EVERYTHING YOU (STILL) WANT TO KNOW ABOUT CHATBOTS - WHITE PAPER - TSC - DECODING EXPERT ANALYSIS - TSC Digital
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WHITE PAPER - TSC
EVERYTHING
YOU (STILL) WANT
TO KNOW ABOUT
CHATBOTS
DECODING EXPERT ANALYSIS DISCOVERING
Chatbots explained Messaging and chatbots The five chatbot families
64% $1.25B 5
round-the-clock The worldwide of the 20
availability is the key chatbot market most popular apps
advantage of chatbots by 2025. on the Apple Store in Q1 2018
for 64% of people surveyed. were instant messaging apps.
27B 64% 61%
customer service hours of people would choose of baby boomers like
will be saved thanks to instant messaging over chatbots’ ability to
chatbots by 2023. email or the telephone. answer simple questions
instantaneously.
Sources : State of the chatbots, 2018 ; Grand View Research, Inc, 2017 ; The Top Mobile Apps, Games, and Publishers of Q1 2018: Sensor Tower’s Data
Digest, 2018 ; Juniper Research, 2017 ; “Facebook Messaging Survey” by Nielsen, Mars 2016 ; State of the chatbots, 2018.
INTRODUCTION
Page 3 Chatbots two years on: let’s go even further,
by Laurent Uberti
1| DECODING
Page 4 1.1 | Chatbots: back to basics
IN THIS WHITE PAPER..
1.2 | Chatbots, a maturing market to be handled with care
2| EXPERT ANALYSIS
Page 10 2.1 | How to design and enhance your chatbot, by Josselin Moreau
2.2 | Focus on chatbot roll-out, by Geoffrey Boulakia
3| DISCOVERING
Page 16 3.1 |
3.2 |
Revisiting chatbot families
Other chatbots we like
CONCLUSION
Page 30 From chatbots to voicebots,
by Geoffrey Boulakia
2
1 - DÉCRYPTAGE
LAURENT UBERTI
CHATBOTS TWO YEARS ON:
LET’S GO EVEN FURTHER
Excitement around chatbots is intensifying. At the Likewise, for TSC, the Sitel Group digital CX agency; chat-
moment it feels like every day is one where ano- bots have become part of our day-to-day experience.
ther brand is launching another AI-enhanced Having delivered dozens of chatbots for customers in
conversational app. This intensity we’re experien- very different sectors throughout Europe and beyond,
cing started building in 2016. That’s when Facebook we have acquired leading-edge expertise and
integrated chatbots into its Messenger platform and refined the methodical approach necessary to de-
in doing so, helped to create a proper ecosystem for liver for the most demanding of brands.
users, brands and developers. By April 2017, 30,000
chatbots called Messenger home. Now that number But crucially, this best-practice approach has been
stands at over 300,000. And while Facebook was the honed in collaboration. Our capabilities have been
first to enable brands to offer customers a cross-device, enhanced and reinforced by reaching out to the right
cross-channel chatbot experience, the other major
partners and by being challenged by the growing
platforms, from WeChat and Viber to T elegram, are expectations of our growing client base.
catching up.
Together we have become evangelists for chatbots
When we published our first White Paper focusing when they enhance the customer experience. We have
on these smart conversational agents in 2016, it was spread the word by participating in conferences and
because we recognised their potential - even though workshops, highlighting their usefulness and features
chatbots as a channel were still in their early develop- and underlining what they can realistically achieve.
ment stage. Thanks to our experience and our ability
to map innovation to the reality of delivering customer And this is why, two years on, it is time to revisit the
relations, it was clear to see how this technology was subject with a new White Paper with new objectives.
set to simplify consumers’ daily digital lives. It aims to go further into the chatbot universe; to help
you understand their capabilities via a closer look at
The time since that publication has been an especially solutions TSC has delivered for major brands; but
rewarding one for customer relations. It has seen the above all it aims to help you grasp the reality of their
introduction of chatbots across a number of different potential impact on your business.
channels, exponential market growth and genuine
technological progress. Technology may be changing, but customer expecta-
tions - speed, reliability, and seamlessness of service
Far from being a fad, chatbots have asserted themsel- - remain constant. No matter how innovative, if a brand
ves as a fully fledged customer service phenomenon. can’t meet a customer need or takes too long to deliver
They are now demonstrating the power we a response; that customer engagement will stop. It’s
predicted to not just simplify, but to enhance the why our clients are becoming more demanding, and
customer experience - be it for insurance, retail, utili- it’s why the most ambitious CX aims of yesterday are
ties, or media and entertainment. Brands are realising already today’s must haves.
that the conversational messaging app is the channel
of choice for consumers who want to communicate. On
Messenger alone, Businesses and customers currently
exchange 8 billion messages a month.
3
1 DE-
CO-
DING
4
1 - DECODING
1.1 CHATBOTS: BACK TO BASICS
WHAT EXACTLY IS A CHATBOT?
On its own, a chatbot, or bot, is no big deal. It’s a com- Rather than being used as marketing gimmicks, chat-
puter program designed to simulate a written (think bots are being used in an increasingly prominent role
Messenger) or oral (think Amazon Alexa) conversation within customer relations and in delivering customer
with a person; and to automate certain processes wit- satisfaction. However, this deployment only works
hout human intervention. when the bot is a clear extension of a specific brand
and its values, and when its use really does enhance
A chatbot is a perfect blend of artificial intelligence and rather than hinder the customer journey.
language processing and is part of the third big family
of digital interfaces after websites and apps.
SUPER POWERFUL CHATBOTS
It should be clear. A channel that’s open all hours and The most advanced AI-guided bots can take this further
that can provide an instant answer while demanding and can deliver responses tailored to the individual.
nothing from the user other than to first pose a ques- But first and foremost, a chatbot is a digital exten-
tion, presents a number of advantages. sion of its brand. Its tone, vocabulary and turn of
phrase must be in tune with the organisation’s
A chatbot can hold multiple conversations with multi- corporate identity.
ple users simultaneously. It saves precious time for
increasingly impatient, increasingly demanding If built around the brand and executed correctly, a bot
consumers. It makes browsing through page after will bring your customers closer to your business. Once
page of a website in search of an answer a thing of it’s been configured and trained, a chatbot becomes
the past. A chatbot brings your FAQs to life by guiding a smart conversational agent. It can automate simple
users through a series of questions to gather the infor customer service or deliver tailored support and res-
mation needed to understand what they want and ponses such as making product recommendations or
serve up the appropriate content. highlighting specific services in line with an individual’s
wants or tastes.
WHAT ARE THEY FOR?
Chatbots exist to simplify the conversation between c lassifies as: commercial; customer service; experien-
brands and consumers. At present they fall into tial; entertainment; and human resources.
five broad categories in terms of use case that TSC
Happy customers
5
Better experience.
1 - DECODING
WHERE DO WE FIND THEM?
Increasingly, the chatbot’s natural habitat is the mes- It also means that once open, the channel stays open.
saging app, where direct integration is now the norm. While a user is busy chatting to a friend on Messenger,
This is a huge boon for businesses. These platforms they can also interact with a chatbot on the same plat-
are quick becoming the communication interface of form to book an Uber or order pizza. The experience
choice for consumers – WeChat, Facebook Messenger is seamless and natural, no switching between apps or
and WhatsApp have a combined 4.6 billion active screens required.
users. This means that consumers don’t have to down-
load yet another app to access a chatbot, or complete
a registration form and create yet another account and
password to get started.
WHEN DID THEY APPEAR?
Chatbots predate the PC. Work by MIT on the first, in, giving us Facebook’s Messenger chatbot integration
christened Eliza, started in 1964 but it is in this century in 2016, plus genuine progress in the field of artificial
that the wave a technological progress washed the first intelligence. This has enabled chatbots to do more
virtual agents ashore. This tide has continued coming than simply articulate a list of FAQs.
“ Chatbots exist to simplify
the conversation between brands
and consumers
”
6
1 - DECODING
1.2 CHATBOTS,
A MATURING MARKET
TO BE HANDLED WITH CARE
Like everything from PCs to tablets, chatbots have tra- thanks to an acceptance of past disappointments and
velled along the adoption curve and passed through an understanding of their true capabilities. Chatbots
the hype cycle. They arrived with fanfare in 2016. They are not a magic wand, but that doesn’t mean that they
hit their peak of unreasonable expectations in 2017. can’t have a magical effect on your business.
Now they’re moving along the curve towards maturity
THE THREE TYPES OF CHATBOTS
There are three chatbot types: Basic; Intelligent; and Basic chatbots don’t make mistakes because they’re
Hybrid. “Basic” chatbots are designed around simple providing specific responses to specific questions.
decision trees that guide users through a series of Yet they’re limited in terms of customer experience.
pre-set questions. “Intelligent” chatbots understand A basic chatbot means that users have no latitude in
natural language and are endowed with artificial intel- the way they ask questions or on the subject of those
ligence. There are also “Hybrid” chatbots that occupy questions.
the space between intelligent and basic and that com-
bine scripts and AI but require human intervention in An intelligent chatbot is big on experience because it
more complex cases. gives users the freedom to ask the types of questions
they want, the way they want to ask them. But to deli-
No category is better than another. A basic chat- ver that type of customer experience requires not just
bot is simple to build and needs the least technical a more complex design and development phase, but
development. However, each potential question and also a learning phase where the bot is trained to deli-
answer combination has to have been anticipated at ver the expected customer outcomes.
the pre-development stage.
LEARNING TO CONVERSE MORE EFFECTIVELY
The importance of the learning and training phase launch the publication didn’t make it clear exactly what
is often underestimated and has resulted in brands Tibot was there to do. Users presumed they were talk-
launching chatbots that have not been thoroughly ing to a journalist and got some interesting answers as
tested. If a bot cannot understand a request, it cannot a result.
provide the appropriate answer.
Such experiences highlight the emphasis companies
For example, French newspaper Nice Matin has been like TSC place on fully evaluating all parameters, from
very open about why its intelligent chatbot, Tibot, the diversity of situation, to vocabulary and brand
failed to deliver and was taken offline. Its development identity, before deciding on a basic or intelligent chat-
team didn’t spend sufficient time analysing how the bot. “Ultimately, for many clients the solution isn’t one
publication’s user community communicate – i.e. the or the other,” explains Josselin Moreau, TSC’s Head of
type of vocabulary and approach to spelling. So the Strategic Planning. “In many cases the challenge is to
bot wasn’t trained for these outcomes. Secondly, upon deliver a seamless blend of both – a hybrid chatbot.”
7
1 - DECODING
ANALYSING MISTAKES
Thanks to the experience that comes with dozens of Yet, even with a focused approach, it can be easy to get
successful chatbot implementations, we are in a strong it wrong. “It is a lot easier to make an appointment by
position to point out the pitfalls to avoid for brands selecting a date and a time using a dedicated interface
serious about building a solution that delivers a va- than via a series of questions and answers,” explains
lue-added customer experience. Moreau. “If your bot is focused totally on conversatio-
nal excellence and doesn’t take into account situations
The first mistake organisations make is thinking that a such as multiple choice questions or the interface
bot can handle every aspect of their existing customer within a chat window, that bot will fail.”
relationship management.
Therefore, don’t build a bot that tries to do too much.
A chatbot’s real talents lie in smoothing, simplifying The best chatbot does one thing and it does it
and enhancing a specific element of customer service; better than any other interface.
one usually being handled by a different channel. The
most effective bots are those designed to operate in
specific situations.
“ A chatbot’s real talents lie in
smoothing, simplifying and enhancing
a specific element of customer service
”
THE CUSTOMER RELATIONS BENEFITS OF CHATBOTS
From optimal use of time, enhanced user service and bot conversations are logged, the organisation conti-
customer knowledge, to instant chat, each of a chat- nues to gain valuable insights into customer beha-
bot’s strengths can be deployed in customer care viour and expectations.
support. Juniper Research estimates that by 2023,
chatbots will be saving 27 billion customer service Likewise, a chatbot can prequalify and stream cus-
hours, annually. tomers. It answers initial questions before connec-
ting a customer to a contact centre agent who will
Bots’ round-the-clock availability eases the burden already have all the relevant information to answer
on contact centre agents. They in turn are freed up a question or solve a problem thanks to the chatbot
to focus on handling high-value interactions where conversation logs.
empathy and emotion are crucial to delivering a
differentiated customer experience. And as all chat-
88
1 - DECODING
THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS: THE ENHANCED HUMAN
Chatbots’ understanding of complex queries will Even in an increasingly digital world, it is impossible
continue to improve in line with advances in Natural to imagine customer service without human empathy
Language Processing (NLP) to the point where a bot and understanding at its heart. It will be down to the
could one day be capable of conducting a 100% human market to learn how to best integrate the human touch
conversation. with automation.
Today that future reality is still some distance away. The rush to market in 2016 saw a lot of players and
NPL does add an extra layer of engagement and cus- even more experimentation in the field of chatbots.
tomer experience. However, to deliver, a bot that uses Two years later this frantic activity has settled, resul-
NPL needs to operate within a clearly targeted range ting in a clearer view of the platforms and professionals
of vocabulary, and where there is a narrow path along capable of helping deliver the right solution.
which to guide a user in terms of question range.
Nevertheless, the quality of a chatbot is only as good as
One of TSC’s major convictions is that the chatbot is the auditing and vetting process in terms of resources
a step towards the enhanced customer care advisor and solutions that precedes it.
who is free to focus on delivering high-value interac-
tions. A person has the emotional intelligence and Two years ago, chatbots were unable to live up to the
the understanding of feelings needed to address hype or to meet brands’ expectations. Today with the
complex issues. A bot has the ability to constantly and right expertise in place, they are ready to deliver.
consistently execute simple, repetitive tasks.
“ A person has the emotional intelligence
and the understanding of feelings needed to
”
address complex issues. A bot has the ability
to constantly and consistently execute simple,
repetitive tasks
Happy customers
9
Better branding.
2 EX-
PERT
ANA-
LYSIS
102 - EXPERT ANALYSIS
JOSSELIN MOREAU
2.1 HOW TO DESIGN AND
ENHANCE YOUR CHATBOT
A CHATBOT ADAPTED TO EACH SITUATION
When building a chatbot, never forget that what understand clearly where conversation and automa-
users want above all is simple, effective interac- tion will be situated within it.
tion.
Never cut-and-paste content from another
channel, but always think through all potential The technology needs to reflect what the business
problems in the pre-design phase. is aiming to achieve. How will it integrate into the
organisation’s existing ecosystem? Does the choice of
Chatbot design should be based on customer need chatbot type reflect intended goals? For example, if the
and informed by the type of experience a brand is ultimate aim is to automate a repetitive task, a chat-
seeking to deliver. For these reasons, as well as poten- bot capable of conducting a meaningful conversation
tial benefits, each potential risk the project presents could complicate the project unnecessarily.
needs to be clearly identified and mitigated at the
inception stage – before design begins in earnest. The next key consideration is the hosting platform.
Will the chatbot be delivered via one of the messaging
A chatbot will not exist in isolation and therefore it apps already installed on the majority of consumers’
cannot be designed in isolation. That’s why a brand smartphones; or will it be hosted via a proprietary
must consider the customer journey as a whole and solution such as the brand’s own app or website?
CHOICE OF PLATFORM
Facebook Messenger may be able to boast 300,000 From Messenger and WeChat, to Twitter, Business
chatbots on its platform, but that doesn’t mean it is ne- Chat and Slack, there has never been so much
cessarily adapted to the goals of all brands. For a B2B choice for a brand looking for a platform to sup-
or HR chatbot, a messaging app could be a turn off. port its chatbot.
Not everyone is comfortable with using the same Facebook’s latest innovation is a new plugin called
channel for personal and professional communication, Customer Chat. It enables an organisation to integrate
and this could mean getting user buy-in is a challenge. Messenger into its own website with the same features
and conversation threads as the smartphone app. But
In such cases, it would be better to develop a chatbot Facebook isn’t the only entity innovating in this space.
around a website, proprietary app or a B2B messaging Each of the major players offers tools and features that
service. But a messaging app doesn’t always tick every make it easier for any brand serious about building a
box for B2C use either. There could be interface or se- chatbot to meet its objectives.
curity shortfalls depending on the type of experience
the brand is looking to achieve.
112 - EXPERT ANALYSIS
CONVERSATIONAL CUSTOMER CARE
When conversing with a bot, customers need to feel Every organisation needs to adapt the tone and
like they’re talking naturally to your brand. A clear defi- vocabulary to its own brand universe and the image
nition of the chatbot’s identity – one in phase with the it w ishes to project. A conversation is a direct and
brand’s values and reflective of customer experience engaging interaction for both business and customer
across its other channels – should be incorporated at alike and its impact can be major in terms of brand
the design phase. perception. It can create further points of contact and
foster greater loyalty. And it starts with a feeling.
How will it sound? Will it use a formal or colloquial
English? Will it have a sense of humour? Is it going An exchange needs to generate positive emotions.
to have a masculine, feminine or robotic persona? Therefore, a brand should focus carefully on the
A brand needs to answer each one of these questions, substance and form of the customer’s experience
and decide if the bot will have a visual representation, with the chatbot.
in order to deliver the desired experience.
“ A conversation is a direct and engaging
”
interaction for both business and customer
alike and its impact can be major in terms of
brand perception
122 - EXPERT ANALYSIS
WHAT’S UP
WITH WHATSAPP?
With over 1.5 billion active users and counting, Nor can they use it to continually attempt to
plus a daily message count of 65 billion, the engage customers in conversation. There is
business appeal of WhatsApp is clear to see. a 24-hour window in which businesses can
respond to a customer question or maintain
After an initial 12-month pilot that saw 3 mil- an existing conversation thread. Beyond that
lion small-to-medium-sized enterprises join timeframe, an organisation has to pay an
the platform via a dedicated app, WhatsApp extra charge to keep talking.
has officially launched its communications
solution for larger organisations. It’s called
“This business model puts a premium on
the WhatsApp Business API and it rolled out quality interaction,” explains Josselin Moreau.
in August 2018. “It forces brands to be efficient, proactive and
to focus squarely on their customer care.”
Organisations can use it to send what
WhatsApp defines as quality interactions – Whether it’s WhatsApp Business App for
notifications, delivery times, payment receipts smaller firms or Business API for enterprise
and information related to purchases. But use, brands now have the possibility of rea-
they can only use it if the customer in question ching a projected 2 billion consumers by the
has already shared his or her phone n umber. end of 2018.
The idea is that unlike an automated SMS; WhatsApp is the app for meaningful conver-
each of these messages is more than just an sation with people that mean something to
alert. It’s an opportunity for a conversation as the user. Now by opening the platform to
the customer can respond. business, it could become the app for mea-
ningful conversations with brands that mean
However, businesses cannot use this paid-for something to the user, too.
service to push purely promotional content.
Happy customers
13
Better trust.2 - EXPERT ANALYSIS
GEOFFREY BOULAKIA
2.2 FOCUS ON
CHATBOT ROLL-OUT
THE IMPORTANCE OF CONVERSATIONAL ARCHITECTURE
In 2018, a chatbot needs to be able to maintain a These findings will enable you to build the detailed
conversation with a user and add value to the cus- dialogue and storyboards needed and to do so within
tomer experience. the context of the overall customer journey.
To do this a bot has to be solid, reliable, adaptable and Once the bot and its back office have been developed
crucially, ‘educated’. To be truly effective a bot needs to they need to be integrated into the existing IT environ-
be taught by dedicated ‘bot trainers’. ment. Then, if it’s an intelligent chatbot using NLP, it
needs to be trained.
Planning the bot’s conversational architecture
forces a brand to consider every different scenario Each phase – architectural design, development,
it could potentially handle. testing and roll-out – must comply with specific pro-
duction processes to ensure success.
From FAQ analysis to web and archival research, it
means collecting and collating all the data needed to
construct conversational paths and to understand
the reasons why a customer contacts your customer
service.
“ There can never be enough testing. Even if your
brand is more than familiar with your customers’
mindsets, there will still be surprises, therefore
”
the aim should be for a chatbot capable of
adapting to these often improbable situations
142 - EXPERT ANALYSIS
A TESTING TIME
Initial in-house testing is undertaken to ensure the valuating performance thresholds and for setting
e
chatbot’s stability and to enhance its linguistic skills. the next set of benchmarks as well as planning how to
achieve them.
Each conversation scenario is tested, one after the
other. The bot must understand intentions and When it comes to education, bots can be trained by IT
words that may have different meanings depen- developers or project leaders. But the best teachers
ding on context. And it must be able to leverage are those people who have the greatest familiarity with
its own conversational history to prompt or steer a company’s brand, its customers, their contact drivers
a user. An additional testing phase with users will then and their expectations – i.e. customer advisors.
further refine performance.
TSC and Sitel Group are convinced this expertise
There can never be enough testing. Even if your brand should be harnessed and industrialised for chatbot
is more than familiar with your customers’ mindsets, training and have created a “Bot Trainer” interface. It
there will still be surprises. Therefore, the aim should enables advisors to train and calibrate chatbots to bet-
be for a chatbot capable of adapting to these often im- ter u
nderstand and respond to customer questions.
probable situations.
But no matter how intelligent your chatbot, its per-
The greater the use of NLP, the greater the scope for formance should be measured in terms of how useful
conversation and the greater the need for testing customers find it. Developing a chatbot is one thing,
and training. Hence it’s crucial to set performance training and fine-tuning it so that it meets or surpasses
expectation levels right at the beginning of the pro- user expectations is another entirely.
cess. The analysis of initial conversations initiated with
an NLP-powered bot will serve as the benchmark for
NEW ROLES
Far from removing humans from customer relations,
chatbots are actually creating new roles in design and training.
CHATBOT DESIGNER CHATBOT COPYWRITER BOT TRAINER
Anticipates conversations in or- Writes dialogue and gives life ‘Educates’ the chatbot by teaching
der to design the related cus- to the chatbot’s conversational it how to understand customer
tomer paths and imagine what identity. Q&As formulated in natural lan-
users might do. guage. This training usually conti-
nues beyond the roll-out phase.
153 DIS-
COVER-
ING
163 - DISCOVERING
3.1 REVISITING
CHATBOT FAMILIES
Whether hosted on Facebook Messenger, WeChat, Viber, or on a brand’s on website, bots can be deployed for a
huge variety of different reasons, yet they can all be categorised by a small number of use cases.
At TSC, we have identified five broad families of chatbots based around their primary uses:
• the service chatbot which provides the user with a specific service;
• the commerce chatbot which performs a commercial transaction;
• the experiential chatbot which delivers an experience;
• the entertainment chatbot; and
• the HR chatbot: The latest thing
Many companies are beginning to realise the benefits of deploying virtual HR assistants. They are always available
to answer generic employee questions relating to subjects such as training or holiday entitlement. They also free
up time for HR managers to focus on business critical activities. HR chatbots reflect a growing trend of perceiving
and treating employees as internal customers and therefore delivering them a quality customer service. This now
extends to potential employees with chatbots being used to converse with job applicants and for presenting the
company to new hires.
SERVICE COMMERCE EXPERIENTIAL ENTERTAINMENT HR
CHATBOT CHATBOT CHATBOT CHATBOT CHATBOT
173 - DISCOVERING
THE EXPERIENTIAL CHATBOT
Fondation Ramsay: helping the nation’s health
THE CHALLENGE v alidated by the members of Ramsay’s Scientific
Committee, lending them the full weight of the brand’s
In June 2017 with the launch of a dedicated Facebook authority.
page, French healthcare specialist Fondation Ramsay
started a long-term public information initiative The chatbot, which can be accessed on Ramsay’s
focused on health and prevention. It shared useful
Health and Prevention Facebook page or its website,
advice aimed at people of all ages on topics such as co- allows users to freely ask questions. It uses NLP to pro-
ping with heatwaves, exam stress, cancer treatments cess the request and propose an appropriate answer.
and allergies.
It also offers three routes – one per subject – to better
To strengthen its position in the prevention sector fur- potential health outcomes for users. After answering
ther, the Foundation decided to follow up with a chat- a series of questions about their current lifestyle, in-
bot. It could be proactive in providing help and advice terests and hobbies, the chatbot provides users with
on the healthcare subjects about which the French pu- a path to a goal, assigning them tasks and challenges
blic were most concerned. along the way and featuring resources including web
content, video and expert advice.
THE SOLUTION
For instance, if a user wants to quit smoking for 30
Encouraged by the effectiveness of an earlier quit days, the chatbot will send him or her daily advice, and
smoking chatbot designed by TSC in 2016, the will also provide weekly feedback to help maintain mo-
Foundation turned again to the agency to launch a tivation. If the user’s will power is beginning to falter,
healthcare support companion. the chatbot can also sound the alarm and start propo-
sing solutions to help turn things around.
To identify the health and prevention subjects that
needed to take precedent, TSC developed an inno- A testimonies section allows people to share their
vative protocol. It conducted a social listening cam- experiences in relation to the different themes and
paign that collected and collated two years’ worth of to encourage users to stick with it. This is all precious
data from social networks, plus health and prevention earned content for the Foundation which it shares on
forums. its Facebook page.
The agency then engaged in social listening on the RESULTS
three most popular healthcare topics identified to
properly understand how they preoccupied the pu- Officially launched on 1st November, the chatbot is
blic and the types of questions being asked. “The idea in its initial phase, allowing users to access informa-
was to analyse the main conversations and subjects by tion and set goals around the three identified health
theme,” explains TSC senior digital consultant, Ahmed themes. However, because it has been designed to
Hadjar. “We managed to identify the major concerns be scalable from the outset, the chatbot’s capabilities
around three themes: stress, stopping smoking and a will soon grow to offer advice and guidance on more
balanced diet.” health-related matters.
The information gathered was fed into the chat-
bot while responses to questions were drafted and
183 - DISCOVERING
THE COMMERCE CHATBOT
Gemo: giving customer service a new look
THE CHALLENGE As well as designing the chatbot’s conversational paths,
Gemo and TSC worked together to define the identity
French prêt-à-porter label Gemo was formed in 1991 and personality of Lookbot down to its tone of voice.
and today boasts 460 outlets across the country.
It was looking to win new customers – especially What’s more, Lookbot is complementary to existing
millennials – and enhance its brand image in their channels. It allows users to speak directly to a sales
eyes, by providing a unique and innovative service. adviser with access to all of the exchange history, at
At the same time it also wanted to create an impac- any time during the interaction.
tful omnichannel experience that would drive future
in-store traffic. RESULTS
THE SOLUTION During the chatbot’s campaign run, 70% of people
attracted to this new way of shopping were new to the
In partnership with TSC, Gemo came up with Lookbot, brand.
a chatbot designed to provide customers with a
personal shopping experience. Based on the answers With Lookbot, Gemo was presented with a new way of
to a few questions on the theme of "my holiday suit- listening to customers and understanding what they
case", Lookbot gives customers personal style advice want in terms of styles, tastes, budget, and brand ex-
and a selection of four or five suitable products avai- pectation. Furthermore, three-in-four Lookbot users
lable to order from the website. Consumers can then declared the experience satisfactory.
choose to answer more questions to align the selec-
tions even further with their personal style.
“ Lookbot is complementary to existing channels.
It allows users to speak directly to a sales adviser
”
at any time during the interaction who has access to
all of the exchange history
193 - DISCOVERING
THE COMMERCE CHATBOT
Lidl: the virtual wine waiter that always serves the right bottle
THE CHALLENGE Accessible via Lidl’s Facebook page and on Facebook
Messenger, Balthus asks users questions on topics
German supermarket chain Lidl has been hosting wine such as price, grape variety, region and the type of
fairs in France for the past 15 years. It was looking to occasion, to make the best wine recommendations.
enhance its user experience by making it easier for
customers to familiarise themselves with its range of If a suggestion hits the spot, the customer just needs
over 140 products. to click once to find the closest Lidl store that has it in
stock, or can choose to order the bottle online instead.
Therefore, the chatbot’s mission was perfectly clear:
help customers find that perfect bottle, whatever the RESULTS
occasion. For Lidl, this was a way of taking shoppers on
a voyage of discovery through the entire breadth of its Balthus has clearly found the right tone with cus-
wine cellar. tomers. During September 2017 he gave advice to
4,800 unique customers and clocked up 40,000 inte-
THE SOLUTION ractions in the process. The company now intends to
roll out its wine waiter chatbot for each of its future
Lidl turned to TSC to develop Balthus. He is a chatbot wine fairs and during the Christmas period.
wine waiter who answers questions in a hearty, frien-
dly tone reflecting the supermarket’s brand image of
approachability and inclusiveness.
“ The chatbot’s mission was perfectly clear:
”
help customers find that perfect bottle,
whatever the occasion
203 - DISCOVERING
THE SERVICE CHATBOT
Agipito: the chatbot that makes complicated things simple
THE CHALLENGE To make certain of a seamless experience, TSC came
up with a graphical style that would reflect Agipi’s
Agipi is mutual insurance company that offers pen- strategy, brand image and existing visual assets. Then,
sions, life, and health insurance solutions to individuals to drive traffic to the chatbot, the agency also made a
and businesses. promotional video.
As part of a campaign to attract new members, Agipi RESULTS
wanted a bot that could help people assess their own
insurance needs and easily understand the company’s Agipi is using the specially adapted back office to track
offerings. the click rate on individual pathways to understand
which products and offerings most align with poten-
THE SOLUTION tial and existing customers. It is using this information
to calibrate promotional activities and to add new
TSC helped the brand to develop a chatbot accessible features to the chatbot.
on Facebook Messenger and on the Agipi website by
using Facebook’s Customer Chat Plugin. It was built
around a clear decision tree that set out each of the
company’s offers tailored to prospective and existing
customers.
“ The chatbot was developed around a
”
decision tree setting out all of the different
offers tailored to prospects and members
Happy customers
21
Better service.3 - DISCOVERING
THE SERVICE CHATBOT
Direct Energie: taking customer experience into account
THE CHALLENGE information to users who are then free to respond if
they wish.
Choosing an electricity or gas supplier is one of, if not
the key moment in the utilities brand-customer rela- RESULTS
tionship. Every step of the process can be a source of
stress for the customer and a strategic opportunity for This chatbot has more than 10,000 users, over half
the organisation. of whom completed the questionnaire at the end
of the process, giving it a 95% satisfaction rating.
Direct Energie wanted a solution that would signi-
ficantly enhance the customer experience during On the basis of its own satisfaction with TSC, Direct
these critical moments. It would provide an addi- Energie is now developing a new chatbot – this time
tional, personal round-the-clock customer relations focused on customer care - that will leverage LUIS
communication channel, optimised for handling large natural language processing and will launch in 2019.
numbers of enquiries. This conversational bot will initially help customers
deal with their most common queries such as the date
THE SOLUTION and amount of their next bill, but its scope could be
expanded to cover contract amendments and transac-
Direct Energie initially partnered with TSC to design a tions, too.
scripted chatbot that enables customers to follow
each step to creating an account; from choosing a Direct Energie wants this to be a “trans-channel” chat-
password and setting up their online dashboard bot. It will launch on its mobile app, which already has
and profile, to knowing exactly when their account its own conversation channel, before being rolled out
would go live and they officially become customers. to the website and to Facebook Messenger.
By deploying a balanced push/pull strategy, the brand
can also use the chatbot to send out useful further
“ By deploying a balanced push/pull strategy,
the brand can also use the chatbot to send out
”
useful further information to users who are
then free to respond if they wish
223 - DISCOVERING
THE ENTERTAINMENT AND HR CHATBOT
Vinci: Using a chatbot to activate job applicants
THE CHALLENGE The chatbot uses gamification to prolong interac-
tions. It memorises scores, tracks progress within
In March 2017, Vinci Group, the world’s largest a challenge and can prompt users to continue on
construction company based on revenues, launched a their quest or to undertake another mission. It also
corporate campaign called ‘You’ll be Glad You Chose enables participants to email Vinci directly if they have
Us’. It was aimed at raising its profile as an employer. questions; or to click through to the company’s recruit-
The group wanted to attract the brightest and best ment site to learn more about careers on offer.
new talent by aligning its values and qualities with
those of potential employees. The campaign was built RESULTS
around five adjectives and five related challenges:
audacious; curious; ambitious; generous; and creative. The chatbot significantly raised Vinci’s brand awar-
The idea being that anyone interested in working for eness and garnered mainstream media atten-
Vinci could undertake one of the challenges, discove- tion in the process. But more importantly, it also
ring more about themselves and about the Vinci brand enabled the brand to make a connection with and
in the process. recruit people with qualities and values in line with
the business. It was particularly effective at attracting
THE SOLUTION engineers, sales people and those that put a premium
on innovation.
TSC designed a multilingual conversational chat-
bot accessible on Messenger to embody the cam- The campaign ran for three weeks during which time
paign and offer potential employees an immersive the chatbot conducted 1,000 unique conversations.
digital brand experience via the challenges. Over 75% of challenges set were completed, and the
company saw a continued increase in the number
Once a user chooses to undertake a challenge, the of interactions it has with potential employees via
bot reveals more about the campaign and then poses Messenger.
questions based around one of the five adjectives.
Getting all of the questions right means being entered
into a draw with a chance to win a prize.
233 - DISCOVERING
THE SERVICE AND ENTERTAINMENT CHATBOT
Atonservix: the first AI-enhanced character in a theme park
THE CHALLENGE interviews with personnel to understand exactly what
sorts of questions visitors have or potential problems
Compagnie des Alpes owns 11 of the world’s largest they encounter.
ski resorts and 13 theme parks and tourist attractions
throughout the French-speaking world. They welcome At the same time, TSC performed an ecosystem audit.
a combined 26 million+ visitors a year and as such, the This was to understand the theme park’s existing
company is always looking for ways to make its visitor systems and to ensure that during benchmarking of
experience more exciting, immersive and effortless. available Natural Language Processing (NLP) engines,
the solution that best fit the brief and the existing
As part of reinventing the customer experience at Parc infrastructure was chosen.
Astérix, the Parisian theme park dedicated to the comic
book character of the same name (whose adventures “The client wanted to deploy the solution quickly with
have been translated into 100 languages, sold in excess the idea of evolving the bot over time and replicating
of 325 million copies and inspired 13 films), Compagnie it at other sites,” says Boulakia. “This meant that a
des Alpes wanted a very specific customer experience lot of forethought and planning was necessary in the
solution. It had to deliver uniformity across channels pre-development phase to ensure we built a solution
so that customers always received the same quality of in support of those future goals.”
information; simplicity of use to remove friction or pain
points; and personalisation in order to build stronger The client also wanted the chatbot to homogenise, not
relationships. replace existing channels. So while Atonservix brings
a welcome self-care dimension and is capable of han-
The company was also clear that it wanted a solution dling large volumes of enquiries, it can also seamlessly
that was able to help visitors before, during and after a hand a user over to an agent at any time during an
visit; and that could just as easily be used by the theme interaction.
park’s personnel to aid them in their work.
RESULTS
THE SOLUTION
Within two weeks of its soft launch in June, Atonservix
Over nine months, TSC worked with Compagnie des was helping 2,000 users via 35,000 interactions, and
Alpes to design Atonservix (“at your service” in A
sterix’s had answered 6,400 questions. Compagnie des Alpes
language), an intelligent conversational chatbot to expects the chatbot to interact with 200,000 visitors
meet this challenge. in 2019 and to be able to answer a minimum of 220
different intentions. Even now it is capable of tailoring
“This was a unique challenge. It meant imagining its responses based on the user’s profile and specific
a real personality, in the brand’s image,” explains needs – whether visiting alone, with friends or small
Geoffrey Boulakia. “But also taking an innovative tech- children for example. It can also leverage geo-positional
nological approach, so users receive an immersive and sensor data to give live updates on queuing times
experience but above all, a real service.” at certain rides or help visitors find the fastest route
around the park to their attraction of choice.
To achieve this, a full analysis of data from the park’s
contact centre, website and Facebook page was
required. This was supplemented with qualitative
243 - DISCOVERING
MEET ATONSERVIX!
The user’s first
experience of
ATONSERVIX is a
welcome message from
the helpful and engaging
character who wants
to be their theme park
companion.
PREPARING
THE VISIT
Before the visit begins,
ATONSERVIX gives the
park’s opening hours
and suggests different
itineraries based on
different modes of
transport.
253 - DISCOVERING
PERSONALISED
ADVICE
Users receive
personalised information
so that they make the
most of their visit. If
they’re coming with
children, for example,
ATONSERVIX can
highlight age-appropriate
rides and direct them to
shows and restaurants.
WAITING TIMES
Waiting times are a big
factor when choosing
rides and ATONSERVIX
provides them in real
time.
263 - DISCOVERING
ADAPTED RESPONSES
BASED ON NLP
He is never short of ideas
and can handle a host of
queries directly, such as if
you can picnic in the park
or what you need to know
about the Pass Rapidus
bus pass.
GPS
Lost in the park? Don’t
panic! ATONSERVIX can
also guide users to a ride
or a show or simply to the
toilets.
273 - DISCOVERING
3.2 OTHER CHATBOTS WE LIKE
THE FIRST ONLINE DATING
ASSISTANT
There’s nothing more frustrating than long design and development process
having to reply to dozens of questions on that needed a major user testing phase to
personality, tastes and passions, when we ensure a minimal failure rate and to boost
are looking for a partner. the bot’s intelligence.
That’s why Meetic is betting on its chatbot Also, by developing a more human tone,
Lara, the first online dating assistant, and ensuring that Lara responds a litt-
to make customers’ lives easier and le less quickly (so it appears as if she’s
convert more prospects into users. thinking), Meetic boosted the bot’s perfor-
mance by 10%.
The robot collects simple data about
customers through a discussion that
Lara interacts with 400,000 users a mon-
culminates in recommended profiles for th in 10 different languages. She can
potential dates. The user describes their be accessed via Meetic’s website and
ideal person and Lara links the criteria to Messenger account and interaction with
existing profiles in the database through Lara is 30% more efficient than filling out a
selections made using a decision tree. standard online form.
The chatbot uses an open question and So, instead of a whirlwind romance, Meetic
answer dialogue so as not to limit users’ is counting on a long-term relationship.
search criteria. This means it required a
283 - DISCOVERING
THE CHATBOT THAT
MOTIVATES MILLENNIALS
Since 2015, French start-up Jam has been As a testimony to its success, Jam was
deploying one of the country’s busiest one of three French companies chosen
conversational chatbots. Available on by Facebook to have their bot deployed
Facebook Messenger and aimed mostly on Chat Extensions. This feature allows
at Millennials, it provides round-the-clock the start-up’s conversational agent to be
ideas on what to do in the French capital used directly in user group discussions on
from exhibitions to the best bars. Messenger.
It has grown into a lifestyle assistant that The company has now launched a B2B
can now give recipe suggestions, tell jokes, offering based on automated conversa-
and even act as a motivational speaker tional surveys. The chatbot can quiz
sending users phrases that reflect the Millennials and brands can use the
brand’s philosophy of “two minutes a day findings to get to know this generation
for a sharper view of the world”. better. With 450,000 users – 100,000 of
whom are daily users – Jam sends 2 million
Jam was quick to spot the potential of messages a week.
Messenger for growing its business given
younger people’s penchant for instant
messaging and now intends to make its
chatbot its main distribution channel.
29CONCLUSION
GEOFFREY BOULAKIA
FROM CHATBOTS TO VOICEBOTS
Chatbots are far from a fad. They’re becoming a vital, Likewise, these platform capabilities are set for enhan-
omnipresent solution for brands and consumers cement with the launch of new formats such as Apple
looking for constantly enhanced experiences. They Business Chat and Google’s RCS. Both can add fur-
mark the beginning of the conversational business ther value to content displayed as text on smartphone
era, a new chapter in the relationship between screens, be it interactive maps or visual representa-
humans and machines where the act of conversa- tions of boarding cards or cinema tickets. Therefore
tion becomes a value-added business asset. they’re yet another opportunity for brands to enrich
the customer relationship.
Since 2016, the chatbot ecosystem has matured qui-
ckly and in doing so pulled into sharp focus their true But even without leveraging Google’s latest innova-
potential and their potential uses. This image is only tion, brands need to think about how they leverage
going to get sharper still as the technology develops conversational business technology. What was once
further and more global players move into the market. the pinnacle of customer experience is now the norm.
Chatbots represent a crucial technological tool for any
The future of conversational agents looks bright. There business serious about keeping customers satisfied
is a chatbot for any business need or strategy and it any hour of the day.
can be adapted to any customer situation or profile.
They are now delivering on their early promise - g iving Messaging apps are fast becoming the preferred way
customers the growing levels of responsiveness, for consumers of all ages to communicate with brands
personalisation and simplicity they increasingly crave. and research shows that on average, a person is not
As such chatbots will continue to drive change in the prepared to wait more than 12 minutes for a response
customer-brand relationship. to a question sent by social channels.
From being on the periphery to occupying centre And while chatbots currently have the leading role in
stage, all of the major obstacles related to platforms conversational business, they’re not the only actors.
and channels that may have prevented a chatbot from The surging popularity of smart speaker systems from
taking a starring role in your customer relations, have Amazon Echo and Google Home Assistant to Apple
now been overcome. HomePod mean that voicebots are now waiting in the
wings. And while voicebot design has its own unique
We can design chatbots for each of the major plat- features (see the TSC White Paper on Voice for further
forms – from Messenger, Telegram, or Skype to information), like chatbots, they use a conversational
Workplace and Slack – as well as for other conversatio- interface and make life easier for users, which in turn
nal channels such as a brand’s own website or app. The creates added value and even more opportunities for
unifying technology means that regardless of channel brands to build a closer relationship.
or platform, it’s now possible to simplify the vetting of
customer requests while ensuring an improvement in
customer experience.
30PHASES IN A CONVERSATIONAL PROJECT
FRAMEWORK PRODUCTION HELLO, WORLD
General Development Creating connections
conversational between the channels
architecture Integration
Launch campaigns
IT Audit Education
Ongoing development
Content Testing and revision
Dialogue and storyboards
Identity
With 75,000 employees – including 25,000 in Europe A Digital CX agency incubated within the Sitel Group,
– across 150 sites in 27 countries, Sitel Group contact TSC specialises in Customer Relations Innovation.
centres are populated by multilingual teams that strive From conversational business expertise and chatbots,
daily for operational excellence. Our global presence, to social networking and managing communities, our
combined with our local knowledge and flexibility, plus team of 50 digital experts, data analysts, designers and
our 48 working languages, allow us to respond quickly creative IT experts is dedicated to building trust-based
to business needs and market changes across industry customer ecosystems and has the flexibility and daring
sectors – whenever and wherever they occur. needed to turn your projects into real-world solutions .
31CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS WHITE PAPER:
LAURENT UBERTI GEOFFREY BOULAKIA JOSSELIN MOREAU
President and Founder Deputy General Manager EMEA Head of Strategic Planning
of Sitel Group of TSC at TSC
A graduate of Skema Business School, A graduate of EM Lyon business A graduate of Paris IX Dauphine
Laurent is President and Founder of school, Geoffrey has been involved University and CELSA, Josselin has over
Sitel Group, a company formed when in relational marketing within digital 10 years’ experience working in strate-
his Acticall Group acquired Sitel in agencies for over 10 years with a close gic planning with digital communica-
2015. focus on creative, social and technical tion agencies and has also co-founded
innovation. an “Innovation Lab”.
Since the acquisition Uberti has suc-
cessfully merged both companies’ With the firm conviction that customer A pioneer in adapting and applying new
DNA and, with an entrepreneurial marketing was set to become one of models of interaction to create cus-
mindset and digital vision, now leads the pillars of the user experience, he tomer experiences that add value, he
a 75,000-employee-strong group cur- joined TSC in 2015 to be part of the joined TSC in 2017.
rently ranked in the top three in the agency’s rapid development. A true
world for BPO and customer care. specialist in digital marketing and in In his current role, Josselin is instru-
integrating new forms of interaction mental in assisting brands that have a
Uberti is heavily involved in promo- within brands’ ecosystems, Geoffrey is desire to innovate, to foster conversa-
ting the Customer Care sector and passionate about communicating and tion with their customers, and to t ailor
was President of SP2C (French call promoting the agency’s team and its their marketing goals to customer
centre professionals trade associa- capabilities. expectations.
tion) for nearly 10 years. He has also
served as Vice-President of AFRC
(French Customer Relations Associa-
tion) and Vice-President of the French
A ssociation for the promotion and
development of a Social Responsibility
Label.
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