Following on from my interview with Avi Ben Ezra about AI and the future of Chatbots, I took the opportunity to ask Henri Ben Ezra about the more practical side of the use of chatbots, with a focus on where we are now. Henri is the CEO of SnatchBot, a company that facilitates you in creating your own chatbot for free.
Firstly, chatbots have become a cost-effective way for businesses to connect with prospective customers. If you are a business and have online sales, you really must have a chatbot. Conversational commerce is going to completely automate the online sales process. Using a chatbot is important for your relationship to your customer, but it is also important for your own analytics. Customers are extremely honest with bots, and the data derived from these conversations is going to change businesses. They provide a unique opportunity for companies to gather data and pinpoint the trends and demands of customers.
Today’s customers want more than the traditional one-sided transaction (one-way service channels have a tendency to be frustrating and time-consuming); they want a two-way interaction. They want to connect and engage with their brands. Enterprises that are doing this effectively are already discovering the merits of a personal, actionable conversation through higher profit margins and an increased rate of loyalty and, by extension, advocacy.