Thanks to chatbots, depending on their purpose, design and advancement level, we, as users, can easily order a cinema ticket, take advantage of help in choosing a product in the online store, find a solution to a technical problem with a purchase or receive various types of information.

Chatbot in the company – examples of applications

– answers to the most popular questions related to the product or the purchasing process,
– preliminary lead qualification – obtaining information on the expectations of a potential customer,
– comparison of the offered products based on data provided by the user,
– testing the level of customer satisfaction with the product / service.

The simplest chatbot is based on rules – the mechanics of its operation use a set of predefined answers to specific questions. As you click on the next options, new branches will be activated in the tree. More advanced bots use machine learning, thanks to which, to some extent, they “themselves” choose answers based on keywords and their construction, in theory increasing their capabilities with each subsequent interaction with the user. The most developed chat programs are based on artificial intelligence, which allows them not only to “learn” to interpret new words, but also to generate statements in natural language.

Chatbot in the company – is it worth it?

From the company’s perspective, the greatest advantage of a chatbot is the relief of the customer service department. The bot is usually able to answer frequently asked questions and solve simple user problems. If the matter asked by the client requires an employee’s intervention, the bot will provide the consultant with basic data after an initial “conversation”, thanks to which the consultant will be armed with information about the question category at the beginning of the conversation, saving time – both for the employee and the client.

Despite the many undeniable advantages, it is very easy to implement a chatbot in a way that will do more harm than good. The installation of the chatbot in the company must be thought out and properly implemented.

What should we watch out for when “hiring” a chatbot in a company?

In customer service, even the most advanced chatbot builds a psychological wall between the company and the contacting user at the outset. No human likes to be treated – mechanically. Of course, this is an individual matter, but for most clients, making contact with the program creates a feeling of being an ignored petitioner to some extent.

Conversation with a bot (especially underdeveloped) can be irritating – explaining the problem to a consultant is usually faster and easier in terms of communication than “clicking” through the available options to finally find – or not – a specific issue or reach the option of contacting a person on the hotline.

Bots process natural language better and better, but it will be a long time before they learn less standard grammar structures and will be able to fully “understand” every question addressed to them. Even greater complications arise with bots that try to interpret verbal speech. Then the first system is to understand the message using the speech recognition system and process the message into a text form, and then tag individual words. This involves a huge amount of data – each person speaks with a different voice, has a slightly different accent or phonetic habits, and there are potential interference or background noise on the line. It should also be remembered that we usually construct verbal messages a bit differently than written ones. It is only at this point that it comes to the “standard” interpretation of the text, which in itself is a multi-faceted, intricate process.

If the bot cannot recognize the interlocutor’s intentions quickly and accurately, the stairs begin. Some users will resign from contact at this stage, which can be considered a Pyrrhic victory (less work for the service department, at the cost of annoying the customer at best, losing the customer at worst).

Let’s assume that the message has been fully understood and the bot has data on the basis of which it is able to help the user. As in the case of the list of frequently asked questions (FAQ), messages sent by the chatbot must be as specific and precise as possible. In this case, placing a wall of text in front of the user, overloaded with various topics orbiting a specific issue, but not touching it directly, will increase negative feelings from the entire account.

How to implement a chatbot?

The key aspect – as usual in business – is the answer to the question of what tasks the chatbot is supposed to fulfill and, above all, to whom it is intended. Only after a thorough analysis of the purpose and requirements of the target group, it is worth moving to the design stage and then implementation.

Therefore, you should collect a database of questions with which customers (no matter if current or potential) turn to a given company – the brief should be as detailed as possible. The good news is that in the vast majority of cases it is not necessary to create a chatbot from scratch – there are hundreds of ready-made programs on the market that we can implement with the help of specialists according to our needs and requirements, for example by integrating the chatbot with the company’s CRM system.

What is http?

Http stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol, which is a protocol that allows data to be transferred to the Internet. It is responsible for communication between the client (browser) and the server where all the files that make up the website are stored. In practice, thanks to it, it is possible to display the requested page to the user.

The http protocol has been used for this purpose since the 1990s. It has been extended in such a way that it is possible to simultaneously send large amounts of data based on various parameters. Thus, it has also become possible to create and display more complex websites. HTTP communication is based on a fairly simple process of sending data between the client and the server. The client sends a query to which the server responds by sending this data to the person concerned.

What is specific to the http protocol? First, it does not store previously transmitted data. This means that they must be downloaded from the server each time the website is accessed, which delays the entire process, but at the same time avoids overloading the servers. That is why a system of cookies (so-called cookies) has been implemented, which collect data and allow pages to load faster. Furthermore, http does not define how information is transmitted from the server to the browser and therefore risks intercepting sensitive information.

What is https?

Https is short for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. The addition of the last word means that it is simply http protocol with added security. In this case, the data sent between the web browser and the server are encrypted with an SSL or TLS certificate. This means that they are protected against hitting the wrong hands. Thus, the https protocol protects information about the website owner and its users, preventing their interception or change. Its use is therefore particularly important wherever personal data, payment data etc. are transferred. Currently, however, the https protocol is used more and more often and is becoming a standard for all types of websites. Online security is considered a priority. Thanks to this, users can use various types of services that require data entry without fear of their leakage into the wrong hands.

https – why is it worth it?

Any website owner can go from an address prefixed with http to the one with https in the beginning. It is connected with the necessity to implement the SSL encryption certificate – it costs several dozen dollars a year. For the certificate to work properly, you must also configure the website files and the external tools used, and use appropriate redirects so as not to lose the earned position in the search engine. It is best to entrust all this work to an internet marketing agency that will ensure a smooth and comprehensive process.

But is it worth it? Of course. The current emphasis on data security is not a temporary trend, but a tendency that will not only continue, but even deepen with the development of new methods of data protection. This is something that Internet users pay attention to more and more often. There are more and more aware people, so it is definitely not worth lagging behind. At the same time, changing the protocol to https confirms the credibility of the website and the entire company and has a positive effect on its reputation. It is worth emphasizing on your website the care for the safety of customers to gain prestige and trust. It is also information for business partners or investors who will be much more willing to do business with a company that attaches importance to high security standards.

https and Google – does encryption affect positioning?

The largest search engine in the world, i.e. Google, does not hide its concern for the security of Internet users’ data. Algorithms take into account factors such as credibility and quality of the domain, and this is also related to ensuring the security of users. This means that implementing the https protocol can have a positive impact on the positioning of your website. Thus, it is a profitable investment that will help you get even more customers. It’s also worth knowing that currently Google warns users trying to enter a site that should be using the https protocol (as it collects sensitive data), and it doesn’t!

Of course, the mere use of the https protocol is not enough to get the website much higher in the search results, especially since it is now becoming a standard and more and more companies use encryption certificates. However, this is certainly an important factor that will allow for greater effectiveness in terms of positioning and credibility building activities.

http vs. https – what to choose?

In view of the information presented above, the matter is quite clear: switching to https protocol is a low cost, but many benefits for the website and the entire enterprise. It allows you to make sure that the website will work properly in every browser and will not be blocked by filters ensuring the safety of Internet users. It also allows you to improve your position in search results and increases the prestige and trust in the brand, which is appreciated by both customers and business partners.