Conversational UI & Chatbots: How Will They Look in 2023?

Remember back in the days when chatbots were seen as the technology of the future? Well, we’re in the future now and the questions surrounding artificial intelligence tools have raised the bar. While the chatbot revolution has performed perfectly for customer support and online ordering, how can we overcome the challenges in the Inbound Marketing arena?

First things first - What exactly is a Chatbot?

A chatbot is an Artificial Intelligence tool that simulates and processes human conversation (either written or spoken), allowing humans to interact with machines as if they were a real person. The usefulness of chatbots can be as basic as answering a simple question with a single line text, or as sophisticated as digital assistants that provide increasing levels of personalization as they collect and process data about users.

From Chatbot to Conversational UI

By 2022 we have come to realize that what we call a chatbot is not quite the same thing as AI-driven intelligent assistants, like Alexa and Siri, that are damn good at guessing what you want and giving it to you. 

Chatbot marketing is just good at executing simple logic trees and helping users fill out forms or find information quickly through a text message thread. That's why the new favorite buzzword for marketers has evolved to "Conversational UI".

Also read: INBOUND 2022: Key Takeaways & Hottest Features

3 Ways Conversational UI will power better User Experiences in 2023

While modern bots powered by AI and Machine Learning are still barely accessible to small and medium-sized companies, there are ways to exploit the growing potential of chatbots systems through integrated marketing automation softwares. For example, HubSpot makes available a free chatbot builder software that lets you scale first-level interactions with website visitors, qualify leads, book meetings, and even provide 24/7 customer service. 

But how Conversational UI is building bridges to bring the human touch to business communication? 

The ability to engage with customers through a digitally enabled conversation is critical to deliver outstanding user and customer experiences. Chatbots are increasingly becoming consumers’ first touchpoint with a brand, providing them with the self-service experiences they crave.

According to a survey conducted by The Harris Poll on customer experience trends, nearly 79% of respondents say that communicating with a real human is among their most preferred ways to inquire about a product or service, despite the majority of customers, specially younger generations, do enjoy utilizing self-service options (94%).

So, assuming they should not be used in a stand-alone fashion, here are three easy ways to make chatbots the perfect marketing and sales tool for your business goals:

1. Bringing the human touch to the heart of every interaction

   Chatbots are great to handle simple, repetitive requests from customers to reduce the agent workload, like password resets, feedback collection or other “small stuff”. The key is to use them as a complementary tool that facilitates human assistance and helps provide engaging human interaction through recommendations based on past behavior. Even though users may be supported by a bot interface, this doesn’t mean that the human touch can’t be the center piece. 
   

2. Using past interaction data and real-time translation on personalization

   If you’re thinking about getting a chatbot implemented in 2023, always ensure that it has the capability for customizable analytics (e.g., channel-specific usage, popular intents and business-related metrics). By utilizing data from previous interactions, brands can easily determine what requests can be triaged to a chatbot.  Also, don’t forget to offer real-time translation, since it’s no question that users are more comfortable communicating in their native language.
   
   
3. Taking human resources as a key element for quality control
   
   Don’t make the mistake of seeing chatbots as a “set it and forget it” solution. Your investment must be supported by an effort toward making enhancements and improvements on a consistent basis. Having someone with the accountability to refine the bot’s intellect, functionality and personality is the secret to offering more than just the average bot. The human touch, supported by machine learning, will ensure your chatbot gets smarter and that each interaction always leads to a better one.

Top real-life Chatbot Use Cases in Inbound Marketing

🚀 Increasing top-of-funnel conversions through forms and meeting schedulers

🚀 Navigating blogs and resource libraries, such as help centers and knowledge bases

🚀 Leveraging content marketing efforts through graphical calls-to-action

🚀 Qualifying leads up front through forms that segment customers based on persona-specific information and branching logic

Need a hand implementing a conversational experience that can help your business grow?
Let YouLead help you figure out your chatbot marketing strategy.