Some Of The Most Innovative Chatbots For Engaging Users

Businesses around the globe are increasingly using innovative chatbots as customer support and marketing tools because of one very useful feature: Automation. They are not only a great way to engage website visitors but also help in facilitating existing clients, reducing bounce rates, and solving customer issues in real-time. I think chatbots are just amazing, and I can never get bored talking about them.

Humans may fear bot uprising, but tell you what, they are all conspiracy theories. Also, many people tend to confuse chatbots with robots, but my dear friends, chatbots are not robots and they are definitely not going to take over the world. I mean at least not just yet! They are just conversational agents, at least for now.

Chatbots are Super Cool Things?

Moreover, AI chatbots have become super popular because of their self-learning capabilities - all thanks to underlying technologies like Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Natural Language processing. According to Salesforce, 58% of customers say technologies like chatbots and smart assistants have transformed their expectations of companies - in a good way of course.

All these technological advancements when combined together make chatbots highly responsive and smarter! Some web visitors may have a love-hate relationship with chatbots. Why? Because they say ‘chatbots are annoying’. People may look past all the good chatbots have to offer sometimes. But that doesn't mean they are useless. 

Learn about chatbots: Everything you need to know

The Mitchelles vs The Machines

No matter what you do, never ever bad-mouth a chatbot, or else a ‘pal’ may turn off the world’s wifi and bring about tech-calypso! Just like in 'The Mitchells vs the Machines' - where cranky demonic AI that goes by the name of ‘pal’ takes her revenge after her maker throws her into the garbage because he created something even more powerful to replace her! K jokes apart but the movie is highly recommended - a great example of a chatbot!

Everyone talks about ‘what are chatbots?’ or ‘why are they important’, but in this blog, I will share some of the most innovative chatbots live on the world wide web. So let’s jump into it.

Chatbot # 1 Techcrunch?

Now I am sure everyone must have heard about ‘Techcrunch’ at least once in their lifetime. If you hadn’t I am afraid I might have to ask you, ‘Which planet do you reside on, human?’. Techcrunch is one of the most popular online blogs aimed at disruptive tech news.

This online platform is basically an encyclopedia of information on startups, funds, tech investments, and more. Speaking of their Facebook messenger chatbot, it offers users personalized content and article suggestions.

There may be a wide range of applications that send push notifications about the latest articles but the TC chatbot can send stuff about the category that interests you the most - yes, one specific genre. Hence, personalized. All users have to do is subscribe to their most-favored topic and let the chatbot handle the rest - get weekly updates about your chosen category instantly. 

You can see the most popular stories, latest headlines and even get more information about the bot itself. According to a Techcrunch representative, ‘Since launching, we’ve seen tremendous growth in active user sessions. Without sharing too much data, I can say that within a few months I expect it to rival the current monthly session numbers we’re getting from our TechCrunch app.’ 

Additionally, the TC’s chatbot was developed with Chatfuel - a free chatbot builder. The best part is - it doesn’t require any coding. 

Chatbot # 2 LEGO?

Then we have Ralph - the gift bot - yes that’s what LEGO calls their chatbot. Yet another Facebook messenger bot to the rescue. This innovative chatbot is specifically created for providing an organized gift-shopping experience to visitors and potential customers consequently reducing friction, especially in the high Christmas time when everyone is going absolutely insane to find that one perfect gift for their loved ones.

The main duty of Ralph is to ask people about certain demographics such as age, budget, and type of Lego kits they are interested in. Takes just about a few seconds for Ralph to reappear with catalogs of Lego kits. 

According to James Poulter, senior manager, of digital consumer engagement at Lego, ‘We are continuously searching for new and fun ways to engage with our consumers and shoppers. Chatbots are increasingly being used by brands to engage in the digital space, and in turn to drive sales. The Lego Group is one of the first in the toy industry to embrace this concept.’

Chatbot # 3 Disney?

Yeah-huh, that’s right! Disney is also using Facebook Messenger chatbots! But Disney has a very exciting strategy - the biggest entertainment company is using chatbots for movie promotional activities named after the movies itself such as Beauty and the Beast chatbot or Zootiopia chatbot.

Disney chatbots are offering quite a unique experience to movie fans whether it's about simply raising awareness, creating hype, or selling tickets, all, in a very conversational way.

Zootopia’s Judy Hopps bot was a 2 weeks long FB messenger promotional campaign in which Judy Hopps conversed with fans for several minutes. Moreover, the most intriguing thing about this chatbot campaign was to help Judy Hopps to solve the case. Through the bot, Disney effortlessly integrated the movie content into a digital experience. The eagerness of fans to chat with Judy Hopps to find the clues to solve the mysteries was unmatchable.

Similarly, later in Beauty and the Beast chandelier Lumière - a character from the movie guided customers through the process of buying tickets.

Chatbot # 4 Casper?

Innovative chatbots are so much more than just telling people what to buy or what to read - they go above and beyond. One such example is ‘Casper’ (Insomnobot 3000) - built by a mattress startup. It is considered a stress reliever bot for insomniacs, helping them sleep through the night. Lindsay Kaplan, head of communication at Casper says,  'We wanted to make a bot that made 3 a.m. a little less lonely’. 

The bot is easily accessible through a simple text message. Casper is developed to be universally friendly and was built on a range of responses around topics that are frequently repeated. Such as if resident evil is keeping you up at night, Casper is ready to talk to you about it. 

You know the most exciting thing or you can say the funniest thing about Casper is that it will only function the best between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m, text him outside of this time and he will probably ask you to get lost. Are you too feeling lonely at night? Just text the bot at 844-823-5621. 

FYI?

Chatbot # 5 Hipmunk ✈️

It is one of the most prominent and innovative chatbots in the travel industry - the counterpart of a chipmunk (I kid). Now, what does Hipmunk do? It helps people to search for different travel deals, book flights, and find lodgings, and rentals - basically, it helps potential travelers with a complete personalized travel itinerary.

Hipmunk’s Hello chatbot is one of the amazing AI travel assistants that can easily be integrated with Facebook, skype, or even Slack, y’all. Hello-bot enables users to ask questions such as ‘Can you find me a rental car company or a place to stay in ABC town?’ Hipmunk will respond with a couple of recommendations pulled from relevant travel sites.

It’s like your word is Hipmunk’s command! Uber cool. FYI: Reddit’s Steve Hoffman co-founded Hipmunk. The chatbot is very exciting and now I wonder why! Steve Hoffman, you guys, Steve Hoffman… from Reddit... co-founded it! Duh!

You know what else? 

Hipmunk won two Webby awards and secured one nomination. Additionally, in 2016, Concur Technologies acquired it for $58 million but is still running as a service of its own.

Learn more about the significance of chatbots in the travel and tourism industry

What are Some Fun Web Browser Chatbots?

Since we have talked about text-based and Facebook messenger chatbots, the following are some of the most fun, popular and innovative chatbots that users can access through web browsers: 

Mobile Monkey? - Even though the mobile monkey is a chat bot-building platform yet it has a cool, fun chatbot of its own. After you go to their website, the bot pops up to guide you through the process. 

Dominos? - Domino’s bot provides the best ordering experience online. The bot is super easy to interact with. Moreover, it allows customers to place orders through mobiles, smartwatches, smart cars, and smart TVs. Woo. Too many options on the menu, get it? A Spokesperson from Dominos says, ‘We want to be where our customers are, our goal is to make ordering as convenient for them as possible. We know that customers spend a lot of time on messaging apps and that messaging is an important place for ordering to be offered.’

Heek ??‍?- Ok, it can help you build your website. I mean wow! Do you want to build a website, tell Heek about everything you want. It will offer you multiple different customizable designs to help you with the web development process. 

IBM Watson Assistant ⌨️ - One of the most advanced AI-powered innovative chatbots in the market. With the use of AI and ML, it can easily identify when to guide users to human support staff, when to search for a query, and when to ask for more clarity on the issue.

Why are Chatbots Important?

• Since chatbots are capable of handling complex queries and can very much imitate human support staff - they can reduce the company’s costs otherwise spent on hiring and training human staff. 
• Chatbots help with lead generation by offering personalized recommendations and product suggestions.
• They are available throughout the day, irrespective of the time zone, for offering immediate assistance.
• Chatbots can seamlessly collect customer insights and buying behaviors through regular interactions which are quite helpful for running personalized marketing campaigns. 
• They are quite patient as opposed to the human support staff. 
• Innovative chatbots keep things simplified and only provide precise responses.
• They improve customer service by keeping users engaged. 
• Multilingual chatbots promote inclusivity. They seamlessly chat with people from any background - which enhances the brand’s image.
• Most importantly, they can cater to every industry - be it eCommerce or travel. 

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