A trend that has shaped businesses in 2017 is the increasing popularity of chatbots. This program simulates a real conversation with users by using artificial intelligence. Since more people are using messenger apps to communicate, businesses have the opportunity to use this channel to attract customers and boost online sales. Here are some of the benefits of using chatbots for your online business, and how you can get set up.
1. Easy to Use and Understand
Facebook chatbots are easily set up using the Facebook Messenger application or through standard text messaging (SMS). These platforms are familiar to nearly everyone in the workforce. In fact, Facebook Messenger has over 1.2 billion active users, and the number of people who use SMS to communicate tops that number. As part of your marketing strategy, you can use these platforms to send out alerts to your customers, and provide options for the receiver. You can provide links where they can read more, download an app, view a summary, or ask a question. Chatbot services can easily change these options depending on what the company needs. The message is very easy to understand, and it is short so that it does not take too much time for the receiver to understand.
2. Affordability
Chatbots take a significantly shorter amount of time to create compared to multi-platform apps, which means it won’t take up valuable resources. Chatbots can be built relatively quickly within Facebook Messenger, for example, while PayPal uses a chatbot through Messenger to help users keep track of their receipts. Depending on the needs of the client, the chatbot can take different amounts of time to complete the task, however it is much easier and affordable to set up than other platforms.
3. Streamline Sales & Help Generate Leads
A chatbot that connects with a person looking at an online sales page and can help move that potential customer to the point where they can get the information they need to make a purchase. Chatbots are also a way to connect a customer to a salesperson. Chatbots can answer questions for customers, and help them find what they are looking for in a short period of time. Chatbots tend to mirror human behaviour, so people will still feel like they are getting a one-on-one interaction as their concerns are dealt with, and it frees up employees to focus on other duties without needing to have staff dedicated to communicating with customers online.
4. Customer Support and Satisfaction
One of the most common complaints of customers is the waiting time it takes to speak with a representative on the phone, especially when they have an urgent problem they need to solve. Especially in cases when the issue is common, a chatbot can go through frequently asked questions with customers to try to solve their issues as soon as possible. Also, chatbots can work 24/7 so they can answer customer questions at any time of the day or night. Although they cannot provide real customer support, they can work as a great first point-of-contact tool, so that customers can feel like they are getting excellent service while they wait for a representative to get in touch with them.
5. Better Internal and External Communication
One of the most important parts of a small business strategy is the ability to communicate internally and externally. Using chatbots, you will be able to better handle any customer service issue in an instant. It saves you time and resources as you communicate with customers. For example, if a bank service needs to notify customers of a potential fraud with their account, a consumer can message the chatbot to resolve the issue, instead of seeing the alert and then having to visit a branch in person. Or, utility companies may have consumers that are dealing with power outages. Instead of getting responses via tweets or phone calls, the chatbot can answer most questions for consumers and give them an estimated wait time for a solution.
Chatbots can also help with internal communications within the company. Over three billion people actively use messaging apps, which go beyond the use of e-mail and social media accounts. This is because of the instantaneous communication available with messaging and chat services, since a notification arrives as each message is received. Employees can continuously stay in touch with each other even if they are working across the world. Even employees who are constantly on the move can stay in touch as long as they have a mobile device with Internet access.
6. Benefit Your Marketing Strategy
Chatbots are a powerful tool to create communication between the brand and the customer. They help reduce costs and resources, and thanks to the rise of mobile messengers and extension technology of artificial intelligence technologies, they are more accessible to businesses. Vendors and retailers alike need to rethink their communication strategies to strengthen their presence in areas where their customers are frequently active. Right now, that place is in messenger apps. With the right tools, businesses can connect with their customers in this way.
Get Effective Web Site Services from Numero Uno
These six benefits of using chatbots only scratch the surface of how your business can improve through the implementation of this tool. More developers and big brands are continuing to push the concepts of chatbots further, by providing more applications of this technology to businesses. If you are a business that is eager to embrace this effective marketing tool, and implement it into your small business strategy, contact Numero Uno Web Solutions. We provide our clients with many marketing solutions such as SEO, ORM strategy development, content audit services, online reputation management, web designing and development, and more. Call us at 1-855-SEO-XPRT to learn more about the services and expertise we provide at our Vaughan location.
