As a reminder, I am currently publishing a series of articles on the different types of chatbot. To do this, I first divided all the bots into the following 3 use cases:
- Marketing
- Distribution
- Service
The last article was exclusively about marketing bots. Now the following Sales chatbots:
1ST INFO BOT
The Info Bot helps customers by providing information about products and services. The purchase is then initiated, but is carried out outside the bot (for example in the online store, in the stationary POS, etc.). The Info Bot is similar to the Guidance Bot from marketing, but differs from it in that it does not deal with content tips and suggestions such as recipes, but rather with information that is directly related to the product. At this point, the customer is already at a different point in the customer journey: they have decided on a brand or product and now want to know the price, features or exact location, for example. The bot should provide quick and competent answers so that customers do not switch to a competitor product or another brand shortly before making a purchase.
2. ORDERING BOT
The Ordering Bot mainly guides customers through the purchasing process and asks for all the necessary data. At the end, he sends a ticket, a code or an order confirmation. Subsequently, for example, updates on the delivery time can also be received via bot.
Examples are: Burger King, Domino’s, PizzaHut
3. SUGGESTION BOT
The Suggestion Bot can be used as a gift assistant or fashion advisor, for example: It helps to identify the right gift or item of clothing for the respective occasion and the respective person from the products. The purchase is then completed in the bot – not without realizing considerable up- and cross-selling opportunities. There is some overlap with the Guidance Bot from the Marketing category. However, the suggestion bot focuses on the purchase. Suppliers use this approach in the make-up & fashion sector in particular. H&M, for example, has created a bot that can put together an entire outfit based on an item of clothing and accompany the personal makeover. The chatbot from Geschenkidee.ch is very well known in Switzerland.
4. COMPARISON PORTAL BOT
The comparison portal bot compares online offers on comparison portals (e.g. for flights, hotel accommodation, bars, films, games, apartments, credit card providers and events), provides additional information and shows the best or cheapest result of the search. You can also set a price alert so that you don’t miss any offers. Depending on the channel, group chats are also possible in which, for example, travel planning and bookings can be made together. At the end of the comparison, the purchase is suggested or even completed. Skyscanner helps to identify cheap flights – for users who don’t know where to go, the bot suggests destinations based on the nearest airport and the cheapest offers.
I hope this article has given you an overview of chatbots for sales.
If you haven’t read my first article on marketing chatbots yet, you can read it again here.
The different types of sales bots will follow in the next article.
