There are a number of ways to use chatbots in your business in order to develop a relationship with your target audience and keep your customers happy.
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Customer Service
Customer service that is as close to real time as possible is bound to impress customers. Many large businesses have taken to Twitter and other social media sites to interact more rapidly with those who contact them. The trouble is, they have to be online to do so.
Chatbots, on the other hand, are online 24/7/365 to answer questions. Automation of this type can save a lot of time, effort and wages, while still keeping your customers and prospect happy. It does require some advance planning to set up a customer service chatbot using keywords which will trigger the correct pre-prepared response, but the technology has now improved to the point where chatbots are a good deal more accurate.
In addition, they have improved to the point where customers, particularly younger ones who are always in a hurry, are happy to use them rather than email or social media and then have to wait for a response.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Many businesses create an FAQ portal in the hope that customers will help themselves and find the answers they seek. But there are always going to be some who don’t want to hunt for the information they need and also desire “human” contact and interaction. A chatbot with pre-loaded words from typical questions will help trigger the kinds of answers they are looking for. They will get their answers right away, often at a critical point in their decision-making process, which can lead to more sales and profits.
Think of your pre-loaded messages as the follow-up or autoresponder emails in your email marketing platform, except customized to match what your customers have asked for specifically. If you’re not already using a chatbot like Facebook Messenger, it might be time to explore how useful a chatbot can be.
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Marketing
Marketing online can be very time-consuming because of the many different channels you need to cover. Basically, you have to be where your customers are. This means all of the top social networks, email, discussion boards and chat rooms, and more.
If you can automate your marketing, you can still promote your business effectively, but still, save time and person-hours. A chatbot can help because it allows you to message anyone who is connected with you. Think of it as a “broadcast” email in your email marketing platform, with you sharing important news with your followers. This news might include:
A product launch – Letting people know your new product is available could just give it the boost it needs to be successful right out of the starting gate.
A webinar (just starting) – Invite people to your webinar. Then, when your webinar is about to start, message a reminder to attend, and to invite others to do so as well if the people on your list know anyone else who might be interested.
A special flash sale – Sales are a good way to stimulate more profits, especially when things are slow. Flash sales are also a great way to help give your followers the feeling they are appreciated and special.
A live video event (just starting) – Invite them to attend your YouTube or Facebook Live video at a particular date and time. Send a reminder just before you are starting. Encourage them by making it clear they can ask you questions live on the video, for more interactivity and relationship building.
As you can see, chatbots can be invaluable for your marketing and customer service. Use it wisely!
