalized for a perfect, comfy fit, leading to more sales for your business and a better ROI.
LET’S GET PERSONAL
Want to enhance the customer journey? We can help to personalize and teach your chatbot some manners. Impressive works with the biggest brands to deliver digital marketing campaigns that always deliver. Get in touch today to find out more.
