Have you ever visited a website and had a little messaging box pop up in the corner of the screen? This website functionality is known as a chatbot.
Chatbots are designed to simulate conversations with website visitors using AI technology to direct the conversation and responses. Among the most popular chatbot tools are Intercom, Drift, and Freshchat.
When talking to a chatbot, users can:
- Have their questions and concerns answered promptly
- Receive assistance 24/7
- Learn more about the brand’s products and services
- Be directed to the specific content they want to consume
And that’s just a glimpse into the realm of chatbot possibilities!
Chatbots are becoming an increasingly popular tool for businesses across the world — and for a good reason! These programs provide a multitude of benefits for companies ranging in size and across industries.
Let’s take a look at the top five benefits of using chatbots.
1. Improved Customer Service and Satisfaction
An American Express survey reported that seven out of 10 consumers in the United States say they’ve spent more money to support a company that delivers great customer service.
On the other hand, companies also understand how costly a single bad customer experience can be to their brand — both financially and to the brand’s reputation.
Think of a chatbot as a 24/7 customer service representative who never loses energy and always says the right thing!
When website visitors have a question, need to find a product, service, or page immediately, or aren’t sure where to begin, your pre-programmed chatbot is right there to help.
Offering this immediate and pleasant customer service interaction leads to greater customer satisfaction overall, too. Companies looking to give their brand reputation a boost (without the hefty price tag) will benefit from the prompt and reliable service of a chatbot.
And if a website visitor would prefer to speak with a human representative during business hours, provide a phone number with call-tracking features to better track the chatbot’s success.
2. Increased Employee Productivity
If you’ve ever worked in a customer-facing role, you understand how much of the typical workday is spent answering customer concerns, putting out potential fires, and working on customer requests.
When you implement a chatbot program into your website, you are actively freeing up time in your employees’ daily schedules. This means they’ll have more time to dedicate to tasks that directly benefit your company’s bottom line, growth, or other initiatives.
3. Personalized Customer Experiences
When a website personalizes its content and messaging to our needs, we pay attention.
A chatbot provides website visitors with a completely personalized experience, from recommending specific products based on their search activity to suggesting additional content related to their shopping cart.
This level of personalization keeps users engaged, more likely to convert, and convinces them to return to your website time and time again.
4. Versatile Marketing Tool
On top of communicating with website visitors, a chatbot acts as a versatile marketing tool. With one chatbot program, businesses can:
- Encourage visitors to follow and “like” their company social media accounts
- Drive relevant traffic to specific articles, videos, and other branded content
- Grow email marketing and text message marketing subscribers
- Promote products and services through upselling and cross-selling opportunities
- Notify sales representatives of qualified leads
- Schedule customer appointments with sales or service teams
- Accept payments
As a result, your chatbot acts as a marketing powerhouse, all while saving your team time and energy!
5. Exceptional Cost Savings
By driving marketing results, handling customer inquiries, and sending qualified leads to your sales team, a chatbot also helps companies cut costs.
Rather than employing an individual to answer website chats and social media direct messages, your chatbot can handle the workload. It’s been reported that chatbots are capable of helping companies cut operational costs by up to 30%.
And with the ability to promote products and recommend services and drive sales objectives, your chatbot will also help your team meet and exceed revenue goals, which we all know leads to better returns in the end!
Experience the Advantages of Chatbots for Your Business
Curious to see how a chatbot can benefit your business? Try one and see what results your company can generate!
