When you hear your phone’s message alert tone ring out, what’s the first thing you do? There’s a good chance you reach straight for your phone and open it up. But imagine if the message you’re confronted with isn’t a social call from one of your friends, but rather a marketing message sent directly from a company to your personal inbox. Handy tip on a great deal, or huge invasion of privacy? This is the delicate topic we’ll be broaching into today’s AutoVu Solutions blog post.
How do online messaging bots work?
Last year, Facebook split off the messaging portion of their service into a dedicated mobile app. It wasn’t the most popular decision, but that’s a story for another time. It’s what the Facebook Messenger team are doing now that’s so interesting. They’ve recently launched a program which allows businesses to build their very own bots which will be able to contact users directly, in just the same way that a friend would. The team provide examples such as CNN sending you a snippet of a news story, or a shoe brand sending a photo and asking if you like the product. The concept is that these bots would be able to hold back-and-forth exchanges with prospects – and at the same time gain valuable customer insights.
The role of machine learning
The concept of messenger bots is certainly something that will take getting used to, especially now that digital privacy concerns are at the forefront of many minds. However, the developers of the idea claim that they can use machine learning to ensure that these bots will only ever send relevant, targeted, content to users – and thus steer clear of spam. Unfortunately, with consumers more jaded than ever when it comes to online spam, this may be a case of being seen to be believed. Machine learning is all well and good, but when an instant message trying to sell you shoes interrupts a client meeting (or even a well-deserved nap), the real value of this technology may rear its head.
The future of customer data recording?
There’s no doubt that customer analytics and so-called big data has a huge place in the future of business. Whether or not messenger bots will be a success remains to be seen, but we have a sneaking suspicion that UK consumers may not take to it very well. So if you’re not quite prepared to start building bots to communicate with customers, it’s good practice to ensure your other CRM channels are fully engaged. Whether that’s an SMS text message meeting reminder or simply a bi-monthly catch-up phone call, the AutoVu platform is the perfect business tool for the task. And don’t worry – we’ve not quite finished work on the sentient robot module of the platform. Well, not yet anyway.
Whether you’re ready to jump on the artificial intelligence bandwagon, or you’d prefer to take one step at a time, the AutoVu CRM & FSM platform can help streamline your business. From appointment setting to invoice generation and more, AutoVu can transform the way you operate – and you can try it free! Call the team today on 0845 474 8824 to learn more.
If you would like to know more about AutoVu and what we can do to help your business, why not check out our Frequently Asked Questions page, or Contact Us any time to discuss your specific requirements.