The Three Big Questions About Millennials and Chatbots

The future looks bright for millennials and chatbots. over half of millennial consumers are interested in using messaging apps to connect to businesses. And, more than a third of them prefer using messaging platforms to connect with a business over other channels. It’s clear that millennials enjoy chatbots, but what specifically do they like about them? How can businesses tailor their bots to meet millennials’ expectations? These are the big questions confronting businesses and botmakers today. So let’s discuss them below.

Why Does the Millennial Generation Love Chatbots?

The most obvious reason why millennial consumers enjoy chatbots is that they love social platforms. Millennials spend about 26 hours per month navigating the Facebook mobile app, where they interact with friends, family and brands each day. They enjoy having a voice and using it, and conversational interfaces make it easy for them to solve a problem, make a purchase or discover content without leaving their favorite apps.

Conversation is also a fresh, new interface. It provides instant gratification by quickly providing answers and solutions. But most importantly, unlike screen interfaces, conversation and chatbots feel more natural and are adaptive to different setups for tech-savvy millennials. For example, millennial users can ask a question to their mobile assistant, then continue the experience with a connected home device (like Google Home or Amazon Echo or other “internet of things” device). Finally, they can complete the experience with a voice-activated wearable. Conversational interfaces spread across platform without binding the user to any single, specific setup, which is perfect for the active, freeform millennial lifestyle.

Combine all this with the fact that millennial consumers are much more likely to make purchases on their smartphones than older generations. By providing actionable results instantly—for making a food order, setting up an appointment, or finding the perfect pair of shoes to go with a dress. It’s easy to see why millennials and chatbots are perfect for one another.

What Do Millennial Consumers Demand from Chatbots?

When tailoring to the millennial generation as a demographic, you’ll need to ensure your chatbot accomplishes two things. First, it must solve problems and complete tasks successfully. A good way to do this is to narrow the scope of your bot to fulfill a specific task.

Why? Because millennials prefer talking to humans when it comes to complex tasks, reserving chatbots for simpler things like checking an order status or booking an appointment. There currently isn’t enough confidence among millennial consumers in bots’ abilities to solve difficult problems. Just earlier this year, Facebook Messenger chatbots reached a 70% failure rate responding to queries.

That said, millennials are hopeful when it comes to bots that are tied to specific brands, services and experience. A little over half of millennial consumers report having had positive experiences with bots, and 86% want brands to use bots specifically for promoting deals, products and services.

Second, millennials expect and demand more accurate responses to queries, free of error. Support for natural language processing goes a long way to add sophistication and linguistic understanding to a bot. However, all botmakers should re-assess their bots’ onboarding processes to ensure user expectations manage what the bots can actually do. With a clear onboarding tutorial, users run into fewer hiccups and are generally more satisfied with the experience.

Which Chatbots are Killing It with Millennial Consumers?

Millennials and chatbots are a perfect fit, but not every bot can pass consumers’ muster. Chatbots most successful with the millennial generation will relate with them on a deeply personal level. Plus, they will help them navigate their hectic lives and tailor themselves to consumers’ niche preferences.

Let’s check out an example. Germany’s employment federal employment agency wanted to better connect with the youth. So, it developed a WhatsApp campaign that used a mixture of influencers and chatbots. Because millennial consumers enjoy having a voice, the campaign asked users what made them unique. After talking to a chatbot about their interests, it returned a profile on employment and career opportunities tailored to their career goals. The agency found that the millennial generation wasn’t afraid of providing personal information because they’d made a value proposition up-front. This campaign is a great idea of giving users a voice and delivering upon it. Exactly the sort of thing millennials are looking for on social platforms.

Industries that Understand Millennials and Chatbots Better

One big industry making a splash with millennials is banking. It’s no secret that millennials struggle to save. Banks have found that chatbots are the perfect solution to helping young users learn better spending and saving habits. ImaginBank’s chatbot taps into users’ interests to find rebates and deals tailored to their interests, helping them have fun without spending any more than they need to. ImaginBank realized that millennials enjoy experiences more than things, focusing the bot on cultural events, traveling tours, restaurants and more.

Finally, when it comes to shopping, TMY.GRL talks to millennials in a fun, upbeat and casual voice. It brings to users’ attention facts about designer Gigi Hadid, answers questions about fashion. Much like talking to an always-in-the-know friend or personal fashion guru, the bot connects deeply to its audience in a language and vocabulary that millennials relate to and understand.

Do you have a bot? Sign up for Botanalytics for free to enjoy our rocking features!