Chatbots seem to be popping up everywhere. You can’t miss them when you go online. From your local dentist’s office to the real estate agency across the country chatbots help with customer service and much more.
If you have a business that doesn’t have a full time receptionist a chatbot makes good sense, but that’s not all. According to Knoxweb even businesses with receptionists will benefit from chatbots for customer service.
What is a Chatbot?
Chatbots help start conversations between your customers and potential clients. The unique software talks to users and is powered by AI or artificial intelligence. In other words, you are not really talking to a person.
Chatbots have various programs it uses to interact with the chat interface. This type of technology is much better than it used to be and getting more advanced every day.
Knoxweb explains that the chatbots of today are able to handle more requests than they used to. In addition both large and small businesses benefit from chatbots for customer service.
Chatbots have the ability to perform tasks 24/7, but doesn’t mean they should. People want to interact with a real person as much as possible. If you are running a chatbot program 365 days a year you will see a downturn in business.
A Specific Customer Service Task
Chatbots are best when used for a specific customer service task and commonly asked queries. If you want to save resources and time chatbots are great. With that being said you want customer service agents who will interact with users being able to pick up the tone, humor and mood of the conversation.
In terms of customer engagement, chatbots are much better than web forms. Chatbots personalize the conversation addressing them by need and by name.
More than Reception
One of the best things about chatbots is multitasking. Once your bot has introduced him or herself to the customer, users details can be checked such as billing dates, payment details and account balance.
Chatbots are also able to retrieve passwords and reset contact deals. This type of repetitive chore is invaluable to you and your business. Leaving the robotic chores to the chatbots is better for productivity and earnings as well.
Knoxweb explains that Chatbots are set to save companies more than 8 billion dollars by the end of 2022. That’s a massive savings.
Close the Sale
While you may not consider it, your chatbot could be the best salesperson you’ve ever had. Don’t forget your website is your showroom. It makes sense that you would want someone manning the floor when you aren’t able to.
Based on what the person is looking for, chatbots can be programmed to find what the user is browsing for. Treating your clients like you would your friends is easy with AI.
For instance, if you own a feed supply store your bot is easily programmed to supply the customer with deals and to answer any questions about products and/or services.
Most of the questions your bot will receive usually have something to do with return policies, and other frequently asked questions. Chatbots make convenient shop assistants providing knowledge to fill the gap when a real person can’t.
Chatbot Don’ts
Knoxweb cannot stress the importance of real human contact, and while chatbots are phenomenal when it comes to customer service, they shouldn’t be relied on 24/7. Use with caution and begin with small and simple tasks. This eliminates mistakes.
Bots answer basic questions and aren’t capable of handling complex tasks. You want your bot to transfer the client to a real person for a smooth and seamless transition.
This makes it easy for your bot to deal with FAQs while agents can oversee and focus on tasks that require a human touch.
Help with Chatbots and More
If you would like to learn more about AI and/or chatbots for your business, call or send a direct message and talk to a team member from Knoxweb today.
