First impressions count!

This phrase is certainly much older than chatbot technology, but it has not lost its meaning. On the contrary, it absolutely also applies to chatbots. In today’s economy, there are usually countless providers for each offer, whose offers hardly differ from one another. While some stand out from the crowd because of their price, others do it with sympathy and service. And this is exactly where chatbots come into play. The small bots enable providers to communicate with their target group around the clock and in many cases even help website visitors to make a decision. But if you want to be successful here, you need a likeable chatbot that precisely matches the target group and the company’s goals. And this chatbot is only used if it greets its users in the appropriate form.

Opt-in or opt-out?

This question does not relate to the topic of data protection, but rather to the chatbot’s greeting. Should the bot cautiously offer its help to the user or should it enter directly into the consultation?

This is the question that Martin Haupt (PhD student at the University of Applied Sciences Mittelhessen & Justus Liebig University) wanted to answer in his experiment.

The experiment

Martin created two different chatbots for his experiment. While one chatbot first asked the user whether they wanted advice at all, the other simply assumed that they did and went straight into the advice process (see graphic). These chatbots were then made available to 160 test subjects for chatting and surveys were subsequently conducted.

Interesting results

• Opt-out creates +4 percentage points more usage
• With opt-in, the company is assumed to have a more positive intention (“to help me etc.)
• Opt-out is perceived as a rather selfish action and less customer orientation
• Opt-in creates more feeling of “warmth and competence of the company”, but opt-out creates more feeling of competence of the chatbot
• Opt-out is perceived more strongly as a real alternative to other channels than opt-in
• People find opt-in more useful

And now?

The results show a clear contradiction between what converts in reality and what people think. It is important that the greeting matches the chatbot’s objectives. If the chatbot is pursuing branding and image goals, an opt-in may be more suitable. If the bot is pursuing clear conversion goals, the opt-out strategy may be worthwhile.

Tailor the greeting to the target group!

Regardless of whether it is an opt-in or opt-out greeting, the greeting must match the target group and the values of the company. This is comparable to a human conversation. The welcome in a student bar is completely different to that in a 5-star restaurant. The target groups are different and have different expectations of a motivating greeting. I have created a template for this. The template “Let your Bot Talk” is available for download here.

Don’t forget to test!

No matter how the greeting is chosen and what the bot asks first – testing is essential. Ideally, even A-B tests are carried out. This means that different greetings are created and tested to see which performs best.

I would be happy to answer more questions on this topic at a cafe in the Zurich or Berlin area or during a video call. Simply book an appointment here!