Today, it’s inconceivable that a competitive company wouldn’t use automation systems to manage its business. Conversational agents (chatbots) are increasingly in demand. These are software programs configured to simulate a natural language conversation with humans. In this respect, we distinguish between conversational agents available on websites. These are automated chats. In the case of voice messages, conversational agents are known as vocalbots. In call centers, they’re called callbots. With all these nuances, it’s easy to get lost when talking about the notion of conversational agent. Find out more about these tools.
A conversational agent is a computer program
To answer the question: what is a conversational agent, we need to start with the etymology of the word. More commonly known as a chatbot, aconversational agent is first and foremost a computer program. As such, it is a software program designed on the basis of sophisticated technologies and a precise learning system. In this respect, the chatbot (a contraction of “chat” and “bot”) is defined as a discussion robot. It is set up to enable a dialogue between the computer system and the human. In this, machine learning is put to work for a more efficient result.
By definition, machine learning is automatic learning. It is an integral part of artificial intelligence, and is what enables the bot to provide responses in the presence of pre-recorded elements. The data taken into account to trigger the device’s response are generally configured at the time of implementation. They will therefore serve as clues for the chatbot’s predictions.
A conversational agent offers a personalized customer experience
Since chatbots are based on machine learning, they can respond to human requests. That said, each chatbot has an independent mode of operation. As a result, the interaction between the support and the user is based on an automated conversation. This is why a library of predefined questions/answers is generally provided for the bots to use. For both text and voice notes, an analysis is carried out beforehand, taking keywords into account, to provide the user with a personalized response.
Conversational agents help customer service
Without a doubt, customer service is the department within a company that is usually the most in demand. With too much demand, the efficiency of this department can suffer. What’s more, more people will have to be hired to deal with customer concerns in real time. To alleviate these human and financial resource constraints, chatbots are becoming increasingly popular.
Thanks to the conversational robot, customer support staff receive help with their tasks. It will then only deal with questions that really require human intervention. For other concerns, the chatbot takes care of them. Customers will then receive practical, educational information about the company as quickly as possible.
A conversational agent is a communication tool
In the past, company promotions were communicated by e-mail marketing, among other means. This involves sending e-mails to potential customers and prospects. Today, this technique is somewhat outdated. The simple reason is that customers generally don’t take the time to read these advertising messages, even if they have subscribed to the site’s newsletter.
As an alternative to this classic method of communication, chatbots are becoming increasingly popular. Companies take advantage of this close communication with customers to subtly present their promotional offers. Here, communication is much more direct and personalized. Artificial intelligence analyzes the customer’s intentions, based on their search history. It is on this basis that proposals are made in relation to your product/service offers. Clearly, a conversational agent is also a powerful tool for using Inbound Marketing in business.
The topics covered can be varied. They range from the rates for your services, to timetables and the full range of services on offer. Many users appreciate the responsiveness of this kind of support. In fact, the answers provided are pre-programmed, so that recurring requests are answered quickly. As a result, the conversion rate increases rapidly.
A conversational agent to reduce waiting time on the phone
There’s usually nothing more frustrating for a customer than being put on hold on the phone for a long time. It’s a bad experience for the customer, and it’s bad publicity for your brand. However, it’s not possible for staff to answer all phone calls at the same time. The use of chatbots, or more precisely vocalbots, can help to remove this constraint.
With such a system, you can anticipate call peaks and reduce customer waiting times. Requests will then be processed more efficiently, without human intervention.
A conversational agent is suitable for a number of business sectors
Today, every business sector needs online visibility. This is what will enable you to win bigger market shares. To help you achieve this, we recommend the use of chatbots. In particular, chatbots are ideal for B-to-B customer relationship management. In fact, statistics show that customer satisfaction is significantly improved with such a tool.
If you operate in the industrial, construction, hotel or healthcare sectors, a conversational agent will be useful for your business. It can be integrated into your WordPress website or your social networking pages. Examples include Facebook through Messenger and WhatsApp.
Setting up a Botnation conversational agent is not a difficult task. Better still, you can even use a test version of the tool for free before taking out a subscription. If you’re new to coding or know nothing about it, use the Botnation plugin for your chatbot. This plug-in lets you install the software and put it to good use.
