A chatbot is an artificial intelligence service that businesses are more frequently using to interact with customers via a chat interface such as Facebook messenger.
People are using messaging apps more than ever and even using them more than a lot of social media networks. This means there is a massive opportunity for businesses to use these chatbots to sell to customers around the clock.
But before you start using a chatbot it is important to have a plan, you want to know why you are using the chatbot, what your business objective is, and how you plan to achieve this. Here is what B&Bs need to consider…
1. What Is The Reason Your Business Is Using A Chatbot?
The dominant reason businesses use chatbots is to sell a product or service. B&Bs will be implementing this technology for the same reason, but what call to action are you trying to draw out from the customer? Are you trying to encourage on-the-spot bookings, upgrades, or just building brand advocacy with 24-hour responses.
Once you decide what you are using your chatbot for, you can work on a strategy for it, such as sending customers to your website or promoting your deals.
There are many different CTAs you can use a chatbot for so it is important that you have a clear idea of what you are using the chatbot for and how you are going to achieve this.
2. What Tone Of Voice Will You Use?
It is wise to establish a brand strategy around how you will speak to your customers and represent your B&B before you launch your chatbot. A chatbot is going to be your customer facing concierge when you’re unavailable, so you want this AI to authentically represent the personality of your B&B.
You don’t want your chatbot to be speaking to your guests with a formal and detached tone when your B&B promotes itself as a relaxed, laid back and intimate destination.
3. Chatbot Limitations
Remember, a chatbot isn’t a human staff member, the AI messaging will have limitations to the questions it will be able to answer and to reading the flow of conversation.
Chatbots work best with straightforward, easy to recognise questions and responses, but will not work very well with open-ended questions or overly complicated inquiries.
Chatbots also do not have empathy or the ability to tell if your customer is getting angry, so you need to ensure your customer knows that they are not speaking to a real person.
4. Are you Using The Right Channel For Your Chatbot?
Before spending time implementing a bot into every single communication channel, B&Bs should stop and consider which interfaces their target market using the most. B&Bs will have a much wider reach and engagement success rate if they are using this smart technology in the right places.
5. What Will Your Process For Escalations Be?
If the bot cannot solve the issue there should be a troubleshooting process in place for the issue to be be escalated. If a customer is contacting you with an emergency issue there should be some alert in place that will send to a real staff member.
The post 5 Things B&Bs Should Consider Before Using Chatbots appeared first on Front Desk & Reservation System for Small Hotels – Little Hotelier.
