Will Facebook Messenger Bots Switch the Way You Do Customer Service?
Facebook’s fresh powerful advertising contraption might have you feeling like you’re in a sci-fi movie, but we assure you — robot customer service reps are very real.
These “chatbots” were unveiled earlier this year at the social network’s F8 conference as the newest way for brands to engage with the more than one billion people who use Facebook’s messenger platform. (More on that announcement here.)
While primarily they were restricted from sharing any kind of promotional content, Facebook representatives recently announced that’s switching — which means it’s time to reevaluate your bot marketing strategy.
Like we have many times before with Facebook’s other advertising offerings — mobile lead ads, Instant Articles, Canvas ads, — it’s time to ask the unavoidable question: Is it worth it?
Bots are hot
The concept of customer service bots is nothing fresh. Most of us are familiar with helpful AI that come built-in to our devices, like Microsoft’s Cortana and Apple’s Siri. Some of us are even old enough to reminisce talking with SmarterChild, the AIM/MSN bot developed more than a decade ago:
At the time, SmarterChild’s capability to forecast the weather and share movie listings was extraordinaire — but it pales in comparison to what chatbots can do today. As a result of technological advancements made in the last decade, bots can better understand natural conversation and actually learn from the people they talk to.
Brands can’t help but see this as an chance to automate a lot of basic customer interactions on the web. Since some experts predict messenger apps could surpass the popularity of social networking sites in the near future (around Two.Five billion people use at least one messaging app, and by two thousand eighteen that could grow to Three.6 billion), chatbots have begun making a comeback in latest years, kicking off out east.
“U.S. companies are tapping into the popularity of chatbots in Asia, where messaging services such as WeChat help users schedule doctor’s appointments, shop for boots, play games or the lottery and send money to friends, all from within the app,” says Jessica Guynn of USA Today.
Looking to go after WeChat’s lead, services like KiK, Slack, and Telegram have enabled brands to create bots on their platform within the last year.
In Facebook’s Messenger app, six months ago you could talk rigorously with friends and family. Today you can strike up a conversation with a bot, and by the end, have pizza, news, a rail — and now, even promotional content delivered to you.
Facebook Messenger bots
Not all bots are created equal. While WeChat has become a haven for them, some point out that many of the chatbots on the service are very limited in what they can do — with many operating like an automated phone operator: “Press one for business hours” or “Reply two to get directions to our storefront.”
On Facebook, there are slew of brands that have developed plain bots like this, but ultimately the network’s aim is to permit for the development of more sturdy ones that can response open-ended questions like “Where can I go for $500?” (Kayak)
Of course, bots don’t have to be this sophisticated. They simply have to serve the purpose they were intended to — which in many cases is fairly basic.
For example, Uber’s chatbot permits Facebook users to request a rail without opening the app, and 1-800 Flowers lets people order flower arrangements for delivery:
So far, the fattest challenge for brands has been attempting to provide value while also adhering to Facebook’s guidelines for bots.
Messenger’s latest update permits chatbots that once could only supply news to send promotional content — but with a catch: the user needs to begin the interaction, and that content needs to be sent within twenty four hours.
That promotional content might look something like this:
Up to this point, tho’, few chatbots have been able to suggest truly useful and personalized practices like Kayak’s, the aim of which is “to put a travel agent inwards your pocket.” Bots with a high level of sophistication require mighty technical skill, and in some cases, an around-the-clock team to maintain.
Still, brands from all industries are working toward a future in which chatbots can treat customer service requests of all kinds, so far with varying levels of success.
Barack Obama’s chatbot, developed to permit Facebook users to send the president a message was called an “epic fail” by VentureBeat’s John Brandon, who added that it was nothing more than “a glorified form.” What’s worse, is that “form” asks for private information that is no way ensured secure. In another chunk for Computerworld, he goes so far as to call it “a security nightmare for you that could prove to be the worst thing Facebook has done in their existence to betray user privacy.”
But a higher level of bot intelligence comes with its own problems. Earlier this year Microsoft had to apologize for tay.ai, a chatbot with machine learning capabilities that learned to spout off racist commentary from conversations with Twitter users.
Should concerns like these keep you from developing your own chatbot?
The pros and cons of chatbots
While some people say this will be “the year of the chatbot,” others aren’t so sure, pointing out that they’ve gotten off to a rough embark. In a Medium post earlier this month, Kik CEO Ted Livingston reflected on the very first four months of the chatbot revolution that can be summed up in one sentence: “This is not yet the world that the early hype promised.”
So, should you leap on the bandwagon by developing your own? Or are chatbots just a passing marketing fad?
Why you should develop your own chatbot
1. Your customers are lazy
If there’s one thing you can always count on, it’s people’s inherent laziness. We want things done for us quickly and on guideline. When built correctly, chatbots can take eliminate the legwork from almost any process to fulfill requests on behalf of users.
Two. Eighteen,000 Facebook bots have already been created
People are going in on chatbots, and not just a few. In less than six months since Facebook bots were made available for development, Eighteen,000 have been launched by brands of all sizes.
Three. Internet users are spending more time in talk
As mentioned earlier, some experts suspect messenger apps will overtake social networking sites as the most-used platforms on the web in just a few years.
Four. Early adopters have seen some success
While there haven’t been many reports of ROI from early adopters, 1-800 Flowers reports that 70% of their fresh customers have been generated through talk. Additionally, movie game franchise Call of Duty used talk to exchange almost six million messages with antsy gamers awaiting a release in just the very first twenty four hours it was online; and the NBA’s bot generated 350,000 interactions during the league finals.
Five. Produce more personalized practices
When done right, there are few technologies more powerful than personalization. Brands like Sephora have used quizzes via bots to build up deeper insight into their fans, and suggest more relevant content tailored to each.
6. Provide instantaneous support
Almost half of all people say they would rather contact a business through messaging than email. It’s not enough that you list a support email on your website and get back to requests within a few days. Today your customers want help via messenger, and they want it instantaneously.
7. Boost online availability
51 percent of people say that a business needs to be available twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Unless you have support team fielding phone calls in every time zone, chatbots make this type of accessibility a reality.
Why you may want to think twice
1. Do you have the resources?
Presently, developing a bot isn’t so effortless that anyone can do it. You’ll need specialized help, which can cost you. Additionally, will you need a petite team to manage out-of-the-box requests? Even a petite staff like that will cost you extra.
Two. Can you invest the time needed to do it right?
If you want your bot to be worth using, you need to make it truly useful. The “glorified form” Obamabot isn’t one likely to be often used. Neither is Facebook’s Poncho the Weathercat, which comes with a disclaimer that reads “typically responds within an hour.” As Nick Statt points out, “That’s neat, if you’re the kind of person who can spend an hour waiting to know whether it’s going to rain.”
Do you have the time to create an app that your customers will truly find useful, or are you developing one just because everyone else is?
Will you develop your own chatbot?
Have you developed your own chatbot with some success? If not, do you think the pros of developing one outweighs the cons?
Let us know in the comments, then begin developing a landing page you can send your talk prospects to with Instapage’s designer-friendly platform.
Will Facebook Messenger Bots Switch the Way You Do Customer Service?
Will Facebook Messenger Bots Switch the Way You Do Customer Service?
Facebook’s fresh powerful advertising contraption might have you feeling like you’re in a sci-fi movie, but we assure you — robot customer service reps are very real.
These “chatbots” were unveiled earlier this year at the social network’s F8 conference as the newest way for brands to engage with the more than one billion people who use Facebook’s messenger platform. (More on that announcement here.)
While primarily they were restricted from sharing any kind of promotional content, Facebook representatives recently announced that’s switching — which means it’s time to reevaluate your bot marketing strategy.
Like we have many times before with Facebook’s other advertising offerings — mobile lead ads, Instant Articles, Canvas ads, — it’s time to ask the unavoidable question: Is it worth it?
Bots are hot
The concept of customer service bots is nothing fresh. Most of us are familiar with helpful AI that come built-in to our devices, like Microsoft’s Cortana and Apple’s Siri. Some of us are even old enough to reminisce talking with SmarterChild, the AIM/MSN bot developed more than a decade ago:
At the time, SmarterChild’s capability to forecast the weather and share movie listings was exceptional — but it pales in comparison to what chatbots can do today. As a result of technological advancements made in the last decade, bots can better understand natural conversation and actually learn from the people they talk to.
Brands can’t help but see this as an chance to automate a lot of basic customer interactions on the web. Since some experts predict messenger apps could surpass the popularity of social networking sites in the near future (around Two.Five billion people use at least one messaging app, and by two thousand eighteen that could grow to Trio.6 billion), chatbots have begun making a comeback in latest years, embarking out east.
“U.S. companies are tapping into the popularity of chatbots in Asia, where messaging services such as WeChat help users schedule doctor’s appointments, shop for boots, play games or the lottery and send money to friends, all from within the app,” says Jessica Guynn of USA Today.
Looking to go after WeChat’s lead, services like KiK, Slack, and Telegram have enabled brands to create bots on their platform within the last year.
In Facebook’s Messenger app, six months ago you could talk rigorously with friends and family. Today you can strike up a conversation with a bot, and by the end, have pizza, news, a rail — and now, even promotional content delivered to you.
Facebook Messenger bots
Not all bots are created equal. While WeChat has become a haven for them, some point out that many of the chatbots on the service are very limited in what they can do — with many operating like an automated phone operator: “Press one for business hours” or “Reply two to get directions to our storefront.”
On Facebook, there are slew of brands that have developed elementary bots like this, but ultimately the network’s aim is to permit for the development of more sturdy ones that can reaction open-ended questions like “Where can I go for $500?” (Kayak)
Of course, bots don’t have to be this sophisticated. They simply have to serve the purpose they were intended to — which in many cases is fairly basic.
For example, Uber’s chatbot permits Facebook users to request a rail without opening the app, and 1-800 Flowers lets people order flower arrangements for delivery:
So far, the largest challenge for brands has been attempting to provide value while also adhering to Facebook’s guidelines for bots.
Messenger’s latest update permits chatbots that once could only produce news to send promotional content — but with a catch: the user needs to commence the interaction, and that content needs to be sent within twenty four hours.
That promotional content might look something like this:
Up to this point, tho’, few chatbots have been able to suggest truly useful and personalized practices like Kayak’s, the aim of which is “to put a travel agent inwards your pocket.” Bots with a high level of sophistication require mighty technical skill, and in some cases, an around-the-clock team to maintain.
Still, brands from all industries are working toward a future in which chatbots can treat customer service requests of all kinds, so far with varying levels of success.
Barack Obama’s chatbot, developed to permit Facebook users to send the president a message was called an “epic fail” by VentureBeat’s John Brandon, who added that it was nothing more than “a glorified form.” What’s worse, is that “form” asks for private information that is no way assured secure. In another chunk for Computerworld, he goes so far as to call it “a security nightmare for you that could prove to be the worst thing Facebook has done in their existence to betray user privacy.”
But a higher level of bot intelligence comes with its own problems. Earlier this year Microsoft had to apologize for tay.ai, a chatbot with machine learning capabilities that learned to spout off racist commentary from conversations with Twitter users.
Should concerns like these keep you from developing your own chatbot?
The pros and cons of chatbots
While some people say this will be “the year of the chatbot,” others aren’t so sure, pointing out that they’ve gotten off to a rough begin. In a Medium post earlier this month, Kik CEO Ted Livingston reflected on the very first four months of the chatbot revolution that can be summed up in one sentence: “This is not yet the world that the early hype promised.”
So, should you hop on the bandwagon by developing your own? Or are chatbots just a passing marketing fad?
Why you should develop your own chatbot
1. Your customers are lazy
If there’s one thing you can always count on, it’s people’s inherent laziness. We want things done for us quickly and on guideline. When built correctly, chatbots can take eliminate the legwork from almost any process to fulfill requests on behalf of users.
Two. Legal,000 Facebook bots have already been created
People are going in on chatbots, and not just a few. In less than six months since Facebook bots were made available for development, Eighteen,000 have been launched by brands of all sizes.
Three. Internet users are spending more time in talk
As mentioned earlier, some experts suspect messenger apps will overtake social networking sites as the most-used platforms on the web in just a few years.
Four. Early adopters have seen some success
While there haven’t been many reports of ROI from early adopters, 1-800 Flowers reports that 70% of their fresh customers have been generated through talk. Additionally, movie game franchise Call of Duty used talk to exchange almost six million messages with antsy gamers awaiting a release in just the very first twenty four hours it was online; and the NBA’s bot generated 350,000 interactions during the league finals.
Five. Produce more personalized practices
When done right, there are few technics more powerful than personalization. Brands like Sephora have used quizzes via bots to build up deeper insight into their fans, and suggest more relevant content tailored to each.
6. Provide instantaneous support
Almost half of all people say they would rather contact a business through messaging than email. It’s not enough that you list a support email on your website and get back to requests within a few days. Today your customers want help via messenger, and they want it instantly.
7. Boost online availability
51 percent of people say that a business needs to be available twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Unless you have support team fielding phone calls in every time zone, chatbots make this type of accessibility a reality.
Why you may want to think twice
1. Do you have the resources?
Presently, developing a bot isn’t so effortless that anyone can do it. You’ll need specialized help, which can cost you. Additionally, will you need a puny team to manage out-of-the-box requests? Even a puny staff like that will cost you extra.
Two. Can you invest the time needed to do it right?
If you want your bot to be worth using, you need to make it truly useful. The “glorified form” Obamabot isn’t one likely to be often used. Neither is Facebook’s Poncho the Weathercat, which comes with a disclaimer that reads “typically responds within an hour.” As Nick Statt points out, “That’s neat, if you’re the kind of person who can spend an hour waiting to know whether it’s going to rain.”
Do you have the time to create an app that your customers will truly find useful, or are you developing one just because everyone else is?
Will you develop your own chatbot?
Have you developed your own chatbot with some success? If not, do you think the pros of developing one outweighs the cons?
Let us know in the comments, then begin developing a landing page you can send your talk prospects to with Instapage’s designer-friendly platform.