Technology changes a lot of things, especially the kind that streamlines customer service experiences. Different businesses use mobile apps and online bot integration to connect with their customers. Loads of restaurants are using bots to improve their customer service, wait times, and order efficiency. While apps do a great job of engaging customers and users, bots take engagement a step further.
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They do it for you.
1) What is a bot?
Ok. First of all, what’s a bot? Hint: it’s not a conventional robot. Bots are the little web or internet robots behind automated or even tailored customer service representatives for all sorts of businesses. But let’s pause there for a second.
Bots automate tasks, which means tasks overall take less time and less human bandwidth. They’re effective for chatting in question-and-answer formats because they effectively mimic the way people interact and talk. What’s even cooler is that bots have “some level” of intelligence, which is to say they can learn. A little.
Bots aren’t new. They’ve been around for quite a while, in fact. Advancements in technology have simply pushed bots into the spotlight and onto our radars. Artificial intelligence and programming updates have made it so bots are all over the place.
Even though they’re not too mature yet, Chatbots are constantly being updated and advanced. Sooner or later, they’ll be just as good as talking to a real person. No more pressing buttons to “talk to a representative.”
2) Where will you find them?
Bots are computers who answer your questions, take your online orders, or even send messages to you. Facebook Messenger is a great example of this, so let’s take a closer look. Messenger does a whole host of things, from allowing users to chat, check shipping tracking on purchases, and even play games.
We know that’s not all, but those few services alone make a stellar example of what bots can do. However, Messenger isn’t the only bot around. You’re likely to have seen bots all over. Just check Slack, Amazon Echo, Siri… they’re everywhere.
3) Bots are taking over restaurants
All kinds of businesses are taking advantage of bots. Just have a look at restaurants like TGI Fridays and your favorite pizza place (hey, Dominos). Even TacoBell has a bot, conveniently dubbed “Tacobot”.
Bots have a variety of uses for restaurants in particular. Why? Well, who doesn’t want to “order ahead” or have streamlined customer service? With the implementation of bots, restaurants can offer 24/7 customer service. They get an edge on brand engagement, thanks to the learning capabilities of a bot.
Restaurants also get ahead in their marketing, because bots can learn about ordering habits. You can search this guide to find food chains who are already equipped with bots.
4) Bots vs. Apps
Food chains are establishing better connections with their customers thanks to their use of mobile apps and internet bots. At some point, it’s possible bots will overtake mobile apps. For one thing, bots don’t need to be downloaded. They load instantly and use language or text to converse with you.
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That’s an important tidbit, because people understand language as an interface. With advances in artificial intelligence, you better believe bot understanding will only increase. This makes using a bot or a “chatbot” much more intrinsic.
On the other hand, mobile apps require downloading, and they’re not all about conversing with you. The experience is a little slower, requiring more thought and input from the user. Another important thing to consider, in the world of apps, is whether or not the free space on your phone is worth using up. It’s an important question! Apps take up valuable space on your phone, and unless the app is stellar, it’s likely to be deleted.
In the world of instant gratification, bots are, hands down, the ultimate choice.
In the End
You guessed right. Slowly, but surely, bots are taking over which is why it’s no surprise a variety of restaurants are using them to interact with their customers. Automation takes away human labor, making tasks easier and quicker to complete. Even though bots are everywhere, they likely won’t replace apps however they may replace parts of apps. The two are too different to say one will overtake the other.
Imagine how cool it will be when, in the near future, bots can help us order food, retrieve order history, and allow us to pay online? That’s customer service satisfaction right there. 🙂
