Why Chatbots are the Future of Digital Marketing
As cofounder of Sympl, Mark Herman knows what chatbots can do and when and how to use them.
During his 10 minute appearance at the BAM Congress on December 8th, he shared with the audience what the mindset has been for starting Sympl and what he and his team have learned along the way.
Looking for a job. Recruiting new workforce. It can be a frustrating, time-consuming process in which time is spent scrolling through job offers / applications, unnecessary visits are planned with recruiters, and frustration can eventually get the upper hand.
Mark Herman and Steven Pyck, founders of Sympl, decided it was time to change the entire recruitment process and match it to today’s changed consumer behavior. In comes Sympl.
Sympl
Sympl is a recruiting chatbot that offers the possibility to recruit people or find a job using Facebook Messenger.
The so-called ‘Talentbot’ allows for a fully automated screening process which can take place wherever and whenever.
After the initial screening, human recruiters can then use the acquired information to match the right candidate to the right job.
“80% of smartphone users spend their time in only 5 apps”
The App Boom is Over
By choosing Facebook Messenger as a platform instead of building a standalone app, Marcel and Steven answer to the rapid decline of the number of downloaded apps.
Marcel states that 80% of smartphone users spend their time in only 5 apps and on top of that, 65% of smartphone users don’t even download any new apps.
By offering Sympl through existing, already-in-use chat apps, they reach customers at their preferred channel, thereby taking away the barrier of them having to download yet another app.
Use of Chatbots in Existing Apps
Implementing chatbots in apps that customers are already using, like Messenger, is not new.
The Philadelphia Cream Cheese bot, for example, helps consumers discover new recipes with cream cheese, while Hendrick’s Gin’s developed a hilarious bot that allowed people to adopt their own cucumber for the ‘World Cucumber Day Experiment’ and KLM’s bot assists their customers with on-the-go flight information updates.
These companies all use Facebook Messenger to offer those services, which allows them to reach a much larger share of their customers than would have been possible using a dedicated app.
The Struggles of Chatbot Dialogue
The technology behind chatbots is easy to control. What isn’t easy to control though, is the dialogue.
Dialogue is, per definition, a conversational exchange between two or more people. But how can you predict the questions to come, and make sure your chatbot is able to react to every question appropriately?
How do you control the tone of voice of the conversation? On top of that, when using platforms such as Messenger, you lose control of the entire UX, as it is 100% driven by Facebook.
Learnings
Marcel continued by summing up some of the learnings he and his team have gathered from their Sympl experience:
- Limit the scope of what your bot can do, keep it simple and focused.
- Start experimenting early. Make sure you know early on what works and what doesn’t.
- Don’t expect to launch a perfect chatbot. You start with a baby, who will learn in time and develop into an adult
The Future of Chatbots
At the end of his 10 minute presentation, Marcel briefly mentioned how he sees the future of chatbots.
He is convinced that soon consumers will demand to have conversations with brands and that text will start to take over speech.
Brands will have to interact with customers, giving value to the customer in return for their purchase.
This will not happen in separate apps, but will be more and more centralized in 1 platform of communication, chosen by the consumer.
Chatbots are a great way to reach your customers and a massive asset to your omnichannel strategy.
