What Are Chatbots?
Chatbots are programs built to automatically engage with received messages. Chatbots can be programmed to respond the same way each time, to respond differently to messages containing certain keywords and even to use machine learning to adapt their responses to fit the situation.
Chatbots leverage chat mediums like SMS text, website chat windows and social messaging services across platforms like Facebook and Twitter to receive and respond to messages.
The Value of Chatbots
One way to stay competitive in modern business is to automate as many of your processes as possible. Evidence of this is seen in the rise of self-checkout at grocery stores and ordering kiosks at restaurants.
Although there are many reasons you should make Chatbots one of your top priorities, here are the top 5 reasons.
1. Save Time & Money
By automating conversations that would otherwise require an employee to answer, organizations save time and money that can then be allocated to other efforts.
Instead of having your employees spending all of their time answering inbound questions, those individuals can reallocate time to focus on taking care of your customers. This saves your business countless hours by automating responses with a chatbot.
2. Generate Leads & Revenue
Chatbots use direct messages to gather information necessary to provide effective support. For example, asking users why they’re visiting your page is one question that is likely asked in every engagement.
Automating this initial interaction allows users to share the information needed for the agent to better serve them without requiring a human to ask for it. For example, our Chatbots qualify prospects and gather their email addresses so a sales rep can follow up.
This Chatbot automatically delivers qualified leads to the sales organization while also fighting the fatigue caused by answering the same questions over and over. You’ll find the team is happier with more quality leads and time to spend on more meaningful work.
3. Guide Users to Better Outcomes
Customers don’t always know where to go to find the information they’re interested in. In fact, your customers may not even know what it is they’re interested in. Maybe they just heard your companies mane in passing and decided to explore. By asking a series of qualifying questions, you route users to the best place for them to find the information they want.
Think through some of the questions to ask that will route your visitor to the best possible solution. These questions vary by business type, but some common ones are:
- What problem are you trying to solve?
- What are your goals?
- Where are you located?
- What department are you in?
- What industry are you in?
- Would you like personal support?
Imagine a global organization such as an airline. Between departing locations, arrival locations, potential upgrades and a myriad of places to purchase tickets, there are an almost infinite number combinations for purchase.
By personalizing the questions a Chatbot asks, you direct customers to the best way to buy and create a better user experience.
This seamless user experience makes the painstaking process of planning a trip much easier for both the user and the business.
4. Provide ‘After Hours’ Support
As we saw from the Drift data, the most popular use of Chatbots is to provide quick answers in an emergency. However, organizations that don’t offer 24-hour support won’t provide answers when the office is closed.
By using a robust chatbot when your business is closed, customers still gain access to the information they need.
5. Engage Users in a Unique Way
Traditionally, customer questions were routed to businesses via email or the telephone, which made user experiences fairly standard and non-customized. But Chatbots offer a new, fun and interactive way to engage with brands.
Chatbots are the “wave” of the future and are simply one of the best way to engage potential customer.