DIGITAL GROWTH


Rise of the


If you watch the movies, artificial intelligence will wipe us off the face of the planet, eventually. While it could happen, we’re not


quite there yet and businesses in the East Midlands certainly don’t need to worry about how it may create a dystopian world for the moment. But there are developments in


technology that companies can take advantage of now to communicate smarter with their customers. Some of these use artificial intelligence and some don’t. We’re talking here about


chatbots and automation tools – and they’re an increasingly common way for consumers to interact with brands. In my session at the Digital


Growth Programme conferences in March I asked the audience to look up Esteé Lauder Lip Artist in Facebook Messenger and interact with their chatbot. The bot asks a series of questions about what the user is looking to achieve (in terms of their look) and then asks them to upload a selfie. Once uploaded, the bot takes the selfie, applies augmented reality and shows the user a picture of themselves now


ASK THE EXPERT


Social Media and CRM consultant Paul Ince is owner of LikeMind Media in Loughborough and one of the Digital Growth Programme’s resident experts in social media. With nearly 20 years’ experience in the IT industry, he has supported many businesses to increase their visibility online and grow their business through digital technology. Paul specialises in helping organisations


understand the strategies that will help them succeed with social media and, more broadly, with content marketing.


70 business network May 2018


chatbots


Digital marketing strategist Paul Ince looks at the rise in the use of chatbots – and how they could help East Midlands- based businesses better connect with their customers, while driving efficiency.


‘There are tools on the market that allow you to build a bot without the need for any code’


wearing the appropriate shade of lip colour. Just a bit of fun? Sure, but it has


a serious application: as the bot presents the user with the picture, it displays a link to buy the product from within Messenger. One-click. You’ve just tried something on and bought it on impulse without you leaving your couch. Here lies the opportunity with


bots. By finding new ways to interact with customers, businesses can create experiences that they will enjoy, which leads to a deeper connection with the brand itself. It can also allow firms to find


greater efficiencies in their processes, reducing the need to supply human resources for mundane, information-based transactions. Think about the last time you


interacted with someone from Amazon. Never? That’s because all the information you need is provided by the website. If you


want to make a return, there’s a process that you go through to arrange courier collection, or take it to one of their many lockers. It’s a self-service model. Smaller businesses may not have


that level of infrastructure, but they can use technology such as a bot to provide a way for customers to interact with their processes. Let’s take that return analogy. A


customer needs to state they wish to return an item, which item it is and ask for it to be collected. Three pieces of information. A human operative will listen to a request, check the item was purchased from the business and provide a date for collection. If the return is straightforward enough, why does a human need to be involved? Wouldn’t it be better if that


interaction was automatic, leaving the human operative to deal with a more complicated case that needed decisions about possible compensation?


BOOK YOUR FREE PLACE:


Want to find out more? Book on a free ‘Rise of the Chatbot’ breakfast seminar on:


10 May: National Water Sports Centre, Rushcliffe 16 May: Mercure Leicester City Hotel, Leicester City 21 June: Devonshire Dome, High Peak


A full list of free workshops and seminars can be found and booked online at www.d2n2-digital.co.uk (if based in Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham or Nottinghamshire) or www.leics-digital.co.uk (if based in Leicester or Leicestershire).


By using technology, a business


can improve service delivery by providing faster turnaround of results for customers, and increased levels of satisfaction when there are more human resources available. All this sounds fantastic, but


there’s the small task of setting up a chatbot in the first place. Won’t this involve huge costs in development? Fortunately, there are tools on


the market that allow you to build a bot without the need for any code. All you need is an understanding of your processes – the bot will then be built based on these. Studies show that consumers are


ready and willing to use chatbots and personal messaging apps to communicate with businesses. This is not the future. The time to start considering how your business and customers might be served by them is now.


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