AI chatbot software has recently become one of the most widely used business tools.
Companies use it for all kinds of use cases, including education, customer service, internal operations, and so on.
The chatbot market is expected to reach $458 million in valuation by 2027. As artificial progresses, we’ll only see more chatbot options.
But how do you know the best one for your use case?
In this article, we dive into important considerations that you should look into before choosing a chatbot software for your business or organization. So, let’s dive in.
What is Chatbot Software and Does My Business Need It?
Chatbot software is an artificial intelligence (AI) program designed to simulate conversation with human users through messaging platforms, websites, mobile apps, or other communication channels.
They often use natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML) algorithms to understand and respond to user requests and queries.
Companies need chatbot software if you want any of these benefits or capabilities:
- 24/7 Availability. Unlike humans who need to take breaks or sleep, chatbots can be available 24/7 to respond to customer inquiries, even outside business hours. This can improve customer satisfaction and reduce response times.
- Scalability. Chatbots can handle multiple conversations simultaneously, increasing the number of communication points you can have with stakeholders and clients.
- Cost Savings. Using chatbots significantly reduces the cost of customer service by automating routine inquiries and freeing up staff to handle more complex issues.
- Data Collection. Chatbot software is also a great lead generator and data collector. With them, you can collect valuable information on user behavior, preferences, and feedback, which can be used to improve the chatbot and other areas of the business.
- Competitive Advantage. When used right, chatbots give companies a competitive advantage by offering a more innovative and efficient customer service experience.
Considerations when Choosing Chatbot Software
Here are nine factors to consider when selecting the best chatbot software for your context and specific needs.
Purpose and Goals
Before selecting a chatbot software, you need to determine the purpose and goals of your chatbot.
What do you want your chatbot to achieve? What kind of interactions do you want your chatbot to handle?
Knowing your goals and objectives can help you select the right chatbot software.
One of the most common use cases for chatbots is customer support, with 37% of chatbot users using them in customer service.
But chatbots can also be powerful e-commerce features. They’re great for lead generation, bookings and reservations, payments, appointment setting, and more.
Determine what purpose your chatbot will serve, and it’ll be easier to determine the best one for you.
Customization and User Experience
Another thing to consider is how easy it is to customize the chatbot software.
Can you easily customize the chatbot to match your branding and design? Is the chatbot builder intuitive and easy to learn?
Can you train existing staff to maintain and create new flows or will you need outside help?
Some of the best chatbots are easy to use and customize.
There will be some form of learning curve, for sure. But the shorter that learning curve can be, the better.
Try to see if your chatbot options also have some form of education or learning platform to show you the ins and outs of the system.
Natural Language Processing (NLP)
Finding a chatbot software that supports NLP technology can give your business an added edge.
This system reads and understands a piece’s tone, personality, and context.
This helps the chatbot understand and respond to natural language queries and commands.
It also allows the chatbot to learn and improve its responses over time. Having NLP can smoothen bot training so you get better responses.
They can also be great tools to analyze a response’s urgency and level of importance.
Integrations
There’s a high chance that you won’t operate the chatbot as a standalone program.
It will need to work alongside other programs and platforms for marketing, sales, customer service, or other business processes.
Let’s say you’re a property manager that wants to use chatbots to answer queries or tenant issues.
You’re going to need to integrate your chatbot tools with the best property management software.
Integrations let your software communicate seamlessly with each other so that you don’t have to manually exchange data points and communications between these tools.
Multilingual Support
If you plan to deploy your chatbot globally or to a multilingual audience, look for chatbot software that supports multiple languages.
This will help you reach a wider audience and provide a better user experience.
The best chatbots for customer service departments of national companies should support as many languages as possible.
At the very least, your program’s dashboard should have other major languages.
Some chatbot software also has natural language generation capabilities that create pre-written responses in a given language.
All your customer service team will have to do is tweak and send.
Security and Compliance
Cybersecurity is a growing need in today’s highly digitized world. Cyber attacks and threats have been on the rise for both businesses and their clients.
So ensuring that your chatbots meet the highest standards of cyber safety and compliance should be a major consideration.
Ensure that the chatbot software meets all basic security and compliance requirements and more.
Some features and capabilities to look for include encryption, data protection, and access controls to safeguard user data and comply with GDPR, HIPAA, and CCPA.
Analytics and Reporting
Choose a chatbot software that provides analytics and reporting capabilities.
This will give you different insights into user behavior and preferences. Checking analytics from chat history can help identify patterns, trends, and areas for improvement.
These data points can help you optimize the chatbot experience for your users.
Moreover, Analytics and reporting can help you identify new opportunities for engaging with users.
For example, you might notice that users frequently ask about a feature your chatbot doesn’t currently support.
This insight can prompt you to develop and offer that feature to your users.
Scalability
If you want to scale your customer support or any other chatbot use case, you’ll need a system that scales with time.
One factor that plays into this is cost. Most chatbot software tends to charge more when your chat volumes increase.
You’ll need to monitor this closely month-to-month and see if your expenses are still worth it.
Additionally, look for chatbot software that can handle the expected volume of interactions and users.
Ensure that the software can scale up or down based on demand and can handle peak loads without downtime or performance issues.
Support and Documentation
The best chatbot software will provide you with support and documentation in case your system experiences any issues or bugs.
This can help reduce the amount of time that your technical team spends fixing problems in your system.
Select a chatbot software that offers comprehensive documentation, training, and support.
This will help you get up and running quickly, troubleshoot issues, and ensure that your chatbot is always performing optimally.
Most times, companies subscribe to products that they don’t maximize. There’s a chance that you are only seeing the tip of the iceberg of what your software can do.
Get in touch with support and ask for a demo to see what other capabilities you have with a chatbot tool.
Don’t Rush the Process
Considering the features and capabilities of different chatbot platforms helps ensure that you find the best tool for the job.
Look at what different vendors can offer based on these considerations. You’ll most likely select the solution that provides the services you need.
So don’t rush the selection process. Take all these considerations in mind.
By taking the time to carefully evaluate your options and select the right chatbot software, you can create a more efficient and effective experience for your customers and teams.
