Once your bot persona has been crafted, now it's time to envision it within the conversations themselves. When writing the verbiage your bot will use, it's important to keep in mind that these conversational use cases will take on a slightly different "flavor" than writing for other channels like your website.
Simple, Short and Easy to Follow
Verbiage within your experience, no matter the content, should be well understood by your customers. In an effort to accomplish this, here are a few rules to follow when crafting your verbiage.
🍰 Short is Sweet: Copy needs to be direct, to the point, and in digestible chunks. Customers are receiving content in a messaging channel, and we should replicate the native experience.
📖 Reading Grade 8: Approximately 85% of customers can interpret content at a Reading Grade 8, so this is our benchmark to not go over when choosing vocabulary.
⚖️ Orderly Content: Be sure to group relevant information together and if providing instructional steps, make sure they're in the order they need to be completed.
Examples:
🚫 "It looks like your order was lost during the transportation process, and has gone astray. Before I divulge this information with our proficient specialists, allow me to collect information about this from you." (Confusing, verbose language; Out-of-order expectations)
✅ "I'm sorry that you haven't received your order. Let me collect some brief information, then I will pass this on to a specialist who can help you further." (Straightforward language; In-order expectation-setting)
Setting Positive Expectations
When communicating with your customers, it should be made apparent what is and is not achievable within the context of the experience. While AI has come very far in the last few years, we shouldn't allow customers to assume every experience can "do it all" if that isn't the case.
💡 Intuitive Design: A customer should know what is happening next, e.g. clicking a link will direct them to a page, or a button will invoke an action.
👍 Focus on the Possible: Instead of saying 'I can't do that', tell the customer 'I'll get you through to an agent who can help with that' or 'Give us a call at 1-800-123-4567 and we'll be able to help with that'.
🤗 Positive Language: This helps with rapport building and giving your virtual assistant 'character'. Things like 'Great', 'Sure', and 'Absolutely' all provide some level of positivity to the situation, no matter the context. Starting sentences with negative words, such as 'unfortunately' or 'regrettably' should be avoided.
🤖 Introduce Self, Properly: Let customers know that your agent is a virtual assistant. Never try and trick your customer into thinking your virtual assistant is a human, as this can be frustrating and seen as manipulative. Customers will also instinctively communicate differently with a bot and shorten their sentences, improving accuracy in any answers given or routing logic. This rule can also be expanded into providing customers Service Level Agreements and Estimated Wait Times, for example.
It's important to think about the channel and the experience, not just the content itself. Consider how content will appear in the channel and how it will be perceived by a customer. For example, a web brief pasted into a virtual
assistant will create a poor experience.
Connect with the Channel
When writing copy, pay close attention to the experience and the channel it's taking place on (Web Browser, SMS, etc.), not just the content itself. Consider how your content will appear in the channel and how it will be perceived by a customer. Do your customers expect a quick answer? In that case, a web brief pasted into a virtual assistant will create a poor experience, so try reshaping it to fit the context.
Another great way to communicate is by use emojis. Emojis have been a staple in terms of communicating not just from a brand to a business, but between individuals and across cultures. Try to use commonplace emojis that are easy to discern the meaning of, rather than emojis that may not be used as often in day-to-day life.
Examples of Common Emojis Used in Messaging:
1️⃣ 2️⃣ 3️⃣ Numbers - A clean alternative to numbered lists.
🚫 Prohibited - Symbol used to denote bad examples/information.
✅ Green Check Mark - Symbol used to denote good examples/information.
✔️ Basic Check Mark - A nice alternative to use for a checklist/to-do list.
🌟 Stars - A fun alternative to bullet points, or can be used in post-conversation surveys ("Rate your experience from ⭐ to ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐")
Note: Be mindful when using emojis with faces. On smaller screens, these emojis and what they represent may be lost due their size. For instance, these emojis 🙂 😐 🙁 have only slightly varying expressions. Using face emojis like 😰 or 😍 convey their respective emotions much more clearly.
Connect with your Customers
Above all else in your verbiage, the aim should be to have your customers feeling better than when they did prior to starting their messaging conversation. The only way to achieve this is to truly listen to them, and communicate back to them that they and and their concerns are valued.
🫶 Use Empathetic Phrases: use phrases such as 'I understand' and 'I'm happy to help'. Be careful using words such as 'obvious' or 'it's easy' - for some customers it might not be and would be the reason for their contact.
🧠 Learn from your Customers: If customers are asking follow up questions, consider forming this in your design. Don't presume you have resolved a query.
🚨 Recognition and Escalation: A virtual assistant that can recognize when it's struggling is a powerful way to build a positive relationship. Escalate the conversation appropriately. Always give your customers an exit.