New study shows chatbots have a retention issue: Here’s how to fix that (VB Live)

Chatbots are the Now Big Thing and, of course, you want to be on board. But if you misstep, you’ll be hurting your business rather than hurtling it into the future. Join this VB Live event for the results of our exclusive chatbot study, plus real-world insights from experts into doing bots right at any budget.

Register here for free.

Chatbots are becoming increasingly mainstream. But there are signs that all is not well in Botland.

Using data supplied by Pollfish, a new study from VB Insight — the research arm of VentureBeat — shows promising trends, but also a few that should worry every budding chatbot builder.

The study, and how to fix the problems that currently exist, will be the main point of conversation in a future VB Live session. Hosted by our director of marketing technology, Stewart Rogers, and featuring special guest Veronica Belmont, a veteran of the tech industry, prolific content creator, presenter, and product manager at Growbot.io, it promises to be an eye-opening episode.

The most telling stat in the new study revolves around consumer preferences. When it comes to using a brand’s website, native app, or chatbot, messaging app users have made it very clear what they prefer.

Less than 14 percent will gravitate toward the chatbot as their primary choice when it comes to connecting with brands. Mobile websites score slightly higher, but the majority of users still cite apps as their primary choice.

“That’s likely because the chatbot experience, right now, is lacking when it comes to engagement, user experience, and understanding the customer journey,” Rogers said. “We’re very early in the evolution of conversation user interfaces, and while it is clear that the vast majority of consumers use messaging apps — and consider them necessary — the bots themselves leave a lot to be desired.”

So, how will we go about fixing the problem? It is going to come down to design, personality, functionality, and delivering on the promise of a shorter, more enjoyable experience for consumers.

In the forthcoming VB Live session, which you can watch live or on demand after registering, we’ll reveal for the first time what the study — which took in responses from 1,000 U.S. consumers — has to say about:

• What messaging platforms people use the most
• How many people have used chatbots and what percentage of those are “raving fans” of the genre
• Whether consumers are spending money using chatbots
• How important messaging apps are

And you’ll learn from Veronica Belmont what you can do about the shortcomings, what you can glean from this new study, and how to make sure your chatbot cuts the conversational mustard.

Don’t miss out!

Register here for free.

In this VB Live event, you’ll:

• Identify and harness competitive advantage
• Understand the bot landscape and the opportunities it presents
• Build your own bot on a budget

Speakers:

• Veronica Belmont, Product Manager, Growbot
• Stewart Rogers, Director of Marketing Technology