This is a great question we were asked in our most recent webinar. Before you begin integrating chatbots into your website and social media pages, you need to decide if a chatbot is really what you need. Plus, you’ll want to decide what level of integration is going to be most valuable for your business.
For instance, a small lawyer’s office may want to integrate a simple auto-response system to encourage potential new clients to ask questions. This is much easier than full-on chatbot integration — you can set up such a chatbot in just a few clicks and with a little embedded code.
However, for a product-based company that receives a lot of frequently-asked questions, a more advanced integration could be useful to manage the volume of incoming messages. Take, for example, the question “What is my tracking code?” A chatbot to answer this query would require an API to an existing site. This would allow the chatbot to verify your user’s identity and automatically re-send a tracking code to that customer.
Do I really need a chatbot?
Chatbots are not a gimmick that companies use to promote themselves under the premise of innovation. They are indispensable for the global business. Your chatbot is a one-time investment that will be key to making your “24/7 support” a reality. Especially now when every 2nd person prefers a text based chat to a phone call.
Perhaps the marketing buzzword of the century thus far, chatbots will certainly take you into the future. But just how futuristic do you need to be? If what you’re looking for is a line of text reminding users of your office hours, full chatbot integration is likely well beyond what you need for your website. A simple auto-response system can do the job just fine.
To decide if full chatbot integration would be the right option for you, consider if any of the following apply to your business.
1. You receive the same queries time and again
Even if you create a FAQ page on your website and list frequently-asked questions on your social media pages, your prospects may continue to ask you the same questions. It is tedious for staff to keep responding to these queries — and unnecessary. You can set up a chatbot to answer automatically.
2. Your customers need help making purchase decisions
A chatbot can help customers filter through products and services to find the ideal one for their needs. Program your chatbot to ask relevant questions and then display just the kinds of items that users are likely to find appealing.
3. Your customers tend to buy on mobile devices
Browsing products on a small screen can be difficult. Often, users must scroll through many products to find something they like. Too frequently, prospects give up before they get there. However, using a chatbot to customize the experience from the start eliminates this problem.
4. Sales require little input from customer service
If your customers tend to make a decision about whether they want to make a purchase without needing to talk in depth to your sales team, set up a chatbot. The chatbot can answer basic questions to ensure the maximum number of sales go through. Similarly, chatbots can be useful in the case a user is struggling to complete a simple sales process. They can resolve problems without any human intervention.
5. You have high competition
If you have multiple competitors, you need to go to extra lengths to ensure customers pick you. A chatbot may be able to help you stand out — and you’ll be able to provide prospects with customer support at any hour of the day. This will prevent delays that could push a prospect to a competitor.
6. Your team carries out many routine tasks
As well as interacting with customers, chatbots can assist your employees. For instance, you can use chatbots to automate tasks like inventory management, ordering items, and even the monitoring of your competitors’ activities online.
Furthermore, when deciding if your business can benefit from a chatbot, focus on engagement and efficiency. Engagement here refers to having something that makes your visitors want to come back for more — and tell their friends all about you. Efficiency refers to whether automation would be cost-effective for your customer communications.
To Summarize
If you want to show users that your brand is technologically-minded and you’d like to provide a great experience to everyone who visits your website, a chatbot is something you should consider. Whereas full-on chatbots are not the right solution for every business, a basic auto-response can be beneficial even for the smallest companies.
