The first thought that came to your mind after stumbling upon this article is, “How can I use custom chatbots differently than off-the-shelf chatbots?”.
If they are used identically, then this listicle is a waste of time.
However, you can often apply custom AI chatbots with extreme creativity and ingenuity. For example:
- Virtual Personal Stylist: H&M’s chatbot on Kik suggests outfits based on your style and preferences.
- Interactive Storytelling for Kids: The BBC’s “CBeebies Storytime” chatbot engages children with interactive bedtime stories, adapting based on their responses
- Language Learning Partner: Duolingo’s chatbot helps users practice new languages through real-time conversations and corrections
Want more examples? Just keep scrolling!
I’ll share 10 innovative ways to use a custom chatbot in your business and its benefits. Also, we’ll review the problems you could face and how to create a custom chatbot for your company.
What is a Custom Chatbot?
I know you’re well-learned, but for the first-timers, let’s understand what a custom chatbot is.
Custom chatbots are explicitly designed for a business, with their brand voice, unique features, and customer needs in mind. They can be rule-based or AI-powered, but the key difference is that they're tailored to a business's specific needs and goals.
Custom chatbots can provide a range of benefits for businesses, from improved customer satisfaction to increased productivity. The following section explores why custom chatbot development is crucial for businesses.
Benefits of Using a Custom Chatbot
Custom chatbots provide tailored solutions, enhancing user experience and business efficiency with personalized interactions.
- Brand Consistency: Custom chatbots align with your brand's voice and style, ensuring consistent communication that strengthens brand identity and trust.
- Scalable Solutions: Custom chatbots can be designed to grow with your business, allowing for seamless scalability and adaptability to changing demands.
- Integration with Systems: Custom AI chatbots integrate with your existing systems and platforms, ensuring smooth operations and enhancing overall business processes.
- Industry-Specific Functionality: Custom chatbots can include features unique to your industry, providing specialized services that generic chatbots can't offer.
- Improved Customer Support: Custom chatbots provide support tailored to your business's products and services, resulting in quicker, more accurate resolutions.
- Competitive Advantage: Utilizing a custom chatbot differentiates your business from competitors, showcasing innovation and a commitment to superior customer service.
Now the benefits are clear. Let’s talk about what you’re here for.
Innovative Ways to Use Custom AI Chatbots in Your Business
Custom chatbots have become increasingly popular in businesses because they streamline operations and enhance customer experiences. In addition to the common use cases, several innovative ways to utilize a custom AI chatbot in your business exist. Let's explore each of these examples in depth:
1. H&M's Chatbot
H&M utilizes a custom chatbot for 24/7 customer support. The bot allows customers to inquire about products, track orders, and resolve issues efficiently.
- Features: The H&M chatbot leverages AI to provide personalized recommendations, process returns, and offer styling tips based on customer preferences. It can handle multiple queries simultaneously, ensuring a seamless customer service experience.
- Platform: Originally deployed on the Kik messaging. It has since been expanded to H&M's website and mobile app for 24/7 customer support.
2. Pizza Hut's Chatbot
Pizza Hut's chatbot enables customers to place orders, track deliveries, and inquire about menu options, contributing to a streamlined ordering process.
- Features: The Pizza Hut chatbot offers a conversational interface, allowing customers to customize their orders, apply discounts, and receive real-time order updates. It integrates with payment gateways for secure transactions and supports multiple languages for a global customer base.
- Platform: Integrated with the Facebook Messenger platform, enabling customers to place orders, track deliveries, and interact with the chatbot within Messenger. It’s also available on Alexa, enabling customers to order from select menu or recent orders.
As you can see, integrating with so many platforms will require robust custom chatbot development, which is what a giant company like Pizza Hut opted for.
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3. MasterCard's Chatbot
MasterCard's chatbot automates lead generation by qualifying prospects, collecting data, and engaging with potential customers to drive sales opportunities.
- Features: The MasterCard chatbot employs natural language processing to interact with users, gather lead information, and assess lead quality based on predefined criteria. It integrates with CRM systems to track lead progression and provides actionable insights for sales teams.
- Platform: These custom chatbots were deployed on the company's website to automate lead generation, qualify prospects, and engage with potential customers in real-time.
4. Spotify's Chatbot
Spotify's chatbot offers personalized music recommendations, curates playlists, and engages users in conversational interactions to enhance the music streaming experience.
- Features: The Spotify chatbot analyzes user’s listening habits, preferences, and historical data to suggest tailored playlists, new releases, and artist collaborations. It supports voice commands, syncs across devices, and adapts recommendations based on user feedback.
- Platform: Integrated within the Spotify app and website, providing personalized music recommendations, curated playlists, and interactive experiences for users.
Spotify built a personalized music experience with a custom knowledge base chatbot for their vast user base, enhancing users’ listening experience.
5. Vodafone's TOBi
TOBi, Vodafone's resident chatbot within the My Vodafone app, is designed to assist customers with their queries and provide support 24/7. Users can interact with TOBi to get instant answers and guidance related to Vodafone services, account management, and troubleshooting.
- Features: TOBi can guide users through the My Vodafone app, direct them to relevant support pages, or connect them with customer care representatives for further assistance. TOBi along with Customer care support is also available to chat 24/7. The live chat transfer features lets customers talk to any support agent directly.
- Platform: TOBi is accessible through the My Vodafone app on mobile phones and tablets. Users can initiate a chat with TOBi by navigating to the chat icon on the app's dashboard, where they can interact with the chatbot to resolve their queries and access Vodafone support services.
Evidently, it can process natural language and help the customers in need. As a custom knowledge base chatbot, it has all the support-related information.
6. Marriott International's ChatBotlr
Marriott International's chatbot simplifies booking and reservation processes for customers, enabling them to reserve rooms, modify bookings, and request services effortlessly.
- Features: The Marriott chatbot offers a user-friendly interface for search, selection, and booking accommodations, leveraging machine learning algorithms to suggest room upgrades, amenities, and local attractions. It supports secure payment options, loyalty program integration, and multilingual support for global travelers.
- Platform: Marriott's chatbots were launched on popular messaging platforms such as Facebook Messenger and Slack.Additionally, the Aloft Hotel's ChatBotlr is built into the Aloft application, providing guests with conversational assistance while they navigate their stay.
The custom AI chabtot from Marriot proved to be a hit with 2 out 3 guests interacting with it. The AI they are using must have been extensively trained on their data to resolve queries accurately.
7. Lyft's Chatbot
Lyft's chatbot assists users with ride estimates, booking rides, tracking trips, and making payments, optimizing the transportation experience.
- Features: The Lyft chatbot provides real-time fare estimates, driver details, and route information, allowing users to communicate with drivers and share trip updates. It integrates with mapping services, payment gateways, and ride-sharing platforms for seamless interactions and reliable service.
- Platform: Firstly, the custom AI chatbot is embedded within the Lyft app. Secondly, it’s also available on Alexa or Amazon Echo. Lastly, riders can use it via chat on Facebook Messenger and Slack platforms.
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8. Bank of America's Erica
The Bank of America chatbot, named "Erica," is designed to provide a range of services to users through the Bank of America app. It offers functionalities such as checking balances, making transfers, paying debts, accessing credit scores, and receiving financial education. Additionally, Erica utilizes predictive analytics to suggest topics to customers, such as potential savings opportunities based on their typical spending patterns.
Features:
- Communicates via voice and messaging
- Protects privacy with industry-leading privacy features
- Can perform financial tasks such as checking balances, making transfers, paying bills, and accessing credit scores
- Offers financial education to users and suggests potential ways to save money based on user behavior
- Allows clients to quickly and easily report lost or stolen debit cards and lock or unlock their cards temporarily
- Provides instant alerts on merchant refunds, duplicate charges, and upcoming bills, as well as weekly reports on spending habits
- Provides FICO Score insights for primary cardholders with an open and active consumer credit card account
9. Sephora's Chatbot
Sephora launched the chatbot Ora as a virtual beauty coach aimed at millennials. Ora is accessible on Sephora France's Facebook page and Messenger, providing personalized responses to a wide range of queries related to frequent shopper points, product availability, order tracking, and more. This Custom knowledge base chatbot ensures that all user interactions are tailored to individual preferences, making it a reliable and personalized virtual assistant.
Features:
- Ability to handle customer queries and provide beauty tips
- Personalized content recommendations tailored to user preferences
- This Custom knowledge base chatbot is integrated with Sephora's information system and utilizes AI building blocks.
- Link to Salesforce customer service platform for seamless handover to human agents when needed
- Around-the-clock availability (24/7) for customer support
- Monitoring and profiling client requests for continuous improvement
- Sephora opted for custom chatbot development for tailored-features and scalability.
10. Whole Foods' Chatbot
The Whole Foods Bot, available on Facebook Messenger, allows users to search and browse recipes by entering food emojis or keywords such as cuisine type or diet. Additionally, users can find nearby Whole Foods stores as the bot automatically pulls location information.
Features:
- Search and browse recipes using food emojis or keywords
- Locate nearby Whole Foods stores with automatic location retrieval
- Developed by the vendor Conversable
- Integrates with Facebook Messenger for user interaction
- Designed to assist users in finding recipes and local Whole Foods locations
The Whole Foods Bot custom knowledge base chatbot was specifically tailored for users to search and explore recipes based on food emojis or keywords while also providing the convenience of locating nearby Whole Foods stores automatically.
Each of these custom chatbot examples demonstrates how businesses leverage AI technology to enhance customer interactions, automate processes, and deliver personalized experiences tailored to individual preferences and needs.
Conclusion
Custom AI chatbots are revolutionizing the way businesses interact with their customers by providing tailored solutions that align with their brand voice and unique needs. From offering personalized styling tips to automating lead generation and enhancing customer support, these custom knowledge base chatbots deliver exceptional user experiences.
By integrating seamlessly with existing systems and adapting to industry-specific requirements, custom chatbots ensure scalability and efficiency. As illustrated by the innovative examples, businesses can leverage custom AI chatbots to differentiate themselves from competitors and drive superior customer service. Embrace the potential of custom chatbots to transform your business operations and achieve new heights in customer engagement and satisfaction.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Which businesses are using custom knowledge base chatbots?
Custom knowledge base chatbots are used by businesses like H&M, Pizza Hut, MasterCard, Spotify, Marriott International, Lyft, Bank of America, Sephora, and Whole Foods to enhance customer support, streamline operations, and provide personalized experiences.
What are some innovative ways to use a custom chatbot in a business?
Some innovative uses of a custom chatbot in a business include lead generation, customer onboarding, eCommerce sales, employee training, and social media engag ement.
How can a custom chatbot assist with lead generation?
A custom chatbot can engage website visitors, qualify leads, and collect contact information. It can also schedule appointments or demos, streamlining the lead generation process.
Can a custom AI chatbot improve customer experience in eCommerce?
Yes! A custom chatbot can recommend products based on customer preferences, provide real-time order updates, and offer personalized support, enhancing the shopping experience and increasing sales.
Is it possible to use a custom AI chatbot for employee training?
Yes! A custom chatbot can deliver interactive training modules, quizzes, and on-the-job support. It ensures consistent training delivery, saves time, and enhances employee learning and development.
How does a custom chatbot enhance engagement on social media platforms?
A custom AI chatbot can handle customer inquiries, provide support, deliver personalized recommendations, and engage with followers in real-time, enhancing overall engagement and customer satisfaction on social media.
