Chatbots + COVID-19
Chatbot  -  Apr 25, 2020

Experts agree that the world will not be going back to “normal.” Instead there will be a new normal, which will require different technologies and skills to be successful. While it is impossible to know all the changes ahead, the team at Instabot is sharing some of the digital transformation by companies that they are seeing firsthand, and how these companies are employing chatbots during that transformation.


1.) Healthcare is Going to Telehealth

As part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES), $200m in funding was released to help healthcare providers to leverage telehealth and connected services to help patients in their homes. This along with changes in regulations have allowed providers who were traditionally brick and mortar operations to become telehealth providers. Chatbots are able to assist such practices by answering common questions about procedures, explain how telehealth works, and book appointments 24/7.

2.) Human Resources/Communication Departments are Connecting Remote Workforces & Responding Quickly

COVID has placed some of the largest burdens on human resources and internal communication departments. As businesses move, workers go remote, and issues arise—these departments need to constantly update hundreds or thousands of employees globally and some of these changes depend on the country or state in which the employees live—creating additional nuances. Chatbots are helping these departments create a way to communicate and answer questions easily—and update their workforces quickly with minimal management. HR Departments are able to easily build comprehensive FAQ bots, make copies for each country/state, and update for location-specific information.

3.) Business Conferences are Now Virtual

Business conferences have historically been a way to create new opportunities for businesses, connect employees who work in different regions, and share information. With travel restrictions and the inability for close contact, many business conferences are moving to online platforms which offer digital ways of hearing speakers, networking, and sharing information. Since this is relatively new, most virtual conference attendees are having to learn new techniques for marketing and selling in a virtual conference. Chatbots are helping to staff virtual booths, share conference information, and explain how virtual conferences and platforms work.

4.) Customer Success is Moving to Digital Tactics

With distributed and remote work forces, and the inability to have employees staff an office or answer phones, Instabot becomes a valuable tool in handling common requests usually handled in person such as: booking appointments, looking up order status, providing samples, troubleshooting technical issues, etc. Also, since people are in their homes—they are often working in non-traditional hours, and researching new products and services during these times. Now that business is handled virtually, chatbots can supplement your team to ensure that you are meeting your customers needs in a time when each customer and their revenue is critical.

5.) Universities Are Becoming Online Education Platforms

Educational institutions are having to adapt to education without contact. This means that along with classes being held online, new infrastructure must be built to help guide students and their parents through these changes. Chatbots are leveraged to inform students about new processes and explain how interactions previously done in person (e.g. meeting with a student counselor, getting study materials, requesting transcripts, etc.) will now be done in digital forms.

6.) Hours, Locations & Services Are No Longer Static

Many essential businesses are having to constantly change their hours, locations and services in order to comply with constantly changing city and state regulations. This rapid changes, make it difficult to communicate this information to their prospects and current customers. Unlike website pages and banners which require graphic design and time to manage, chatbots help to fill the void as they can be updated hourly or on the fly to inform customers on your website of changing hours and service, so you are always meeting customer needs and avoid missed opportunities to generate revenue.  

For more information on how chatbots may be able to help your business needs during this time, email us at [email protected]

Latest from Instabot
Why Chatbots are the Hottest Trend in SMS Marketing

Why use chatbots with your SMS marketing? SMS marketing brings branded messaging directly to consumers’ pockets, letting shoppers opt in to receive notifications and offers wherever they are. 

Learn More
5 Marketing Ideas to Capture and Convert Customers via Text

When it comes to gaining leads and guiding them toward conversion, there’s more to text messaging that you might expect. With the help of a powerful text messaging chatbot, you can automatically capture, qualify and educate hundreds of prospects at once.

Read on for five actionable ideas for capturing and converting leads via text.

Learn More
Harness the Power of OpenAI with Instabot

Power up your marketing game via OpenAI-powered chatbots. With Instabot’s fully customizable script node, you can fully integrate with OpenAI’s robust API playground. Create bots that can answer general knowledgebase FAQs, correct grammar or passages of grammar, create summaries of longer bodies of text, and more. 

Learn More