Tips for the structure and formulation of helpful chatbot responses
- General notes
- A suitable intro creates clarity
- Several small blocks of text
- User-friendly communication
- Slides: Optimal use of image or video material and/or graphics
- Multiple choice: Specific answer matching the enquiry
MoinAI's chatbot offers various solutions for customizing the content of the answers to suit the user. The following best practices for the design of response content are based on experience with several hundred AI chatbots that companies from different industries have set up together with moinAI for a wide variety of use cases.
General Notes
When designing the response, it is advisable to "put on the customer glasses". Ideally, the responses should be formulated as the users themselves would formulate them. In addition, careful judgement should be made as to what information should be included in the answer. Diverse and precise explanations that also point out supposedly simple or intuitive aspects are useful at this point.
The AI chatbot should set the correct expectations in its response and beforehand (in the welcome message). Users should be informed about what they can and cannot expect. Open communication is important at this point and it should be pointed out in the response content what can and cannot be clarified directly in the chatbot.
Buttons should be labelled specifically and eloquently.
The clear naming of the button aims to explain to the user what the button is about. The addition "To..." or "Apply for XYZ here" is often sufficient for this.
In all cases, care should always be taken to keep the language as simple and understandable as possible.
A suitable intro creates clarity
The AI chatbot can play out a so-called demand in case of uncertainty. It should be noted here that the request in case of uncertainty is only played out if the recognition is uncertain. This means only if the AI chatbot is not sure which topic the enquiry should be assigned to. As a rule, an enquiry is recognised directly and the corresponding response is displayed.
In order to pick up users and give them an understanding of whether the AI chatbot has understood the enquiry correctly, it makes sense to write an introduction to the topic at the beginning of an answer. A sentence like: "I'd be happy to help you with xy, etc." is sufficient for this.
Several small blocks of text
a general rule, answers should always be brief and concise. Nevertheless, it can happen that an answer is sometimes more detailed. For an easily readable, comprehensible and attractive answer, several small blocks of text should be used and the answer should be played out piece by piece. On the one hand, this form of presentation makes it easier to read, especially on users' mobile devices. On the other hand, it breaks up the text and makes it easier to follow the long answer.
User friendly communication
Ideally, not every answer should sound the same. The content of the answers should be variable and personalized. They should also be personalized. Instead of generic and impersonal language, communication should be as natural and inviting as possible. Furthermore, no technical jargon should be used. This ensures that users understand what is being asked of them.
In addition to this user-friendly language, users should always know the next step. It is therefore important to ensure that the response already sufficiently indicates what the next step is.
Slides: Optimal use of image or video material and/or graphics
In addition to the text message, images, graphics and videos can also be integrated into the reply content. Using the "Slides" option, such content can be easily added and displayed as part of the reply text.
Slides are particularly advantageous when step-by-step instructions are given or selection overviews (portfolio, brand overview, product category, etc.) are to be displayed.
Slides can also be used to break up the text. Various graphic contents can be presented so that a more complete answer to the enquiry can be provided.
If this option is chosen, it should be noted that more than three slides are rarely useful, as the click rate usually decreases after the third slide.
Multiple Choice: Specific answer matching the enquiry
The multiple-choice question element makes it possible to play out individual answer paths based on a user selection. Users can use buttons to select the option that applies to them. This makes it possible to guide users to the appropriate detail of an answer, resulting in a positive user experience and a high level of automation.
For example, companies that sell to both private and business customers can provide the right answer for both customer groups by letting users select in advance which customer group they belong to.
The use of the multiple choice option is also a good option if specific information is to be provided on different products. Based on a more general answer, users can then select the product in question and subsequently receive the information relevant to them.
However, other use cases, especially customer advice, can also be designed well using the multiple choice option. Users can be asked easily and efficiently what their needs are. It is possible to design an extensive and detailed functional tree structure so that customers can receive the best possible advice as a self-service in the chat. A takeover can be offered for further personal advice.
Up to ten different buttons can be created and various answer paths can be integrated into the answer content. In practice, it has been shown that users like to interact with the multiple-choice options, as these support them on the way to the specific information they are looking for.
The Customer Success Team is happy to advise on the design of helpful answer content with specific challenges.