Chatbots improve the whole customer journey, activating passive website visitors and nurturing them along the buyer journey. In this blog, find out the benefits of chatbots to engaging and qualifying website visitors.
It’s official! Bots are just making us happier.
We all knew it would come to this. We just didn’t think it would happen so quickly.
OK. Maybe we’re not quite ready to say, “I take this bot to be my lawfully wedded android.” However, there are some valuable reasons chatbots are giving us what we need in the customer journey.
Chatbots offer solutions for every stage of the buyer’s journey. Here we have a look at nine ways chatbots create a great customer experience and foster brand loyalty.
1. Chatbots answer questions more quickly
We’re demanding!!
No doubt you’ve heard this accusation before but it’s probably true. The modern consumer has fast and easy access to so much choice that naturally our expectations are going to rise. Customer service is no exception. Whether human or bot, when we ask a question we want an answer – as quickly as possible.
A survey by Sinch found 68% of customers with a positive experience of chatbots, said they liked them because they answered questions more quickly. Chatbots are based on predefined answers. This gives them an advantage over us humans in that they can choose the question. In addition, people are lazy and, given the option, we’re fine to click rather than tap. Finally, humans need to sleep, chatbots don’t! So let a chatbot be there, 24/7.
2. Chatbots give accurate information
When asked, 37% of respondents thought accuracy was an important part of using a chatbot. Again, it’s worth pointing out that, most of the time, chatbots can set the question and be sure the response is precise. This is a double advantage. As humans, we miscommunicate, especially if we’re not speaking in our native language. Chatbots can offer more accurate question definitions or even options the user hasn’t thought of before.
3. Chatbots are anonymous
30% of people feel the benefit of a chatbot is their anonymity. There are many possible reasons for this. From a business/professional perspective, networks are small and customers may want to explore new suppliers or partners without raising attention. From a personal, B2C perspective, there are many uncomfortable questions that are easier asking of a bot than having to explain to another human.
4. Chatbots avoid unwanted phone conversations
Phone conversations are great if you need the reassurance of a human or if you are exchanging personal or complex information. However, chatbot dialogues can fit more easily into our busy schedules and provide some useful pieces of information without having the unnecessary hassle of a direct call. For a more detailed dive into why messaging is such a popular form of communication, have a read of our blog here.
5. Chatbots know their limitations
Chatbots don’t ‘wing it’ when it comes to answering questions. They either know or they don’t. Also, with rule-based bots rather than AI, well-designed conversation flows avoid blocks arising from language, lack of awareness, missing triggers, lack of data input etc. Chatbots will know when it’s the right time to hand off to a human rep. Even if the visitor chooses not to continue the conversation right then, the chatbot will have accessed enough information to qualify the lead.
6. Smartphones are a Chatbot’s natural habitat
Once a company starts using chatbots and understands just how effective they can be, their true potential is realised. Mobile is one area where bots are in their element. Because of their size, mobiles still pose a sub-optimal way to browse and explore information.
A bot conversation can avoid the clutter of a site that doesn’t optimise well on mobile devices by guiding users to the right space. Experiment with a chatbot as the guardian to your site. Let them greet your website visitors and lead them straight to where they need to be.
7. Chatbot conversations help find the right question to ask
Companies with diverse or complex product portfolios, such as a construction company or an electronics store, burden their visitors with a lot of difficult choices. As was pointed out earlier, consumers may not even know what they want. Companies can use well-designed chatbots to guide the user to the answers they need or the products that can really help.
8. Chatbot conversations allow a customer to multitask
Like with text messaging conversations, chatbots allow a customer to get on with their lives whilst finding answers to various questions. There are many reasons messaging has become such a popular way to communicate and the freedom it brings is critical. As you explore the optimal bot experience it will lead you to more creative and engaging ways to hook leads back into the conversation.
9. Transfer chatbot conversations into messaging apps
Not only do all chatbot platforms record the conversation history for review and analysis, many now offer seamless transfer of conversations to popular messaging apps, like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp as well. Slide into their world of direct messaging, and become a brand your prospects keep close.
Even the shortest interaction is enough to qualify a lead or encourage a current customer to upsell. Discover the drop-off points, optimise and improve your chatbot conversations, so you can continue to scale and serve more customers in the future.
Let chatbots nurture consumers at every stage
The effect of chatbots on brand loyalty has long been recognised. Your company wants to give a good experience with your brand but you also need the energy and resources of your people focused on leads closest to closing.
Enlisting the help of bots not only helps to solve this predicament, it also means you start to gather data and understand the needs of visitors so much better. The more customer data you gather the more personalised each interaction becomes – fuelling your funnel to conversion.
