The marketing world has created something that sounds straight out of a science fiction story: the chatbot. Although it might sound intimidating at first, a chatbot can actually become a business’s best friend. At its core, a chatbot is simply an application on a website that uses AI or multiple-choice scripts to interact with your web visitors, usually to answer common questions or get people to topics they’re most interested in. But at its best, a chatbot is a versatile tool that can take any business — large or small — to the next level.
Use Chatbots to Grow Your Business
Chatbots are a low-cost option for businesses that can have some valuable — and fast — return on investment. They’re usually already built for both mobile and desktop interfaces, so you can use them wherever you need them. You can also build them into messaging apps like Facebook Messenger to take advantage of platforms you’re likely already using. Once set up, customers can easily interact with them at any time, whether on your site or app or through social media. And in a business world that expands across time zones, being available whenever customers have a question is imperative. This kind of availability ultimately leads to higher user engagement, which in turn can drive higher sales numbers.
Boost E-Commerce Performance with Chatbots
When it comes to e-commerce specifically, there’s virtually no end to a chatbot’s usefulness. Besides being available whenever customers need them, chatbots are able to deliver fast, effective answers to customer questions, so nobody has to wait on the phone just to ask a simple question. They can serve more than one customer at a time, eliminating long waits. Plus, they help you save on the costs of building an extensive human team for customer service. Because although you’ll always benefit from hiring actual people to lead your customer service efforts, chatbots can lighten the financial load by letting you automate the more mundane aspects of the job.
The Rise of the Chatbot
Setting aside these specific ways chatbots can boost business, there are also some far-reaching trends that you should take into consideration. Larry Kim at Chatbots Magazine cites several eye-opening statistics about chatbots. For example, Gartner predicts that 85 percent of customer interactions will be managed without a human by 2020. Credence Research adds that the global chatbot market is expected to grow exponentially by 2023. And Facebook reports that over 10,000 developers are building chatbots within Facebook Messenger. So it’s pretty clear that chatbots aren’t going anywhere but up. The question is, will you be going with them?
Contact us to learn more about chatbots and how they can help your business grow.