It's tempting to think that because you can hold a conversation you can design one. But ... not really.
Conversation is an unconscious competency. Most of us do it well. But very few of us understand how we do what we do. You need a designer.
Conversational interfaces like chatbots and IVR are different from graphical interfaces in fundamental ways. To create a great Conversational AI experience you need a Conversation Designer. But where do you find one?
Here are three tips to get you started:
Hire a Conversation Designer. There aren't a lot Conversation designers to fill the roles out there, so expect to pay and provide a great environment for them to work.
Outsource the design. You can get an external agency to design your Conversational Experience, just like you would a website. It doesn't stop you owning the experience. It's still your business. Your customers. Your vision. But competitors are moving fast so getting the help you need can give you a great head-start and the broad experience of an agency will help avoid common pitfalls that your team could miss.
Train your team. You may already have designers with experience in web or mobile design, or agent scripting. They may even have worked on IVR or messaging apps before. If they're talented and ambitious, it can be worth the investment in time and money to train them.
Remember. These options aren't mutually exclusive. The best solution is usually a blend.
Here's a pattern we've seen work before:
Outsource the big lift: Platform migration. New channel. Major new functionality
Hire a Conversation Designer to work alongside the agency doing the design
Get the agency to coach and mentor your designer so they can take on more in future