What is a video chatbot?
Chatbots have been part of our lives for a few years now, and although interesting innovations are constantly happening, their core concept has remained very much consistent throughout the years; an AI that has a database full of potential questions and prepared answers, with which users can communicate.
One of the more recent trends in this chatbot industry is the incorporation of video chatbots. We believe that this is the next step in the evolution of digital personal assistants. The idea is that instead of being limited to a text conversation with a bot, this bot would also be able to recommend pre-recorded videos from your team.
This is revolutionary as the biggest argument against chatbots is that they take the human out of simple problem solving. The implementation of videos allows chatbots to feel more human while still being available 24/7 and being more financially viable for most companies.
There are multiple types of video-chatbot ranging from video service chatbots (chatbots that simply recommend videos) to fully humanoid and animated robots that try to communicate with you like a human.
With today’s technology, we believe that video service chatbots are to be the most realistic. What they do is recognize when a user could benefit from watching a certain video and play it for them. This strikes a good balance between chatbots and human interaction.
Although one might think that humanoid chatbots can offer an interaction that is closer to what you would have with another human, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Technology isn’t advanced enough to create artificial human interactions, and the few examples of humanoid chatbots are literally nightmare fuel.
What are the advantages of a video chatbot?
A (chatbot) video explanation is more clear
There’s a reason for which simple YouTube tutorials have millions and millions of views; people love watching videos, especially when they don’t understand something. Being able to see in real-time the different steps that you need to take to resolve an issue is great and much clearer than reading about it.
Chatbots your company’s willingness to innovate
Showing innovation is important to constantly prove that your company will be able to adapt to the ever-changing world. Things like a video chatbot, although they might seem surface level, help differentiate you from your competition and show a willingness to innovate and evolve.
Other applications for video chatbots
The power of video chatbots stems from their ability to deliver customizable and human messages to your customers. There are a lot of potential future applications for these chatbots in sales for example. We could imagine that after having had a first meeting with a prospective buyer, you would ask them to visit your website to choose a time for your next meeting. Upon arrival onto your site, instead of being greeted by a traditional bot, a pre-recorded video of you would play, thanking him for his time, and proposing a few time slots that would work for you. The chatbot UI would then allow the customer to select which one works for him.
Being able to combine the flexibility of a chatbot (available 24/7, and always consistent) with the customization of a human interaction will no doubt impress your prospects!
This is one of many applications that we could imagine for the promising technology that is video chatbots, although the flexibility of these bots really makes possibilities endless.
Why is it particularly important in the tech support industry?
When working in the technical support industry, which is Witivio’s case, you realize that visualizing solutions is the best way to go forward. When you have a technical problem, there is nothing more infuriating than to have an endless written description of what is needed to do to solve the problem.
Instead, a clear video is the way to go! Being able to visualize every single step of the solution and replicating them on our own devices is the best way to solve any issue. Therefore, video bots are particularly important in our industry. Instead of providing written explanations, being able to recognize our users’ problems and offer video solutions is nothing short of extraordinary.
Witivio’s video chatbot for Microsoft 365
Learn 365 is a chatbot that we have developed to help and support Microsoft 365 users. The complex nature of a platform like Office 365 made us opt for a video chatbot instead of a traditional one.
This chatbot has 4 learning paths, more than 300 questions integrated to it, and speaks French, English, Spanish and Italian. It’s an expert in OneDrive, OneNote, Yammer, Teams, and Outlook.
Our new videos are higher quality, clearer and will help our users solve their issues faster. If you’re already a Learn 365 user, you’ll be able to find these new videos in the video tab of your chatbot, and if you’re not a Learn 365 user, what are you waiting for?