he key to opening up a world of possibilities in online marketing is ‘conversation’. However, Most brands have mastered the art of charming prospects into being customers through words. You may wonder how you could do the same, rather better?
This article covers in detail the properties and must know of Conversational User Interfaces(CUIs) so that you can win over prospects strategically and tactfully.
The article covers the following list of topics to help you gain better insight into CUIs
1. What are CUIs?
2. What are the different types of CUIs? ( Step-by-step guide included)
3. Pros and cons of CUIs
4. Future of CUIs as part of Businesses
What are CUIs?
Conversational User Interfaces are digital platforms. They are designed to assist users through software that can mimic human-to-human conversation. In the past decade, CUIs have been gaining popularity with customers due to their efficiency, consistency, and user-friendly system.
68% of consumers like chatbots because they provide quick answers. However, CUIs can be trained to do much more than just give quick answers!
What are the different types of CUIs?
There are mainly two different CUIs available in the virtual world. Chatbots and Voice assistance. However, both CUIs are versatile and dynamic. Listed below are the different types and categories of CUIs.
AI Chatbots
Chatbots can be viewed on screens( Laptop/mobile) and a user can interact with them through text. This type of CUI can be categorized depending on the type of conversation flow they are trained for.
Rule-based chatbot
Rule-based chatbot as the name suggests has a pre-written script for the bot to follow. Building rule-based bots are simple and can be a powerful tool for communication.
You can choose to build your conversation flow using a no-code chatbot builder like Konverse AI. Konverse AI’s conversation node feature. They allow you to flexibly design your conversation flow using different types of nodes such as quick replies, videos, buttons, text blocks, and so on.
How to set up a rule-based chatbot?
Using the steps provided below, you can easily build a bot on the Konverse platform.
Step 1- Sign in to your Konverse account using your verified Email and Password.
Step 2- Select the box that has your company name written on it.
Step 3- Click on the Dashboard and opt for ‘Bot-builder’.
Step 4- Select the ‘Story builder’ option and start designing the conversation flow. You can choose from a variety of conversation nodes (text, images, cards, quick replies, etc) as per desire.
Step 5- After you have designed the conversation flow. Choose the ‘test bot’ option from the ‘Bot builder’ drop-down list. This option allows you to try out the AI chatbot before its implementation!
Note: Ensure you save or update your conversation flow each time before testing the bot. To save your conversation flow, click on the ‘save’ icon placed on the right top corner of your screen on the ‘story builder' page.
NLP powered chatbot
Natural Language Processing and Natural language understanding are technologies that allow the software to decipher human questions. AI chatbots which are NLP and NLU powered can conduct mature conversations with users. This makes AI bots versatile, user-friendly, and a good medium for communication.
Although, NLP chatbots are more expensive and require more skill to build and maintain. With Konverse you can have it ready at your fingertips.
Note: NLP bots are recommended for large businesses(or businesses with adequate budgets) while rule-based bots are recommended for small businesses or businesses with low budgets.
How are NLP chatbots trained?
NLP chatbots are trained using FAQs and Entities. Naturally, your bot will be trained for some of the most obvious scenarios or questions. With Konverse AI, you can build your smart bot with ease and keep up to date with the latest technology or tricks for bots. The world is moving towards automation. The top five countries in terms of chatbot use are the USA, India, Germany, the UK, and Brazil.
Note: You can train your AI bot to conduct small talk with users. It adds personalization and reinstates positive interactions with users.
Voice Assistants
Voice assistants, as suggested, usually do not have visual displays and functions directly through sound or voice. A user can directly talk to the device to trigger a response from a voice assistant.
Voice to text converter
Voice-to-text converter assistants also known as AI voice bots can be spoken to directly to find appropriate responses in written form. Google, Microsoft, and other big-league companies have mastered voice assistants. However, setting up voice assistants may be a task for skilled developers.
With Konverse AI, you can integrate voice assistants to your existing CRM in a jiffy. The best way to go about setting up voice assistants is to schedule a demo with us.
Voice widget
Voice widgets do not have any visual interface. You can directly talk to your device to trigger the voice widget to get a response. Alexa is one of the most known voice widgets.
How are voice assistant CUIs different from IVR (Interactive Voice Response)?
IVRs have a pre-written script that a user must follow through to receive the information they desire. This can often feel frustrating and time-consuming especially if the conversation loop begins from the start again.
Voice assistants on the other hand can be asked questions directly and users can expect quick replies to them. This cuts down the need for patience and a long wait for a simple answer to a standard question.
Pros and Cons of CUIs
There are two sides to a coin. This rule applies to everything in the world, including technologies like CUIs.
Pros of CUIs
CUIs are one of the most sought-after software for companies. Listed below are some major pros which you may consider before building your CUI.
24X7 service
You can trust your chatbot and voice assistant to work 24X7 without break. This is extremely effective when it comes to lead generation, boosting sales, and improving customer experience.
Statistics show that chatbots are gaining popularity among users. According to Drift, 64% of internet users say 24-hour service is the best feature of chatbots.
User-friendly and Saves time
Chatbots are efficient at transferring relevant information swiftly. Most users prefer receiving information instantly, bots can be trained to provide curated content or provide quick responses to user queries.
Another brilliant aspect of CUIs is that they are easy to operate. Individuals need not read a user manual before interacting with CUIs in fact interactions come naturally and feel easy.
Maximize resource utilization
Since chatbots and voice assistants can be trained, you can tailor them to utilize all resources and content effectively. Many times, users miss out on essential information or fail to notice certain functionality, products, or services. With AI chatbots, you can highlight significant information, recommend products, or services and gain feedback on them as per requirement.
Improve Customer experience
Customers demand personalization, instant responses, quick answers, and courts. CUIs are an expert in all of these! Most companies that deploy chatbots have seen a drastic improvement in their CSAT score. This is mainly due to well-crafted conversation flows and reaching customers on their favorite channels( Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp).
Cons of CUIs
CUIs are in the developing stages. Naturally, like every technological advance, CUIs too have drawbacks. Listed below are some of the major drawbacks of CUIs and how you can tackle them easily.
Cannot resolve complex queries
Chatbots can answer 80% of standard questions. However, when it comes to more complex customer queries, chatbots may fall flat. A simple solution to this shortfall is using Konverse AI’s platform to route bot conversations to a live agent seamlessly with user consent.
You can systematically build conversation flows, create fallback options, and study live agent performance in real-time using Konverse AI.
Requires training and maintenance
One of the major drawbacks of chatbots is that they require training and maintenance. As current software isn't equipped to decipher human language easily. Thus, one is required to write down a list of FAQs or a conversation path for chatbots to follow. With Konverse AI, you can opt to use pre-built templates which are tried and tested on a customer base.
You can also opt to use Jump to feature and a variety of conversation nodes from your Konverse account to design complex conversation flows in a jiffy.
User dependent
Unfortunately, chatbots and voice assistants may be equipped to carry out a variety of functions but it depends on the user to discover them. CUIs do not use commands and instructions while interacting with users. However, you may use prompts to guide users tactfully to desired content or bot functionality. Prompts are directly dependent on the nature of the script written for the bot.
Future of CUIs as part of Businesses
Chatbots can be deployed on multiple channels and be trained or tailored to perform different tasks.
AI Lead generation
Your chatbot can be tailored to generate basic leads, conduct advanced lead qualification, and engage prospects or customers on your website or WhatsApp business API account.
Basic lead generation may entail the collection of prospect names, email addresses, and other contact details.
Customer Support
Bots and voice assistants can be deployed to solve customer queries, book appointments, and receive feedback. All of these features improve customer experience as CUIs are consistent and efficient at completing such tasks. The best feature of CUIs is that they function outside of business hours. Therefore, your customers can have access to assistance instantly at any hour of the day without fail.
Another aspect of AI-assisted customer support is that it clears the traffic for the customer care team. Basic and repetitive questions can be resolved by the bot while the more complex issues can be handed over to preferred reps seamlessly. This saves time and effort for the team and the user.
Sales Assistance
Chatbots are excellent at assisting interested buyers and the sales team. In the case of interested buyers, bots can directly lead prospects to the product/service of interest, provide personalized recommendations, and bring them curated content from your website.
Bots can also be trained to save user data with consent and provide daily stats. Your Konverse account creates daily reports, graphs, and allows you to create separate datasets for your ease. All of these statistics are downloadable from your account dashboard.
On the other hand, your sales team can focus on bigger tasks, pursue important leads, and store essential data during the process with the help of AI assistance.
Data and Surveys
Chatbots are efficient at conducting surveys, collecting and storing data. With Konverse, you can include survey forms in bot conversation flows as and when the need arises. Surveys are a powerful tool as it initiates prospect interaction with the brand.
Marketing
Chatbots are effective at conducting marketing campaigns, registration processes, spreading promotions, and conducting online events. Marketing is an essential practice as it increases brand awareness, reinstates positive customer interaction, and provides grounds for customer retention.
The right kind of marketing will improve conversion rates, brand value, and boost company growth.
HR support
CUIs can be used to smoothen onboarding processes, keep employees up to date on company matters, provide holiday lists, and so on. Automating a part of the HR department can reduce internal costs, and guarantee a more organized system for your employees to work in.
CUIs can improve your company's work culture, and reduce the burden on the HR department to solve day-to-day employee issues.
Build your CUIs with Konverse AI
With Konverse AI, as your No-code bot-building platform, you can get a headstart on building your preferred CUIs in no time. To discover more features, you may schedule a demo with us or use our resources to gain more insight.
Additional Readings
The Do’s and Don’ts of AI Chatbot Script Writing
Design Chatbots Easily with No-code bot-builder
5 Tips to Create the Right Persona for AI Chatbots
More from
Bot
category
