What is it called so beautifully? Call the child by name. You should also apply this phrase to a chatbot. After all, a chatbot needs a name. And shouldn't beat around the bush — which is what that saying means.
By the way, “beating around the bush” with a chatbot is usually prevented with short and precise answers, which the chatbot plays out when asked.
But let's get back to the main topic of the article, which is the name of a chatbot.
3 tips to get started
To make a start as easy as possible, here are three basic tips:
- The chatbot name should match the brand.
The reason for this is that the chatbot is usually played on the company/brand's website and should not cause irritation. Therefore, on the one hand, a CI-compliant widget design is recommended and, on the other hand, a name that suggests the brand or the company, or at least is not misleading.
- The chatbot name should be chosen in such a way that users do not mistakenly expect a person.
This is a very important point, as it is essential for a chatbot not to be mistaken for a human by its counterpart. This promotes false expectations and causes irritation on the user side. moinAI tip: Play with open cards right from the start and present the chatbot as just that — i.e. chatbot. This can be done both with a welcome message and with a name that is not too reminiscent of a person.
- The chatbot name shouldn't irritate your target group
Even though chatbots are certainly considered innovative technology, the chatbot doesn't necessarily have to have a very modern or even funky name. Always keep an eye on the key messages, wordings and goals of your website and choose a name that is easy to place in this context. Otherwise, a break in style can quickly occur, which is not always desired.
Chatbot personas — there are three types of chatbot personas
In order to find a suitable name, it is important to choose one of the three basic chatbot personas. It is generally highly recommended to set a chatbot persona from the start in order to determine the character (both internally and externally) of the bot. The persona's decision often also makes the decision about the name or at least leads you in a clear direction.
The Avatar
A fictional character. Well suited for marketing campaigns or if there is already an existing avatar, e.g. in the form of a mascot.
An example of a welcome message with this chatbot is:
“Hi, I'm Leo, how can I help you? “”
The digital assistant
The digital assistant is the most neutral form of a chatbot. The name sets clear expectations right from the start and finding a name is also very easy here, because the term “digital assistant” is usually also used as a name.
An example of a welcome message is:
” Hi, I'm moinAI's digital assistant. How can I help you? ”
The we brand
Using the “we” brand in a chatbot is the most formal way. The company welcomes the user as “we.” Compared to the two personas mentioned above, this option is chosen less frequently. But even with this persona, it is important to underline from the outset that “we” in the case of the chatbot does not mean an explicit group of people, but a chatbot for now. For the chatbot name, the recommendation in this case is therefore “company name” +” -bot”. In the case of moinAI, the name would be moinAI Bot.
Examples of welcome messages include:
” How can we help you? “Or: “What can we do for you? ”
Looking for inspiration? This is what the chatbots from moinAI customers are called.
The following are some specific chatbot names that are used in practice by moinAI customers.
Y or i ending
Among others: Möbi, Tucki, Toni, Scouty, Schraubi, Moini
Advantages: It is immediately apparent that people are communicating with a type of avatar. In addition, a cute name points for sympathy and is usually gender-neutral. By the way, the chatbot we use on our website is called Moini.
Enterprise variant
Rose bot, digital assistant, chatbot, TEAG chatbot, among others
As already mentioned, the simple combination of the brand or company name (or a variant of it) and the term “bot” or “chatbot” is an option with which little can be done wrong, as it is obvious from the outset who the user is talking to.
Simple and short names
Among others: Ole, Sam and Bo
Advantages: The short names are easy to read and remember, which is very convenient. They also invite you to play word games or the like and are therefore easy to integrate.
Chatbots and gender
At this point, a short trip to the question “Should a chatbot persona and associated chatbot name be gender-specific?” certainly useful.
It can currently be observed that the “big” and well-known bots (chatbot and voice bots) are defined as female. Two very prominent examples are Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri. It is certainly no coincidence that these two well-known bots, and many more, are defined as female.
Researcher from Institute of Information Systems and Marketing (IISM) have discovered that gender-specific characteristics are often used when designing chatbots and that most chatbots are designed to convey a specific gender — this is usually female.
If you talk about gender or gender, you should also talk about prejudices or gender bias. Because these don't have to be, but they can be reinforced by a chatbot. Raj Sanghvi (CEO at BitCot) gives in a Forbes article to consider that, in his opinion, it is important that developers develop gender-neutral virtual assistants that would not reinforce gender-specific prejudices.
Molly Duggan (CEO of her own company Molly Duggan Associates) gives another interesting perspective on this topic. In her opinion, the gender assignment of a chatbot should be done very consciously. For example, there are circumstances in which gender is of decisive importance for an intelligent assistant. For example, when dealing with issues relating to physical or mental health. In these cases, a person feels more comfortable having a conversation with someone who has a similar gender identity.
It therefore depends very much on the environment and purpose of the chatbot. There is no such thing den The right way, but it certainly makes sense not to exacerbate gender roles and associated prejudices and stereotypes with a chatbot name.
Moini is gender-neutral
In the case of the chatbot that is played on the moinAI website, we have opted for gender neutrality. And it turns out that this topic is relevant for moinAI website visitors.
This could also be due, among other things, to the fact that Moini in particular likes to be challenged by users. Moini is also asked subject-specific questions, but users' interest in topics that have nothing to do with AI or chatbots does not stop. Understandable, after all, you want to put a chatbot from a chatbot company through its paces. Questions like this come up again and again: “Are you a boy?” , “What gender are you?” , “Are you a woman?”
At Moini, we deliberately chose a gender-neutral persona and therefore integrated Moini with a suitable answer to this question. The generic masculine in German unintentionally suggests a male gender in the answer, which is why “male, female, diverse” is added in brackets.
Conclusion: A small challenge, but also a big opportunity
Yes, finding the right name can be a challenge. Especially when there are many different opinions and perspectives involved (voting and voting is recommended for such cases, by the way).
It is important to say that the character and persona of the chatbot ultimately play a major role in finding the name. Companies are always on the safe side when they choose neutral names and opt for an androgynous chatbot persona. However, this is not to say that this is the only and always correct solution. Because every company and brand has different characteristics that can be ideally underlined and communicated by a chatbot. Especially when an avatar, a mascot or a strong “we brand” already exists, this can be reflected excellently in the form of the chatbot name and persona in order to address users at every level and in every channel in a brand-compliant manner. An interesting chatbot name also gives your company the opportunity to spin a story about the chatbot and its persona and thus promote the chatbot and make it more visible as a lighthouse project.
If you need additional practical insights and advice regarding a chatbot name, feel free to contact us.
If you are in the research phase of the project and are looking for general information about AI chatbots, we recommend our White paper: “The ultimate chatbot guide.”
