Watermelon guide
The chatbot guide for beginners
Everything you need to know about the first steps in the world of chatbots.
Table of contents
Channels
These days, there are a multitude of conversational channels your customers use regularly. Besides a website, channels like WhatsApp, Instagram or Facebook Messenger are vitally ingrained in the daily lives of many people. The ability to contact businesses through these channels is becoming more important every day. Of course, if customers want to reach your company using these channels, your chatbot has to be there as well!
Webchat
Perhaps the most recognisable way to put a chatbot in action is on a company's website. The well known chat window in the corner of the website has been a familiar sight for a while now and is still a very effective way for customers to get in touch with companies.
The easy to use and low effort chat widget on a website has one major benefit for customers: they’re able to contact a company while they are navigating the company website. Because most customers’ questions arise while they are browsing the website, the chatbot can be of direct assistance and can answer any questions immediately, so the customers can move through their customer journey quicker and more efficiently.
Another upside of a chatbot in a website widget, is that the look and feel of the chatbot are highly customisable. By matching the image of the chatbot to the rest of your website, your chatbot becomes an extension of your brand and can greatly enhance the customers’ experience on your website.
Facebook & Instagram
Being the largest of the social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram are valuable tools for many companies. And where many businesses already have active Facebook and Instagram pages, Facebook Messenger and Instagram Direct Messages become ever growing sources of customer contact. Time for your chatbot to step in!
Implementing a multi-channel chatbot may seem like a challenge, but with the convenience of a full-fledged chatbot platform it becomes as simple as clicking a button! Once you have connected your Facebook and Instagram accounts to your chatbot platform, you can simply publish the same chatbot from your website on Facebook and Instagram. This way, you can offer the same, consistent service experience from your website, immediately into the direct messages on Facebook and Instagram.
From a customer perspective, it makes even more sense to make your chatbot available on Facebook Messenger and Instagram Direct Messages. Many people are already familiar with the conversational interface where they can type in any message and here your AI chatbot fits in perfectly. Questions are recognised and answered immediately, while your customers never have to leave the Facebook or Instagram environment.
Nowadays, WhatsApp is by far the most used messaging service in Europe and most of the rest of the world. With millions of people using WhatsApp every day, it is quickly becoming an important part of customer service. As a business, being available on WhatsApp allows you to offer customers an easily accessible way to communicate using a service they are already familiar with. A perfect opportunity for automation!
As with other channels, implementing your chatbot in WhatsApp can be done in seconds. Once you have built your chatbot, you can simply connect your WhatsApp Business account and your chatbot is ready to go live!
Once your chatbot is live on WhatsApp, it’s easy to see the benefits of this implementation. The powerful Conversational AI allows customers to start conversations, ask any questions they want and have them answered instantly. And because your chatbot never sleeps, your customer service is available 24/7. Especially useful for those late night conversations!