A chatbot is an automated tool or service that can conduct real-time conversations on Social Media, text or through your website, instead of having a customer service agent on standby. Chatbots are often programmed with a specific set of rules and responses or powered by artificial intelligence.

How do chatbots work?

Chatbots work using a feedback-orientated approach, providing 24/7 support to your customers and prospects. With the use of artificial intelligence, chatbots are able to respond to a range of simple to complex queries based on previously collected data, without the need for human input.

If you’re looking to design a chatbot, make sure you think of the specific needs of your customers so you are able to craft an experience suited to them. In most cases, chatbots are able to provide a much better user experience due to their flexibility, allowing customers to pick up where they left off, at a time that is convenient to them. What’s great about chatbots is the fact they are constantly learning. The more people use them, the more data they are able to collect, the more diverse they become, allowing them to solve customers’ problems in a more effective and efficient way.

Why are chatbots used?

Chatbots are more important now than ever before. Due to how fast-paced everyone’s lives have become, people have become increasingly impatient, demanding answers to their questions almost instantly. Chatbots offer a quick, consistent response to users, maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction. But what are chatbots used for?

Consumers use chatbots to:

• Conduct research
• Purchase a product/pay for a service
• Interact with a business

Businesses use chatbots to:

• Increase engagement with customers
• Develop customer loyalty
• Grow customer base by generating leads
• Drive revenue to the business

In most cases, the chatbot has taken over as the customers’ first line of contact, relieving huge amounts of pressure and stress off of customer service agents. After the bot has conducted initial research, gathered sufficient information off of the customer, and vetted the enquiry, they can be programmed to pass the query on to a team member to solve the query or complete the purchase.

In 2019, a survey was conducted, which showed us that 89% of customers want to use instant messaging to communicate with businesses, and 66% of shoppers prefer to use instant messaging over any other communication channel. With messaging apps like Facebook Messenger, which has over 1.3 billion active users a month, this comes as no surprise. Chatbots are built into apps like these to make life easier for the customer and the business.

Why should you implement chatbots for your business?

Being discoverable on popular messaging platforms like Facebook Messenger allows you to put yourself right in front of your prospects and customers, broadening the awareness of your brand and simplifying how customers are able to access the information they need, whilst researching or finding out more about your product or service.

By implementing chatbots to answer your customers queries, you can ensure your customers are getting quick and consistent responses. This massively improves customer satisfaction, which as we all know, is one of the most important factors in the success of a business, so it is imperative to get it right.

Continuing on the excellent standard of customer service, chatbots can also send reminders to your customers if required; some companies even allow customers the option to book appointments through their bots.

Whilst chatbots are extremely beneficial to your customers, they can also be beneficial to your business in other ways. As mentioned earlier, the number one benefit to your business is cutting down the need for customer service representatives, or at least relieving pressure from them by making chatbots your customers first port of call. Alongside this, chatbots are able to provide you with valuable insights from your customers, whilst protecting their identities and remaining GDPR compliant.

Would you like to find out more about chatbots and how we could implement them to improve your customer experience and grow your business? Get in touch today by calling 01332 372728 or by emailing enquire@marketing.dev-wda.com.