Does Your Business Need a Chatbot?
According to the GSMA, 56% of customers prefer the chatbot messenger to a call to the support service. At the same time, 51% of them expect an instant response at any time of the day. Fortunately, chatbots that answer standard questions 24/7 help to meet such requirements.
Indeed, imagine that you are going on a road trip and want to rent a car from the Alamo. You have chosen the right deal but have some misunderstandings about the Alamo car rental deposit. A chatbot is the one that will help you find solutions to most of your car rental questions. The same applies to any other area of online services.
Yes, chatbots provide round-the-clock support and the ability to resolve customers’ problems quickly. And for businesses, they guarantee sales growth and high-quality service without operator costs. So, if you are a business owner and still not sure if you need a chatbot, the following review will help you make the right choice!
What is a chatbot?
A chatbot is a virtual assistant for communicating with users in instant messengers, websites, and social networks. This program can solve typical tasks: remind about promotions, accept applications, classify leads, and send data to the CRM system.
A person can ask a chatbot a question and get an answer if it was programmed in advance. This electronic assistant does a great job with typical questions, but non-standard ones can be difficult.
Don’t confuse chatbots with mailing lists and information channels. Chatbots communicate with users and answer their questions, while mailing lists simply provide information and don’t respond to requests in any way. Chatbots are useful in a variety of areas, from healthcare to HR.
Why do you need a chatbot?
Chatbots shorten the customer’s path to purchase, increase user loyalty and reduce service costs. One bot can replace a small call center and provide round-the-clock support — answer questions even at night and record the contacts of those who need a live consultation.
The tasks that chatbots solve can be divided into two large groups:
- Conversion and sales. Chatbots communicate with potential and current customers and motivate them to take a targeted action – place an order or buy a product.
- Reducing the burden on the support service and reducing costs. Chatbots process requests, consult on typical questions and help users get answers quickly.
Chatbots are especially relevant for companies that are constantly working with customers. After all, potential users often need additional information about a product or service.
Yes, today chatbots process about 50% of calls. However, virtual assistants are not capable of completely replacing operators. They work only with typical requests that don’t require an individual approach to the client. Their mission is to save the company’s employees from solving routine tasks and reduce costs.
Which chatbot is right for you?
There are two ways to create a chatbot: order a custom solution or use a platform service. Let’s compare them to understand exactly what you need:
| Custom solution | Chatbot builder | |
| Price | Depends on the features, as well as the cost per hour of a particular developer | Paid plans are $10-50 per month, but free basic access is also available. |
| Creation time | From a month to six months | From 1-2 days to a month |
| Features | Structured and unstructured dialoguesAdmin panelUser interfaceIntegration with any external services | Integration with online chats and external services Structured and unstructured dialogues Please note that unstructured dialogs can sometimes work incorrectly. |
| Support service | The project team responds to problems, but a change in the developer can critically affect the performance of the chatbot | You have access to live chat and email support. Also, there’s the ability to change platforms |
| Data storage security | Corresponds to the internal requirements of the customer | Complies with the privacy policy of the service |
Still not sure which chatbot is right for you? So, a simple chatbot created on the platform is suitable for linear solutions that don’t require interconnections. It has a specific scenario and works according to a prescribed algorithm. Such a chatbot recognizes the given keywords and word forms and responds with pre-prepared messages.
On the other hand, you need a custom solution if you have a complex product. Such a chatbot works on the basis of neural networks, conducts unstructured dialogues, and processes natural speech. That is, it remembers the answers of users and learns from them. As a rule, such chatbots require manual programming.
How to create a chatbot in the builder?
Creating a chatbot involves several steps:
- Study the target audience.
Before thinking about the concept and mechanics of a chatbot, analyze the target audience, its needs, and interests. The target audience is segments of people who are interested in your product. Find out what channels customers come from, what questions they ask, and where and how they prefer to communicate.
- Select the platform
You have studied the clients. Then select the platform on which the chatbot will work – a messenger or a dialog box on the site.
- Choose the right builder
Choose a constructor depending on your tasks, and the site you are going to use. Popular chatbot builders include Netrox SC, Onicon, LiveChat, Streamwood, Webim, Jivo, ManyChat, Chaport, and Chatra.
- Think of a bot character
Create a bot character to give users the feeling of talking to a real person. Come up with a name that will evoke associations with the brand.
- Define the chatbot features
Determine what action the chatbot should lead the user to — leave information about yourself, place an order, and add the product to the cart.
- Create a use case
Determine the algorithm and the sequence of actions. Build the communication logic so that the user doesn’t have deadlocks and always has the opportunity to perform some action.
Thus, chatbots allow businesses to reduce staff costs, respond quickly to customer requests, and stay in touch 24/7. Due to speed and efficiency, they increase customer loyalty and help increase sales. So this is a great solution to optimize your business!
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