Chatbots are a great way of communicating with potential customers while saving a lot of manhours.
Chatbots are becoming more and more prevalent as a stand-in for customer service.
They can be found on websites and Facebook and help give that potential customer an extra nudge into buying something or simply provide an answer to a query. One of the leading problems with traditional online experiences is that users can’t get answers to simple questions. Chatbots make it easier for people to find the information they’re looking for while eliminating human error and other limitations. With the leaps and bounds, we make in technology the scope for chatbots and AI to provide customers with a truly authentic customer service experience is looking likely, possibly becoming even more desirable than human contact.
The main reasons people use chatbots are:
- To get a quick answer to questions
- To resolve a complaint or problem
- To get a more detailed answer to a query
- To find a human customer service agent
Saves Time and Money
Chatbots are ideal for small businesses with a more limited budget and less time as they operate without any human supervision. They allow users to receive answers to their questions quickly and effectively, saving on manpower and time. Chatbots are also much cheaper than hiring individuals to manage the messages and inquiries that come through every day. They also need a lot less maintenance than other customer service channels. After you have paid for your chatbot service provider there are very minimal upkeep costs unless you want to add features. There are lots of free options out there depending on how complex you need the customer journey to be.
Available 24/7
Your office may be open 9-5 but your potential customers are looking at your website and social media platforms at any time of the day or night. While you will clock off after 5, you may receive requests from customers for more information during hours you’re not working. A chatbot works 24/7 and never gets tired. This gives you and your customers support while no one is physically in the office. One of the main reasons customers love using chatbots is because they’re always available, so if they have a pressing question that just can’t wait to answer, they have another option other than the website to find answers.
Manage Multiple Conversations
One of the greatest limitations of humans is that we can only do so much at once. If you have someone manually handling customer service through a chat service they can only speak to one person at once. However, chatbots can speak to thousands of people at once and multitask different queries. This is especially useful if you have chatbots across platforms with a larger sized business as it completely eliminates the need for a team of customer service professionals.
Improved Sales Funnel
Chatbots act as an intrinsic part of the sales funnel. View them as one of your sales team, not just providing customer service support but also leading customers to take a specific action. You can get your chatbot to pop up at key areas of the customer journey and get them to direct customers towards making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter. Depending on where your customer interacts with your chatbot you can customise the conversation for them. For example, say your customer is on an informational page about one of your services but hasn’t taken an action on the page for over 5 minutes, you can have a chatbot pop up to ask if they need help or have any questions. You also have the ability to upgrade your chatbot as your business goals develop and include AI to give it a human touch.
Gains Invaluable Data
A chatbot is fantastic for gathering data about your customers. While a human wouldn’t note down every question asked, a chatbot can measure a customer journey and find out information such as customer locations, pain points with the sales process, most commonly asked questions and general customer behaviour. This data will help you in the future to further understand your customers and find out how you can provide them a better service. Furthermore, you can have the chatbot ask for specific information or ask users to answer a survey if you need specific information.
If you need help implementing chatbots for your business get in touch with our dedicated marketing experts.
