The Power of Conversation for Businesses
Chatbots are a trending technology in the worlds of communication and business. There are companies embracing this trend with arms spread wide, deploying cost-effective AI systems for customer-facing communications, integrating chatbots into their marketing streams to bolster sales and conversions and improve efficiency at every turn. But there are also those that are convinced that chatbots are nothing more than a passing fad, skeptical of the value a messaging interface can add to any business. So, let’s take a closer look at why chatbots are here to stay, and why a conversation can be so significant for customer relations.
Say Hello to Chatbots
‘Hello’. There are well over 100 different ways of saying it, and it’s highly likely you have, or will, use at least one today. Maybe you said ‘good morning’ to a loved one when you got up, or perhaps you’ll say ‘hi’ to the barista when you order your next coffee. Whether it’s a polite greeting between passing strangers or the start of a conversation, saying ‘hello’ prompts a response and immediately builds a connection between you and the recipient.
“Saying ‘hello’ prompts a response and immediately builds a connection between you and the recipient.”
So, you may be thinking, what does saying ‘hello’ have to do with businesses? Between strangers, how you approach the initiation of a conversation can make a significant difference to the experience and outcome. A friendly ‘hello’ can be a powerful gesture, setting a more open and welcoming tone by establishing a sense of familiarity and comfort that can put any uneasiness to rest. Really, that’s what excellent customer service is all about; a conversation between a business and their customer, ensuring there’s a good experience with an outcome that serves both parties. Chatbots excel at delivering on this because they offer an immediate and personal service. The value of this is best appreciated when considering the alternative: we’ve all been there — browsing an eCommerce site, interested in a product but trying to get some questions answered before committing to a purchase. Looking at the contact options just leads to frustration as there’s no immediate assistance available. It’s a story that’s been told time and time again, concluding far too often with customers deciding they don’t have the time to keep shopping, or looking elsewhere. Research by NewVoiceMedia recently revealed that businesses are losing a staggering $75 billion a year due to poor customer services, and not providing immediate assistance could have a significant bearing on that. This, then, is a problem on a huge scale with a damaging impact felt both by businesses and their customers.
Chatbots specialise in countering this problem, delivering instant gratification through friendly, personable dialogue. What makes a chatbot so powerful is that when done correctly, it can be difficult to distinguish between a bot and a human. Chatbots are of course designed by people, which means that they can use language that is humanising and caring, supportive or informative, much like what you’d expect from a human assistant. However, a chatbot will be able to respond immediately, at any time of day or night. It’s an unrivalled level of convenience that, when coupled with an injection of personality, can make contacting a businesses feel more approachable, easily accessible and enjoyable. If that hypothetical eCommerce site mentioned earlier had implemented a chatbot on their website, the customer experience would be very different; a site visitor finds a product they’re interested in but they have some questions. They click on the chat widget, neatly positioned in one corner of the page, and a conversation interface opens up.
‘Hello, how can I help you today?’
The chatbot starts the conversation, inviting them to ask their questions in a quick, convenient and recognisable interface. Customers can enjoy on-demand support and feel more confident in their purchasing decisions. The business can simultaneously help more customers than would ever be possible through people power alone, all the while building strong relationships with each individual, the perfect catalyst for repeat business. Every time a chatbot engages with prospective customers there is a possibility of new business, every ‘hello’ helping to build new conversion opportunities. Chatbots give businesses a chance to engage with their customers in a way that would otherwise be unachievable. It truly is a win-win situation with low deployment costs and times, and a huge potential for return.
“Chatbots give businesses an opportunity to engage with their customers in a way that would otherwise be unachievable.”
If you’ve found yourself doubting the worth of chatbots, hopefully this article has given you a glimpse at what they can offer, and just how significant an impact they can have on your customer experience. If you’d like to see how chatbots function or have any other questions why not click here and chat to NatBot.
Originally published at Natter.ai.
