Workplace Trends: To BOT or NOT – That Is the Question

Published On June 11, 2019

Bots are everywhere! Retailers utilize them to assist shoppers, healthcare professionals are using them to pre-diagnose symptoms and book appointments and real estate professionals are incorporating bots to help with lead generation. The future is here and the robots have arrived.

Keeping Up With the Times

With artificial intelligence becoming more advanced each day, the influence modern technology has on the lives of individuals and organizations worldwide is growing exponentially. Today, a wide range of industries — from real estate and retail to healthcare, banking and insurance — benefit not just from artificial intelligence, but from multiple forms of modern technology.

Being aware of developments in business technology is vital for any organization looking to gain a competitive edge, offer high-quality services and stay up to date with modern solutions. Understanding how bots are automating and changing business for the better is an important part of keeping up with those trends and ensures your organization’s continued success.

AI-powered bots are one form of tech that’s been grabbing recent headlines. Bots in business are a growing trend and as AI and machine learning mature they are capable of ever-more complex tasks.

Which Bot Is Best for You?

Before you decide which bots are for you, you should focus on your organization’s objective. What are you trying to achieve? Having a clear understanding of what you wish to accomplish with your chatbots will lead to a successful implementation. Bots can be used to complete a variety of daily tasks and can be programmed to benefit your business in a number of ways. Understanding the “ask” of the bots from the onset will help you choose the best bot for your goals.

Currently, there are three types of bots available for business implementation: chatbots, informational bots and transactional bots.

Chatbots. These are the most popular bots, and are generally undetectable to the user. They’re so sophisticated that consumers believe they are having conversations with humans. They save time and money for the organization and provide 24/7 customer service, making your business accessible beyond office hours.

Informational bots. These bots do not interact with consumers, but they offer direct and immediate information. They can send push notifications to consumers, keeping them informed instantly. The most common examples would be weather alerts and media advisories. Consumers have a thirst for knowledge and news in real time; the use of informational bots allows your company to provide this service in a cost-effective way.

Transactional bots. Transactional bots are the most intelligent of the bot family. They are capable of taking the place of a human in a transaction. Imagine losing your credit card at midnight on a Saturday — companies can implement transactional bots to cancel your card and issue you a new one.

Making Your Decision

Consider your objective and compare the functionality of the three bot types. Once a choice has been made, it is equally important to include a feedback strategy in your rollout. Asking consumers and employees about their interaction with the bots will improve the experience by providing valuable information for updates or changes. This research is critical as you move to make the bot as “human-like” as possible.

Bot technology is an efficient way to connect with your customers during times when you’re short-staffed or the office is closed. Tasking bots with completing tasks and transactions can help employees feel less stressed, keep customers satisfied and give your organization an on-trend edge against the competition.