The social media chatbots have been making waves in the business world, and Nigerians are not left behind.
Two of the many banks in Nigeria have joined the social media trend. United Bank of Africa introduced Leo, a social media chatbot that will bridge and enhance customer services.
Leo went live on the messenger app in January 2018, when the company launched the first social media Chabot in Nigeria.
However, financial technology companies such as CowryWise and Kudi.ai offered their services using locally constructed chatbots. In addition, the e-commerce giant Jumia launched a Chabot in 2017.
Diamond Bank later began their social media channel, Chabot, named Ada.
Functions of Ada and Leo
Having social media chatbots such as Ada and Leo will change company services not only in Nigeria but also worldwide.
Below are five vital areas where social media chatbots will be influencing the services of companies around the globe
Automated Customer Service
Many customers expect nothing less than real-time responses from their service providers. This is where Ada and Leo come in; they attend to unsatisfied consumers as soon as possible, irrespective of the time.
One of the good things about chatbots is they do not get tired, unlike human agents. Customers can now chat with Ada and Leo and have their problems solved.
Because of the fast responses from these chatbots, bad reviews from angry customers will drastically decrease.
Marketing
Companies using social media chatbots can efficiently target clients using them and make recommendations and adverts based on some services they would love to try out.
Ada and Leo made it easy for the banks to improve their marketing strategies.
New Product/Service Development
Ada and Leo are not meant solely for chatting. Banks can use them for new services. For instance, United Bank of Africa and Ada by Diamond Bank can now check customers’ account numbers, purchase airtime, and make transfers, just to name a few.
Easy Access to Data
Artificial intelligence chatbots can provide tailored services based on monitoring clients’ social media posts and data collected on consumers by these platforms themselves. In addition, the chatbots receive queries from users and help their database through machine learning.
This is just the tip of the iceberg because chatbots will become more adaptive over time, providing users with accurate information and relevant content based on their preferences.
Furthermore, all data collected, such as client preferences, purchase behavior, etc., can be directly returned to the organization. When you have such data in your hands, you or the company can create personalized offers and content for your clients.
Improvement of Customer’s Experience
Any company, especially companies in the shopping industry, can use these chatbots to make the user experience more fun, as customers can shop and Pay using social media chatbots.
Cons of Social Media Chatbots
Although the pros of having a social media chatbot in your company are exciting, there are a few challenges with artificial intelligence.
The artificial intelligence used in social media chatbots is still developing, as humans are considered not intelligent enough to use AI.
The cost of building a flexible chatbot and intelligent chatbox is very high; for now, social media chatbots are meant for the wealthy and large companies.
It will be difficult for developing countries such as Nigerians to be acquainted with or fully trust Artificial intelligence’s services, especially when it comes to financing.
Social media chatbots are breaking the odds; Facebook estimated over two billion messages have been sent between humans and chatbots on its platform.
It is safe to say that more companies will use social media chatbots to improve their customers’ relations and services.
