Chatbots were introduced in the middle of the 20th century. Alan Turing was the main “culprit” behind them as he was the guy who asked whether machines could win a game called the “Imitation Game”.
He wrote about this topic in his seminal paper “Computing Machinery and Intelligence”.
They’ve gone from reproducing conversations to becoming personal assistants, providing customer support, suggesting products, etc. A big contribution to this has been artificial intelligence which helps chatbots get millions of uses.
In this article, we are going to introduce five brands that started using chatbots after noticing the potential they have.
- TJ Maxx: TJ Maxx is one of the giants in the retailing industry and is one of the companies that know how to get the full potential out of its chatbot. There are many ways it helps find deals that match your preference or adequate shopping solutions, just to name a few. Its most successful campaign was the holiday season in 2016, which not only boosted its revenue but improved the brand as well.
- Starbucks: The next huge brand on this list is Starbucks, the famous coffee company. The introduction of its chatbot made buying your favourite drink easy and, above all, interesting. Coffee can be ordered by text or voice message, and the best part is that you get feedback from the bot about the cost and when the drink will be ready.
- Spotify: A music, podcast, and video streaming company that has existed for almost a decade, uses its bot on Facebook Messenger and makes it easier for customers to search for, listen to, and send songs to their friends. The most interesting feature of this chatbot is the ability to recommend a playlist depending on your mood, what you are up to, and select any genre you like.
- Sephora: One of the biggest cosmetics companies in the world with almost 300 brands, Sephora, is another company that uses the help of chatbots to advertise its products. Whether by providing makeup tutorials or getting product reviews and ratings, its chatbot is helpful and is doing the job that it is meant for.
- Mastercard: Since its chatbot launched, billions of dollars worth of online sales have been provided through its digital assistants. It is helpful for banks and merchants as they can use chatbots to converse with their customers. Customers can also check their online transactions and see how much money they’ve spent in a certain period.
Many facts show that chatbots have become an important factor in reducing costs and time. In 2017 the banking and healthcare systems saved a total of 0.019 million dollars, which will rise to 8 billion dollars in 2022.
With 80% of businesses willing to start using chatbots by 2020, it is more than evident that the huge rise of chatbots will only continue, as they are taking over almost every industry in these modern times. Look at the infographic below to see interesting facts about chatbots that you probably didn’t know.
Infographic source: Chatbots gone wild.
