Murray Newlands — March 5, 2017 Follow @murraynewlandsFacebook Messenger apps have grown exponentially in the past year. The four largest messaging apps are presently exceeding the growth of the largest social media applications.
Before this explosion of growth, messenger apps were pretty basic. They did exactly what they are known to do─message. As developers started seeing the potential of these messaging apps, even adding a spice of Artificial Intelligence into the mix, they spawned a new type of program. A new program that takes these applications a step beyond merely messaging, proving to everyone just how valuable interactive applications can be.
Retailers and tech companies alike are falling over themselves to see how creative they can be with their messaging apps. What initially started out as websites, which have since turned into applications, is now advancing to an even higher level.
Thus, welcoming in the wonderful world of Chatbots.
What are Chatbots?
Chatbots are the new form of human-to-robot communication. They are computer programs with the ability to mimic conversation through the use of Artificial Intelligence. Additionally, they can be programmed through functions, which are fixed on a set of rules. These types of bots are usually limited to their sets of functions and are as smart as they are programmed to be. Bots that use Artificial Intelligence have the ability to comprehend language. Thier intelligence gives them the advantageous ability to continuously get smarter as they interact in conversations with people.
April of last year, Mark Zuckerberg announced the release of Facebook Messenger Bots. Zuckerberg explained that with the combination of AI, NLP (natural language processing), and some human help, that people would now be able to talk to Messenger bots as if they were talking to a friend. They announced a slew of partnerships such as 1-800 Flowers, where you can order flowers by simply sending the bot a friend’s name. Since the launch, many retailers are now utilizing this new form of communication with the consumer and developing ways to create their own chatbots.
Messaging apps, such as Facebook Messenger, are increasing in usage by 60% year on year, which is making this new chat bot technology the perfect match for brands to create more of a presence on this platform. The biggest, Facebook Messenger, boasts 900 million active users, which means you have an opportunity to put your brand in front of that many users.
How to Create a Chatbot
The creation of chat bots used to be laborious, but many companies are developing ways to easily create your own with online chatbot tools. Companies like Chattypeople , one of the best chat bot platforms for creating an AI chatbot for Facebook, lets you start out for free, and add features as your company’s needs grow. It is not only quick and easy, but it requires absolutely no prior coding experience. To create a bot, you simply answer customer service questions or integrate it with Shopify, which will, in turn, monetize your Facebook fan pages. The simplicity of the site makes it easy and ideal for any marketer or entrepreneur.
Why Chatbots?
Chatbots are the wave of the future. Those who choose not to utilize them will find themselves falling behind the wave. This new technology has the power to personalize your messaging to your consumers. The rule of thumb in marketing is: the more tailored a marketing strategy is to a consumer, the more money typically ends up in your pocket. Instead of going to a web search browser and coming up with thousands, sometimes millions of irrelevant search items, a consumer can simply have a conversation that seems human-like and retrieve better search results.
This makes way for one-to-one marketing at scale. The upside? It is all without the use of human interaction. Therefore, no longer will you need a human customer service representative to talk to each customer directly when a single, programmed bot can do the job for you.
Also, let’s face it. Humans have their shortcomings and bots will be able to satisfy a lot of those shortcomings. They never fatigue and can work 24/7 around the clock. Plus, they are consistent. Once programmed, they will need one instance to learn and remember a function─and then some.
Final Thoughts
Bots are a one-size-fits-all answer. They are customizable for many functions that can benefit your business, especially when it comes to Facebook commerce. So, from driving online engagement to online sales, you can be sure that creating a chatbot for your business is the next step to taking it even higher even if you are creating something else you have to market.
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