6 Common Bot and Chatbot Myths Debunked
Has at least one bot or chatbot myth crossed your path? Perhaps you’ve heard of or read articles about support bots and how they are changing the face of customer service? Each moment of technology advancement gives birth to increased bot recognition and innovation, including various potential outlets (e. g. Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts, Skype, etc.) and markets in which bots are continuously expanding. Here are six bot and chatbot myths debunked:
MYTH #1 — Missing Elements
Developers are concerned that certain capabilities will never be fully maximized and utilized for bots and channel support. Also, how much can bots function within the variety of devices and platformsto which they can be applied?
Reality: Currently, SDKs (Software Development Kit) are being developed and tested for these channels (Skype Bot Platform) and, yes, it’s been proven that they can be implemented into the framework. All versions of bots are as intelligent as their programming and the information they can access, in other words the sky’s (almost) the limit. Bots can be incorporated into many mechanisms and processes such as appliances, applications, and mobile.
MYTH #2 — Too Good to Be True
When Microsoft announced their Bot Framework Connector, it was heavily hyped for its possibilities, but was also met some skepticism. The bot connector is simply a communication service that enables bot connections on multiple channels (e.g. SMS, Skype, Slack, GroupMe, etc.) from a single interaction point.
This breakthrough technology sounds like it could have many bumps on its road to perfection. The industry promise regarding “Write once, run anywhere” leads us to ask if Microsoft’s Bot Connector just offers capabilities in their most basic form, will it prove to be a disappointing experience in the end?”
Reality: Bot Connectors provide high quality and broad reach to many leading conversation experiences, while also providing the tools to configure, manage, and build your bot through the Bot Framework website and Bot Directory. Additionally, your bot can host many other capabilities and both the Bot Connector and Bot Builder SDKs provide reach and complete control.
MYTH #3 — Unprotected Safety, Security, & Privacy
As with most new or unfamiliar technological breakthroughs, people immediately speculate: “Will my information be secure? How can I know? What measures will be taken to protect my privacy?” In dealing with bots, it is frequently asked:
· How is my personal data handled once it’s collected by bots?
· Which parts of my personal data (and how frequently) can a 3rd-party access?
Reality: Each bot gives its own unique service and their developers must present Terms of Service and Privacy Statements per their Code of Conduct. This data resides in the Bot Directory’s card. Bot Connectors collect and store your ID from the service you used to contact the bot. Then, the connectors may additionally store unidentifiable data for upgrades or enhancements. There are two examples of how bot development is organized regarding this sensitive topic:
· Anonymous Reporting (such as Microsoft and Google) that sometimes requests an “opt in”.
· Internal departments are setup to deal with receiving, processing, treating the delicate issue of personal-information handling.
MYTH #4 — Limited Chatbot Functionality & Not-a-Great Resource Saver
Both businesses and developers jumped to the assumption that bots and chat bots had limited flexibility and could only minimally be useful for a particular channel’s proficiencies. The general industry concern was that chatbots could execute simple tasks and that their advantages won’t save organization overhead costs.
Reality: Bot technology offers the flexibility for you to provide the most professional and business-driven bot experience to your clients, from wherever they’re communicating. The most recently developed chatbots can perform complex tasks such as booking travel plans, sophisticated tasks with congregating people for a meeting, or serving as a potential first screener of medical conditions for patients. Moreover, chatbots will reduce costs associated with: customer service, employee and operational costs, travel expenses, and more.
MYTH #5 — Won’t Increase Efficiency of Customer Service
Even technical optimists assume (and dread) that customer service processes will be expensive and slow. Frequently, service representatives are: overworked, lack training, minimally paid, and fall prey to under-staffing. Each of these factors alone is a potential recipe for unproductive customer experiences. But all these factors together equal commonly frustrating and usually non-helpful service.
Reality: To complete both trivial and crucial tasks, imagine choosing either of the following methods:
· Sending an SMS or typing a few lines
VS.
· Waiting on the line for what feels like countless-minutes and trying to explain it to the agent
Given the choice to perform jobs using either technique, more and more customers prefer communicating with a (bot-based) system.
MYTH #6 — Lacks that Personalized (Human) Touch
How much could bots really personalize the customer experience? Won’t customers feel less valued by the company and thus their customer experiences decline? Do bots make customers feel like the organization doesn’t care about them? How do bots fit with the positioning of the brand?”
Ultimately, if that were the case, clients leaving your business due to lack of personal touch offsets the benefit of using chatbots to decrease expenses.
Reality: Companies and brands realize that if they don’t personalize services to each and every customer, then they’ll lose business. Some objectives designed with the customer perspective in mind:
· Chatbots will employ native language speech tools.
· For data collection, search, insight, or commerce, complex AI increases intelligence for more specialized and personalized conversations.
· Widespread usage of messaging apps and platforms drives a demand for enhancement and innovation, and provides a context for consumer engagement and interaction. This would include fluid conversations with customers driving and controlling the conversation.
· Various APIs can be channeled and integrated together to create highly specialized experiences.
· Contact-center tasks will be more efficient and productive, thus allowing human operators to be more effective and valuable.
This article was written by Eli Campo, CEO of nanorep Technologies Ltd.
