Artificial intelligence is one of the most-talked-about subjects in the world today. It has done a lot to improve the way customers and businesses interact with each other. Still, there’s no greater and more-accessible example of this technology in today’s society than chatbots. With the rise in popularity, we’ve seen with chatbots today, it’s easy to understand why you might be interested in finding a chatbot development company in Maryland.
It’s the type of technology that benefits both the customer and the business – who doesn’t love a win-win scenario? Don’t worry if it’s your first time integrating this amazing technology into your business. We have a team of professionals prepared to make this process as rewarding as possible for you and your customers.
Below, we’re going to discuss some of the major things you need to know before starting your search for a Maryland chatbot development company. This includes why chatbots are so popular, the different types of chatbots available, what to expect from the chatbot development process. And importantly, how to find the best Maryland chatbot developer for your company.
Why are chatbots so popular today?
Let’s be honest, chatbots wouldn’t be popular today unless there was a reason. It has to be providing some benefit for business owners and customers, right?
That’s exactly right – and we’re going to discuss some of those benefits with you right now:
- Customer Service – chatbots can provide your customers with real-time answers and solutions when shopping through your product lineup or learning about your service offerings. It can also handle general frequently asked questions.
- Automation – in today’s digital world, automation is more important than ever. With a chatbot, you eliminate most of the easy questions you get asked by customers and focus more on the important questions. Everyone wins.
- Savings – by cutting down on the number of questions your support team needs to answer, you can cut down on costs by limiting the number of employees you need on your support team. Instead, you can put those funds towards a department that needs it.
- Customer Insights – every time your chatbot interacts with a customer, you gain valuable insights about what customers need, what they’re asking about, and how they’re navigating through your store or app.
- Innovation – customers like to see that a company is dedicated to innovation and finding new ways to satisfy every aspect of their business.
If you want to stay ahead of your competition and establish yourself as a leader in your industry, introducing chatbots into your customer relations strategy is the right way to go.
What type of chatbot do you need?
As the world of chatbots continues to evolve, the number of different types of chatbots available continues to increase. Knowing which type you need to support your customers’ demands is required before you can search for a Maryland chatbot developer.
In general, chatbot apps can be categorized into three major categories – menu-based chatbots, keyword-based chatbots, and contextual chatbots.
Menu-based chatbots are the most basic type and require the user to answer questions using buttons or a menu. Keyword-based chatbots focus on keywords mentioned by the user. Contextual chatbots are a bit more advanced than the other two and focus more on user behavior.
In addition to that, you can choose to either have your chatbot available as a standalone app or built-in to a messenger – such as Slack, Facebook Messenger, etc.
Finally, we want to discuss five of the significant chatbot features/functions that help determine the type of chatbot your business needs:
- Support Chatbot – this type of chatbot is best for answering customer service questions or making recommendations to the user.
- Skill Chatbot – these chatbots are good at taking commands from the user, such as telling the user a joke or turning the lights off.
- Assistant Chatbot – if you want an excellent example of an assistant chatbot, think of Siri by Apple. It’s similar to a support chatbot but has added capability when interacting with the user.
- Transactional chatbot – these chatbots excel at taking food orders, making reservations, and acting as a cashier without the human element to it.
- Informational Chatbot – these chatbots are more focused on gathering information from the user and sending data to the user.
With so many chatbots to choose from, which one do you think fits your business best? Don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal – and recommended – to combine features and functionality when needed. Your Maryland chatbot development company will be able to accommodate.
