The Top Industries Driving Chatbot Innovation
In the past few years, chatbots have really had a chance to grow and dip into the mainstream. While 67% of chatbots today are used for customer support, many companies are using bots to experiment with chatbots to find revolutionary, new uses for them. But when it comes to industries using chatbots today, some are a more natural fit than others for a variety of reasons. Let’s look at how can be used in which industry sectors with real-world examples from companies doing the most to drive chatbot innovation. Here are the top chatbot industries.
Travel & Hospitality
Because the travel and hospitality industries are so focused on providing first-rate service to customers, they’re natural fits for chatbot innovation and usage. Companies using chatbots within this sector can make it easier for customers to book accommodations, enjoy concierge services using a mobile device, and check in or out of rooms without having to wait in line at a reception desk. Another strength travel and hospitality has over other industries using chatbots is that their customers are always on-the-go. Bots are perfectly positioned to meet their needs by providing easy access to services and personalized offers.
Companies using chatbots particularly well within this industry include Bebot and Marriott. Bebot is an enterprise chatbot company that provides AI-based concierge services to Japanese hotels. Bebot also provides general traveler information for visitors to Japan. It is integrating its hotel clients’ services into every step along a traveler’s journey. Marriott, meanwhile, provides both a concierge chatbot and a rewards bot that helps customers plan their trips. Marriott also serves as a good example for how relevant content can provide real value and spur action in the consumer—a great example of chatbot innovation.
Retail
Like the travel sector, the retail industry is centered first and foremost on providing the best service possible to customers. Gone are the days of having a shopping assistant cater to your every whim and need at department stores. But companies using chatbots can provide similar highly personalized, one-to-one service to customers as they shop. Retail chatbots do things like:
- Help customers find exactly what they need, tailored to their personal needs, interests or a contextual situation
- Cross/upsell purchases based on recommendation
- Optimize purchases using a customer’s past orders and browsing history
There are plenty of retailers and ecommerce brands using chatbot innovation to optimize the consumer journey. Companies using chatbots in this sector include retail giants like H&M and Macy’s. H&M offers a Kik bot that helps shoppers browse clothing by asking for their style preferences or what specific type of item they’re looking for. From there, they can compose whole outfits and make a purchase. Macy’s has a chatbot that provides a similar service, and also helps users connect to a live human for assistance as well.
Banking
Traditional financial services can be tough for customers to navigate. Many consumers have trouble saving money, and others experience confusion over their bank’s policies or services available to them. This has caused many to flock to new fintech solutions like Mint or Simple. Banking is among industries using chatbots for a much-needed customer service overhaul. Chatbots make it easier than ever for customers to get in touch with their banks and put their policies to good use.
Chatbot innovation in the banking industry serves to reduce wait times for solving a problem with a transaction or account. It replaces the need for an app and provides information on how users can save by taking advantage of the bank’s services that customers otherwise may not know about. For example, a chatbot might suggest customers apply for a new line of credit that they’re already approved for, highlighting possible long-term goals it can help them accomplish, like a new car or house. We have a whole list of top companies using chatbots to make banking easier—find them here.
Publishing & Entertainment
The publishing and entertainment industries are famously adaptive to new media. These industries are turning to chatbots to help disseminate content and offer new experiences to their audiences. When it comes to the publishing sector, chatbots offer much higher open rates than email blasts, providing a better ROI. And because chatbots cater to user preferences, publishers can optimize content by pushing it exactly to the individuals most likely to read and engage. Some of the strongest companies using chatbots for this purpose include CNN and the Wall Street Journal.
At entertainment industry, chatbot innovation creates novel experiences, a new medium for expanded universes in movie, game and book franchises. Take, for example, Sony Pictures’ Red Queen chatbot based on the antagonist of the Resident Evil film series. Entertainment is an important chatbot industry because it perhaps has the most potential for innovative, chatbot-first experiences. Games like the wildly addictive and popular MojiHunt demonstrate how chatbots can provide engaging, new experiences.
Healthcare
When looking at how bots can be used in which industry sectors, perhaps none are more important than healthcare. By providing essential medical advice within easy reach, the health industry is perhaps among the most important industries using chatbots. There are numerous benefits that chatbot innovation provides to the health sector:
- Help with initial diagnostic information. (While this technology shouldn’t replace a doctor’s diagnosis, it can help users make sense of symptoms and identify possible concerns)
- Remind elderly users to take their medication
- Provide talk therapy and mental health check-ins to users who might otherwise have no access to a counselor.
Again, this is an industry that focuses heavily on understanding the user’s unique traits and personal needs. The chatbot industry can make it easier for patients to receive advice and information based on their medical histories, family history and more. Chatbots might also alert them to side effects to look out for when prescribed a new medication.
One great healthcare bot is Florence, who checks symptoms, reminds users to take meds, finds doctors and provides advice. Woebot is particularly good for mental health. The bot provides daily check-ins to assess the user’s mood, then talks them through ways they can improve it.
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