Chatbot — virtual assistant for your business
So, what is a chatbot? It is an AI developed program that can have a conversation with a human. For example, you could ask a bot any question and he will answer with an action or message that is appropriate. It is pretty similar to Facebook messenger, except that you interact with an AI program that is replacing a human, making it look and feel the same.
Customer service
You probably interacted with it but didn’t notice, for example when you call your mobile provider because of an internet problem (“press 3 for internet problems”), those were the first generation of chatbots.
Today you can ask them complex questions like “i want to order a pizza” and the bot will look upon his database knowledge about all pizzas he has and will answer to you with a list of all pizzas. After you choose your pizza he will ask you what is your address and phone which he will forward to the restaurant so they know what you ordered where to deliver it and your phone number incase they need to call you.
Chatbots are the future and the present of customer service. Business struggle to deliver optimal customer service during not working hours. Many customers except immediate customer service because you as an online business are “available” 24/7.
But using chatbots all our customers need to do is simply go to our website and the chatbot will reveal to them automatically, he will be aware what are you looking for and know how to help them in matter of seconds.
Collecting data
The great thing about chatbot is that he will try to gather up as much information while he answers your question, so you can build data about your customers to improve future actions. For instance, let’s say you run a hotel, somebody chatted with your bot and asked him about the spa offers you got, and afterwards he left an email for the weekly newsletter. So now your marketing team already knows that a specific person enjoys spa and can target him with some special offers for the spa.
Using the information from your chatbot can always be used to upgrade the chatbot to let the conversation feel even more human-like, look through chatbots conversations and find new keywords and phrases that your customers are using. Use those keywords and phrases in your future marketing campaign and online content to improve SEO of your website.
Automation
Using a chatbot with Marketing automation tools can help your business to target your potential customer with the right ads based on the criteria bot has gathered; making everything automated, from the beginning of the conversation with the chabot to getting targeted by an ad and making a purchase to close the lead. Using those 2 tools together lets you automate those repetitive tasks you are doing and lets you focus on the bigger picture of our business.
Chatbots have changed the way business interact with their consumers, how they manage campaigns and automate tasks. A study from Chatbots magazine found out that 67% of US millennials said they are likely to purchase a product or service from a brand using a chatbot. Chatbots participating in the sales funnel will be the new source of valuable customer information for your business.
Reduce bounce rate
Engaging with customers is the rule to reduce bounce rate. Chatbots are content stored monsters waiting to interact with the customer, reduce bounce rate and generate leads.
The best thing about chatbots is that they are working 24/7, they don’t get sleepy like a real person, and if they don’t know the answer you can always get your potential customer connected to a real person.
In comparison to real humans, chatbots can control countless types of chats at the same time. Imagine if an agent had to help hundreds of clients simultaneously. There would be infinite discontented clients who’re disinterested in being on the waiting list and are most in all likelihood considering a transfer to the opposite brand or competitor.
Future of chatbots
In the near future companies aim to get chatbots to be even more human-like. Companies have already started getting chatbots to deliver more personalized answers, but the roborotic feel still remains. Using Ai as the main activator, the chatbot thought his answers will self learn and start to engage more as a human like agent, blending the space between human and software. And they will not be just capable of answering big complicated questions, they will be able to manage lots of information and store them better.
Conclusion
In conclusion chatbots will revolutionize how brands interact with customers while giving the support team more insights with each interaction to deliver a superior customer service and a better customer experience. They are still far from perfect but with every bit of information they will improve and give more value to your business.
