Behaviour Patterns: Three tips for good chatbots
Through an experiment, Fabian Reinkemeier of Elaboratum Suisse demonstrates the benefits that can be gained from using behavioral patterns in voice assistants.
Chatbots offer companies the advantage of entering into a direct dialog with their users and thus taking them "by the hand". The prerequisite for the successful use of chatbots is not just that they work technically flawlessly. Above all, chatbots should create tangible added value for the customer - the chatbot must make it easier for the user to make a decision.
Users do not make decisions rationally; 95 percent of them are made unconsciously. Our decisions are the result of clearly defined and recurring behavioral patterns. These patterns are like templates for our actions.
In an experiment conducted by Elaboratum in collaboration with the University of Göttingen, promising findings on the positive effect of behavior patterns on voice assistants were gathered in an A/B test with 347 participants. The targeted use of patterns in the design of voice assistants made the test subjects 42.2 percent more satisfied on average during a purchase process, partly because a more natural experience was created. In addition, the number of people who would use such an optimized assistant to purchase products in the future increased by 81.3 percent.
These findings now need to be transferred to the design of chatbots and voice assistants in practice in order to exploit the full potential of the channel.
1. get to know your target group in order to use the right patterns
A major lever for chatbot optimization lies in people's unconscious behaviour. However, in order to select the right patterns, it is first important to identify your own target group and understand their needs.
2. it's the first impression that counts
Similar to getting to know people, we unconsciously form a first impression of chatbots within a few seconds, which influences our subsequent decisions. It is therefore particularly important in the initial dialog to strike the right tone for your target group and leave a positive impression.
3. eliminate uncertainties
Customers trust known interaction options and channels more than unknown ones. Familiar things are perceived as safer. The task of a chatbot should therefore be to eliminate uncertainties in order to positively influence the decision to use it. If the chatbot is new, it should first introduce itself and explain its capabilities - keyword expectation management.
* Fabian Reinkemeier is a consultant at the e-commerce and cross-channel consultancy Elaboratum. He specializes in conversational artificial intelligence, e-commerce design and user experience.
On Elaboratum.ch a Whitepaper on the topic requested free of charge be
