The chatbots are coming
There are few things that are more irritating than figuring out where a company hid their customer service details. Not everyone is to blame, but many brands ensure that contact emails and phone numbers are buried deep in the gut of their websites and are accessible only to the most determined searchers.
Customer service isn't the sexiest part of branding, but it's hugely important. As Andy Wilkins, CEO of chatbot provider Futr, emphasizes, people are getting impatient when it comes to their transactions. "We talk to brands about this culture of immediacy, which they are very aware of," he told CR. "People are looking for things, and if they want them, they want them immediately."
Futr was founded four years ago when Wilkins said the number of people using messaging channels for communication has increased enormously. The idea was to build a company that uses the same channels to provide access to products and services – for brands as well as for public services and charities.
One of Futr & # 39; s chatbots that processes SMS questions for a local council
"The government has made a huge effort from its communications department about how government departments should communicate with citizens – and all of this was part of an effort to connect with people and communicate with them on their own terms," explains Wilkins.
Futr's guess was spot on, and since its inception, the company has worked with several companies, including the police and local authorities, who use their chatbots to answer questions, for example, about the trash day. It has worked with several charities, including Bipolar UK, which uses a chatbot to answer hundreds of inquiries every day to help people get the right information. According to Wilkins, companies also use chatbots internally, so employees can quickly get answers to questions about parental leave or apply for vacation.