Chatbots are all the rage and they’re coming in droves. As you’ll find with most things technology, there’s a financial motivator at the end of the chatbot road. Is it right for your business, or are chatbots a bad thing? You should know this much: chatbots are helping businesses stay on top of engaging with their customers and potential customers.
There are now chatbots that let people order a taco, book an Uber, receive order statuses, and more. Even Facebook has launched chatbots with hand-picked brands to help them interact with more people.
So how do these things work? Let’s start with what the heck they are. If you are not familiar with chatbots, they’re a type of communication tool for always-on social networks. Depending on how they are programmed, they can answer questions, converse with people, or do repetitive tasks.
If you’re a small (or even large) business, you’re probably wondering if you need chatbots. Here are three reasons why you might be considering one soon enough:
First form of contact
As a small business especially, there’s little chance that you or someone on your staff will be manning your site 24/7, just in case someone drops by to ask a few questions about what your business has to offer. By using a chatbot programmed to answer basic questions about what you are offering or being able to explain what it is that you do, it reduces the tasks your team needs to do so you can concentrate on making your products or services better.
If you’re a larger brand, the same holds true. Just because your company employs 50,000 people doesn’t mean they’re able to respond to inquiries within seconds like chatbots do.
You can attract more people to your website
For many of you, your target audience is (or soon will be) millennials, who coincidentally like to chat – a lot. You can see millennials everywhere with their head down tapping on their smartphones and probably using one of the chat apps available today to get in touch with their people. By using a chatbot, you’re making it easier for them to talk to you. They don’t need to call, because let’s be honest, not everyone likes to talk to other people. This especially reigns true for Generation Y.
It will make your brand memorable
Especially now. The early adopter gets the worm, haven’t you heard?
Getting the right kind of chatbot will help you make a good impression with your customers and potential ones. People are interested in things that are fun, and when you have a chatbot that talks like a human and is fun to chat with, you can be sure that word will travel fast and people will visit your site just to try out your chatbot. You can use this opportunity to make them interested in what you have to offer.
Best part – it’s easy to try out. If you have your own computer consultancy for example, how cool would an automated Q&A look on your website? You can build your own chatbot if you want to give it a try.
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