We commonly think of bots as problem solvers or functional tools as virtual attendants. However, there’s a lot more to be explored in this incredible world of bots.
Besides improving customer service, chatbots can create personalized experiences and totally meet the expectations of the users by strengthening the brand to outstand its commercial value once you define it well, bringing into play the real concept of brand equity. When we have in mind such a concept, we are aware of actions and strategies that can be applied to a brand to show its worth, and chatbots can lead to the 4 pillars of brand equity — loyalty, awareness, associations and perceived quality.
I’ve highlighted three actions and strategies which I consider important to add value to your brand through chatbots.
Here we go…
Voice & Tone
Determining the voice and the tone of a bot is crucial for better communication with the audience reflecting the brand personality.
It might seem simple to think of a bot’s voice and tone as a savior with a promising mission, however, other factors should be taken into account to develop a suitable voice and an appropriate tone. Both of them should be aligned with the brand to deliver the message that users are expecting to receive without unpleasant surprises.
The main idea here for a good voice and tone is to prepare the bot for different events and scenarios in a consistent way so that they can easily associate them to the brand.
Observe how other brand’s bots communicate with people and explore different journeys and stories when designing a bot.
Naming
What counts the most is experience for sure. However, we can stress here how important and intriguing a name for a bot can be.
Have you ever got yourself flattered when a friendly company mentions your name while purchasing a product or from an intelligent contact? Names are powerful and they can narrow the gaps between the serious and institutional perspective of a brand and people by using a human connector — a name.
There’s no magic formula to get the best name for a chatbot and let’s not forget that the name itself can’t do the whole thing. That’s why other actions and strategies should be considered.
Visual Identity
Consistency appears here in the form of a visual strategy to drive all attention to capturing users’ eyes. Bots with a strong brand identity are more likely to provide a better experience and a positive impact through the choice of a style.
Be sure if the bot uses the same style of communication as well as all the other elements of the identity such as colors, logo, illustrations, emojis, shapes, etc.
It’s worth remembering that the familiar feeling given by a visual identity can affect the user’s mood which is a major key on the purchase decision when in touch with the brand.
Emotional connection
Competitive differentiation is quite important for a brand to stand out in the market, but what brings the great secret is the emotional connection.
Chatbots have lots of emotional connectors besides voice and tone, naming and visual identity. Having at hand the brand’s core values and essence can help you work on other actions to reach the connection through cultural impacts and sensory memory, for instance.
Brands can go beyond improving engagement with the objective of expressing their purpose through chatbots enabling users to feel confident about choosing their services and products. And remember — choose being different, but different with a purpose.
Brand Equity for chatbots was originally published in Chatbots Life on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.