Tips for Recruiting the Best Bot Engineers
We’re fortunate to live at a time where we have easy access to a wide variety of quite advanced technology. From handheld devices that give us access to opportunities across the planet, to the development of smart cities. It’s no longer surprising to most of us that elements of artificial intelligence (AI) are swiftly finding a place in our day to day interactions. Chatbots, in particular, are valuable, practical tools across a range of industries today.
But, let’s face it, chatbots are a difficult thing to get right. For those building bots for e-commerce marketing spaces, there’s the ever-present risk of interpreting the questions of users and providing suitable responses. Mistakes can also be made in finding the right personality balance for the bot — people are generally savvy enough to know that they’re talking to a machine, but they also want a personal experience.
This all means that it’s vital to discover the right bot engineers to take on the challenges presented by both a programming environment and the marketing sector. We’ll take a look at a few areas of focus when recruiting the architects of your ideal marketing bot. What are the potential hurdles, and what tools can be utilized along the way?
Narrowing the Field
The first challenge in building the best bot team for customer support is actually narrowing down the field. There’s certainly no shortage of potential technicians out there, but how do you reel them in? Well, firstly it’s important to have a good idea of who could make a real difference to your business.
Whether you’re looking for an individual or hoping to build an agile and effective team, it is imperative that you hunt down well-rounded candidates. Certainly, from a technical perspective you’ll be looking for STEM-based qualifications that have multiple applications. Those who have committed to gaining an education in electrical engineering, for instance, can provide insight into programming issues and hardware requirements, alongside spearheading research and development projects. However, as chatbots by necessity need to be customer service friendly, this technical prowess needs to be complemented by a range of soft skills — not least of which is empathy and effective communication.
It’s not just a case of looking for the right candidates; it’s attracting them to your cause, too. This means adopting recruitment strategies that speak to those with this mixture of skills. It’s worth bearing in mind that millennials make up the majority of the U.S. workforce, and have a preference for employers that embrace technology in all areas. Use social media platforms, not just occupation-centric services such as LinkedIn. For example, Twitter provides the ability to present the culture of the company as well as recruitment needs; and Plato provides a platform for burgeoning engineers to network with others in their industry.
Building a Team
Many marketing efforts are successful not due to the abilities of an individual, but from the combined talents of a team. Building a successful e-commerce team requires a range of skills and personalities, each dedicated to facing challenges together, guided by experienced management. The same approach should be taken when building and operating a chatbot.
It may be the case that you have some employees in your organization who have requisite skills that can be utilized here, in which case it could be in your best interests to recruit from within and treat this as a project — with some permanent members, and others who move in and out of the structure as required. Of course, your software engineer is an essential member in actually building and maintaining the technical aspects of the bot. Security is also one of the primary challenges that face your bot project, so utilizing a cybersecurity expert from the very outset of development is crucial. Alongside the technical experts, members of the marketing team should also be involved in developing the personality of the bot, making certain that it remains on-brand, and is able to serve the marketing goals of the business.
For smaller businesses who are unable to employ a full-time team, bot team recruitment isn’t necessarily out of reach. Remote teams are a practical and popular method to undertake projects that include members of the team who are not necessarily permanent. There are also remote work hiring platforms — such as FlexJobs and AngelList — that can help you find members from both engineering and marketing backgrounds. However, when interviewing remotely, it’s often wise to utilize a private mobile hotspot on a smartphone, or via a secure network as you may be discussing sensitive information regarding your company and projects.
Engagement
The challenges of recruitment don’t just end once the hiring process is complete. The building and operation of a competent, agile bot require long-term planning and operation. Therefore, care needs to be taken to not just discovering the ideal bot engineering team but giving them reasons to engage with the project for the long-haul.
The retention of developers can often be dependent on the challenges you can offer them. Many engineers enjoy solving problems and utilizing their skills to tackle a variety of issues with a mixture of technical know-how and creative flair. Therefore, from the very outset of the recruitment process, make it clear that your searching for an engineer who can not only build bots but also provide guidance on other areas they can make an impact on your business or the industry as a whole. Show that you value their expertise, by discussing the potential for a path into leadership or department head roles.
Provide them with space to engage in their own projects on company time. Particularly in the current constantly shifting technological climate, engineers need to remain sharp by exploring the potential of new software platforms. Encourage hacking days, where your engineers get to have some fun testing the weaknesses of your systems, or even popular bot platforms can be a great way to encourage keeping them engaged, keeping skills sharp, and even providing the business with vital insight into potential weaknesses.
Conclusion
Chatbots are starting to change how we can provide customer service and marketing solutions. Bots are even known to sell services better. Companies must commit to discovering and retaining creative, well-rounded technicians who can operate within — and perhaps lead — a diverse team. Though efforts must also be made to recognize the value of engineers and provide them with reasons to continue making your business a leader in the industry.
