Using a chatbot as a flower shop information system

Gibadullina Daria Anatolyevna/ Gibadullina Daria Anatolievna– second year undergraduate student of the Ural branch of the Financial University in business informatics

Annotation: This article explores the potential of using a chatbot as an information system for a flower shop. Chatbots are an effective tool for automating communication with customers, giving them the opportunity to receive information about goods, services, promotions and place orders directly through messengers. The article discusses the benefits of chatbots for the florist business.

Annotation: This article explores the potential of using a chatbot as an information system for a flower shop. Chatbots are an effective tool for automating communication with customers, giving them the opportunity to receive information about goods, services, promotions and place orders directly through messengers. The article discusses the benefits of chatbots for the florist business.

Keywords: Chatbot, information system, flower shop, 24/7 customer support, process automation, providing information about products, accepting orders, organizing delivery.

Keywords: Chatbot, information system, flower shop, 24/7 customer support, process automation, providing information about products, accepting orders, organizing delivery.

With the development of digital innovations and the transition of business to the online sphere, the use of chatbots is becoming increasingly relevant. For the florist business, the use of chatbots opens up new opportunities for automating customer service and optimizing business processes. In today's dynamic business world, where it is important to be one step ahead of competitors, especially small businesses, the implementation of innovative solutions such as chatbots is one of the key elements of a successful development strategy. 2020 has become very difficult for small businesses, which is why, from 2020, the President of the Russian Federation will allocate funds to businesses for employee salaries in April. Thanks to this, many small businesses, including flower shops, began to look for innovative solutions to develop their businesses. Therefore, this topic is very relevant and practical for the flower business.

When using a chatbot to manage your flower business, there can be a tension between automating processes and delivering quality customer service. An automated process through a chatbot can lead to increased operational efficiency, but the flower business often values ​​individualized customer service, so a chatbot system can limit the ability to provide personalized service and advice, which can negatively impact customer satisfaction and loyalty. to the brand.

Using a chatbot as an information system for managing a flower business will optimize communication with customers and increase sales conversion. Automation of answers to frequently asked questions, the ability to place orders through a chatbot, notifications about order status and a personalized approach to customers will help improve the efficiency of the flower business.

What is a chatbot?

A chatbot is a program that communicates with customers via text messages. It can answer questions, provide information about products and services, and perform various tasks. Chatbots can work in instant messengers, social networks and on websites.

Currently, there are several methods and technologies that are used to create chatbots. All of them have their own features and advantages, which allows developers to choose the most suitable tool for solving specific problems. Let's take a closer look at each of the technologies:

1. Platforms for creating bots:

The platforms offer ready-made tools and templates for quickly creating bots, and also allow you to use AI for natural language processing and bot training. Here are some of them:

• Chatfuel is a popular platform for creating bots for Facebook Messenger and Telegram, offering a simple interface and tools for creating conversational scripts [];

• Manychat is a platform for creating bots for various instant messengers, including Facebook Messenger, Slack and Instagram, providing a wide range of tools for automating communication [];

• Flow XO is a platform for creating bots for instant messengers and websites with a convenient visual editor for creating dialog scripts;

• Dialogflow is a platform from Google that uses artificial intelligence to create smart bots that learn to understand natural language.

2. Programming languages:

• Python is a popular language among chatbot developers due to its simplicity and many libraries for natural language processing and machine learning;

• JavaScript is a language for creating bots on the web and some platforms such as Chatfuel;

• Java is a less popular language for creating chatbots, but some developers prefer it due to its reliability and performance.

3. API of messengers and social networks:

• Facebook Messenger – provides an API for creating bots that communicate with users through this messenger;

• WhatsApp – provides an API for business users who want to communicate with customers via WhatsApp;

• Telegram – provides a Bot API for creating bots that send and receive messages from users;

• VK is a Russian social network with an API for creating bots.

4. Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning (ML):

• BERT is a deep learning model for natural language processing used to understand context in text data;

• GPT-3 is the largest and most powerful language model to date, capable of generating human-like text and answering questions.

5. Cloud services:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers a variety of services for storing data, processing information, and scaling bots;

• Google Cloud Platform provides various data processing and machine learning services used to create and train chatbots;

• Microsoft Azure is a cloud platform with a wide range of services for developing and deploying applications, including chatbots.

6. Integration with CRM systems and databases:

• Salesforce is a popular CRM system integrated with chatbots for collecting and analyzing customer data;

• HubSpot is a CRM system with tools for marketing and sales automation and integration with various communication channels, including chatbots.

Flower business is a branch of entrepreneurship that covers the cultivation, sale and delivery of flowers. This type of activity can be very profitable, because flowers are always in demand among consumers. But it is worth considering that the flower business has a number of features.

The first feature is the need for significant investment in equipment. Without proper equipment, it is impossible to create optimal conditions for storing and growing flowers, which can lead to low quality products and losses.

The second feature is the need for knowledge about caring for flowers and their proper storage. If certain rules are not followed, flowers can quickly lose their presentation, which will negatively affect the company’s reputation. This is why it is important to find experienced employees.

The third feature is seasonal fluctuations in demand. For example, the demand for flowers increases significantly before holidays such as Valentine's Day or March 8, as well as during the summer. At the same time, in winter the demand for flowers usually decreases.

The fourth feature is the high competition in the flower business. Many companies have been growing and selling flowers for many years, so it is important to have a unique offer and attractive bouquet designs to attract customers.

Despite these difficulties, a flower business can be successful thanks to proper organization of work and effective resource management. It is important to follow market trends and offer new products and services to customers.

A flower shop information system must meet a number of requirements in order to effectively perform its functions. Below are detailed descriptions of each of these requirements:

1. Maintaining a customer database: The system must provide the ability to store information about each customer, including his name, contact details, preferences and purchase history. This information will be used to improve customer service and loyalty.

2. Sales tracking: The system should have a function to track all sales, including product name, quantity, price and date of sale. This will allow the store to control its profits and make purchasing and pricing decisions.

3. Inventory management: The system should be able to track the availability of goods in the warehouse, forecast inventory requirements and automatically order goods from suppliers. This will help the store avoid stock-outs and maintain optimal inventory levels.

Advantages of using a chatbot in a flower shop:

1. 24/7 customer support

Clients can ask questions and receive answers at any time of the day. This is especially important for flower shops, since orders can arrive at any time of the day or night.

2. Convenience for customers

A chatbot allows customers to quickly get the information they need without having to call the store or wait for an answer.

3. Process automation

A chatbot can automatically process orders, send notifications about order status, and remind you of birthdays and other important dates.

4. Data analysis

A chatbot can collect data about customer preferences, which will help improve the quality of service and increase sales.

How to use a chatbot in a flower shop?

1. Providing information about products

The chatbot can provide detailed information about each flower, its features, price and availability.

2. Accepting orders

The chatbot can take orders from customers, record their contact details and send order confirmation.

3. Delivery organization

The chatbot can inform customers about the time and place of delivery, as well as track the status of the order.

Using a chatbot as a flower shop information system is an effective way to improve customer service and streamline workflows. The chatbot provides 24/7 customer support, simplifies the flower ordering and delivery process, and helps collect valuable data on customer preferences. All these advantages make using a chatbot in the flower business a profitable and promising solution.

Literature

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