Had a massive burst in traffic at launch - have lost almost all the traffic.
All of it came from TheresAnAIForThat - which is a broad audience filled with people just dipping their toes into different stuff they think is interesting. I’ve heard this sentiment parroted from a few different people I know who use the site. They will get the news letters and click on whatever seems interesting.
We accumulated 2000 sign ups in just over a month and 63 subs so that’s a 3% conversion rate off of just word of mouth and developing backlinks naturally.
These stats are great, except our usage is dying. And it is an “as needed” self help app - so either people are dropping off or subbing and using it as needed, but I can’t tell.
This is similar to another question I’ve posted but how do we capture an audience that is interested in AI and keep our customers in these niche markets? It seems no matter what industry youre in - we’re all fighting this up-hill battle while the end user learns the technology and starts coming around to it more and more. But how can we all collectively speed this process along? What is good for the Goose is good for the gander.
We’re all here in our niche markets but how to legitimize AI small business more and more?
I don’t know if it is really about legitimacy. You just need to set up a good metrics capturing system. I’m a bit biased because I created a service that does that for plugins. But that really is the crux of the problem. What gets measured gets improved.
You’ve rightly pointed out that it’s too hard to tell what is happening with no data. So, the simple solution is gathering the data. If you already have 2000 signups, you should have 2000 emails, just reach out to them and ask.
Once you get a good idea of who has left, maybe some telling whys as well, then you can just correct the app around that specific point. Ask who is staying and what they like, who is leaving and why. Better yet, maybe track who is signing up and what they hope to accomplish by using your app.
What steps have you been taking to retain your customer base?
Have you been upgrading the application? Sending out service newsletters? Offering special deals on new product features?
I’m wondering if you are loosing customers due to inaction, unless your service is a primary one like transport, food, energy, etc., you have to work hard on retention, AI is somewhat of a luxury good at the moment.
Yeah I have a few customers who love it and like swear by it - but its literally like 2 out of 2000 thats whats like damn okay is this TOO niche, or idk, like u said - even what i’ve just typed could just be totally wrong. But I SEE my usage falling off. like very much so.
I am updating everyday, listening to what users want. The big thing is giving the users what they ask for. “It would be nice to save chats” - very obvious feature, immediately went and added it etc etc. So im always updating the front end. I have some loose proprietary technology im always trying to make better in the back end.
But we have no marketing budget. We got a massive boom of traffic for like a month because of TheresAnAIForThat - and now im like “well what we had a REAL marketing budget”
I sent out TOO many newsletters apparently when I started so…Havent been emailing really. You’re right I’ve been kind of inactive. I want to send emails encouraging users to sign up im just not sure whats the best strategy
Here’s some ideas. You want engagement? You have to actually engage.
What do you get with a chatbot. You get a blank place to start typing.
If your platform had more interactivity, such as task lists, calendars with daily reminders, uplifting advice, personal progress lists, interactions with others – reasons to check in with the app or site and get new information – you would have more people that use it as an appliance instead of a word generator. You can think of ways to make that daily motivation be AI related and unique to your service.
A little reductionist but I’ll try and take the good with the bad.
I hear you - I’ve thought of a few features that would be cool. But… it’s sort of like…
Where I live - there is this one spot, and they sell two things. fries, and burgers.
The burger I shit you not, I’ve lived all around the US - is the best burger I’ve ever had. And that place that I’m describing is actually a smaller sister restaurant. This restaurants burger was so good they opened up another location JUST FOR the burger.
Thats who I want to be - burger and fries. Better than everyone elses.
My point is - yes they could start adding and offering bullshit that then loses quality.
(Track your emotions, see when you were feeling what, journal etc etc)
But those are gimmicks man, the meat and potatoes is the bot.
Thats how I feel anyway
cant argue this though. I havent been engaging but partly cuz im basically doing everything running a business and developing myself (i know you’re not getting on me for that im just saying) its easy to forget what to do. I will try and send another email soon
I don’t entirely agree with this, I have users that are calling it “she” and humanizing it.
I thought about adding like an overlay popup window-in-window with a youtube playlist so they could listen to calming sounds while they chat, but my whole team didnt like the idea…but i still do like the idea so idk why im listening to them!
How about a bot (or at least a deep scripted list to not be inauthentic) that throws up a surprise “Hey, Joe, how did my recommendation for meditation work out for you” after you sit there not typing after a new login. And then maybe a “was looking to hearing back from you about progress on (more extraction), I’m always here to help”. Or one that gives a sense that it’s wondering where you went if there’s no UI or typing. I think that’s a new idea.
actually how do i make the bot chat first? ive always wondered that. id like to implement that in general that the bot types first when they load into the jsx component
You wouldn’t make it chat first. Based on the .JSX you are probably using ReactJS. I recall (?) that you also use Firebase.
So when a user connects to your page you would create an anonymous account for them / identify them. I’m assuming you are using RealTime Database to maintain the conversation so you would then use Cloud Functions to initialize the conversation (in your database). Then you can add a typing delay threshold to simulate it being a new message.
If you are streaming your responses then you can just simply create a script which appends each character of your message to an array state
Most of what I describe would take a more script driven UI. You don’t want to pop up on a typing user.
A more basic advanced implementation would be all client-side, monitoring for mouse and key events, and deciding to call a user_chat_suggestion API or something like that to get an AI response.
I agree - could take my handleSubmit() function that is on the send button and just modify it so that if the mouse moves or something that it sends the first message “Hey there” and that would basically prompt it to say “Hey X - Its the afternoon! how are you feeling?”
It already does taht behavior if you say hi to it so i could send a default “hello there” to the back end
It really isn’t complex if you are following good programming principles. Personally I prefer to have one source of truth and have my conversations directly linked to my database. Also,
This is what I said but very generalized and slightly wrong. You wouldn’t send a “custom string” introduction message from the front-end to the API. That doesn’t make any sense. Also, if you are using Firebase then I am wondering what the heck you are doing that would justify sending a message directly to your API (assuming you are using Cloud Functions)
If what you meant to say was “have the introduction message displayed exclusively in the front-end”, that is also wrong. What if the user responds to the introduction message? Then it confuses GPT.
User accesses your chat (event)
Conversation is retrieved OR initialized
2a) If new, prepend with introduction message
Display conversation
It truly is simple. I just thought that being a fellow Firebase user we could speak on more granular terms. If you don’t use Firebase then my bad
Just preload the conversation with a single comment.
User: Hello!
Then submit when the user logs in. The bot will respond in the way you have instructed it to. You can even do something like “If the user’s first response is ‘Hello!’ greet them and choose one of these items to suggest to them.” Then proceed to list things to say to them.
It should be a hook that gets their attention and starts driving them to engage.
Actually yes it does make sense, that is literally how the user sends a message, they click a button, their message is sent from the front end to the back end.
Except in this - they just move their mouse or something, and instead of passing the string of text the user sends, i pass what I send, what would be something like “Hey there” - which would then prompt the bot to respond and from the users perspective.
I’m using firebase on the front end not the back end so I’m not using cloud functions.
