A recent study has highlighted that customers actually want to talk less and less to companies. They would prefer to interact by mobile text and messaging, and one prediction is that by 2020 only 10% of customer interactions will be by voice. This is giving further stimulus to Chatbots – automating the messaging using AI. Indeed in a survey nearly half of customer have said they prefer using a Chatbot. But they also expect that any such conversation is informed by previous interactions, together with a seamless transition from Chatbot to human if needed. Such a use of Chatbots can substantially improve the customer experience and productivity at the same time – ensuring that people are focused on the non-routine interactions, adding more value. But it is equally important that Chatbot queries should be manageable and that the Chatbots should be allowed to learn as usage and interaction grows. Now is the time for SMEs to start developing their bot strategies as part of their total customer experience – as a first step towards using AI across the business.