Did you know that close to half of consumers stopped doing business with a company because of a bad experience? You only hear from 4% of those customers.
Consumer expectations are high and if you want to compete in the business world, you have to go above and beyond to meet them.
Technologies have come about that help you meet customer expectations and exceed them, including AI chatbots. What are AI chatbots? They’re messaging apps that use automation and artificial intelligence to communicate directly with your customers.
Is this something that you need to get for your business? Read on to learn the main benefits of using AI chatbots and how they change how you interact with customers.
1. Saves Time
How much time gets spent each day managing questions from customers and prospects? Most of that time is spent answering the same questions over and over again.
One option is to create a knowledge base of articles or an FAQ. You’re expecting customers to find that information somewhere on your website and read it.
That’s not going to happen in today’s world.
AI chatbots facilitate interactions with customers. The basic questions get answered quickly, while customer service agents handle escalated issues.
2. Customers Prefer Chat
Customers expect to reach a company at their convenience. That means you need to have 24/7 support. You can’t afford to have a customer service team available 24/7.
An AI chatbot provides 24/7 support for your customers. You don’t need to have staff manage the chatbot, either.
Customers also get a faster response with chatbots than they do with emails. They often get the information they need within minutes than days.
3. Improve Conversions
AI chatbots improve sales and conversions. The reason why is because you can use chatbots to qualify leads. Design AI chatbots to ask certain questions to web visitors. The first question can be a multiple-choice question that asks a visitor about their intent.
The chatbot directs visitors to the information they want. They don’t need to figure out your site’s navigation or perform a site search.
The time to find information is shorter and so is the sales cycle. Chatbots overcome objections and help you close more sales.
4. Another Layer of Customer Data
Your marketing team loves AI chatbots. They’re able to collect data from every customer interaction. They’re able to learn what customers need and want from your company.
They might be looking for a new product or they’re wondering when a favorite product is back on shelves.
Customers usually have the same set of questions and concerns. The information from customer interactions helps the marketing team come up with a content strategy.
5. They Become the Face of Your Brand
When you have a chatbot on your site, that’s often the first interaction a person has with your company. It’s easy to just have simple robotic automation run out of the box.
You’re missing an opportunity to convey what your brand and business are all about. Give your chatbot a name, face, and personality that matches your brand.
There are times when an AI chatbot shouldn’t be implemented. For example, if your customer service team is already overwhelmed an AI chatbot can only handle so much.
You might be running a promotion or had a major company issue become public. People will go through the chatbot, not get the information they need and get handed over to customer service.
If it takes weeks for the customer service team to respond, that becomes your brand. You come across as unreliable, which does more harm than good.
6. Wide Range of Uses
Chatbots aren’t limited to ecommerce companies. Cable companies and utility companies use them for billing questions and to report outages.
Medical practitioners benefit from this lead generation tool to answer questions before a customer books an appointment. The chatbot facilitates appointment booking, which increases conversions.
AI chatbots get used by different departments as well. The sales team uses them to qualify leads. Chatbots assist the HR department in screening applicants and onboarding.
IT teams in large companies have a chatbot to handle tech support inquiries.
7. Easy to Transition to Live Agents
How many times have you called a company and tried to speak to a live person with no luck? You have to go through a maze of menu options, enter your date of birth, phone number, and choose another irrelevant option.
Then you might be able to speak with someone after waiting on hold for 20 minutes.
It’s a frustrating nightmare that customers have to endure. It seems like that’s just the way it is these days.
AI chatbots help make that transition seamless. For instance, let’s say that you have a chatbot handle your most common inquiries.
If a customer can’t get the issue resolved, they have the option to work with a live agent. If it’s outside of normal business hours, the agent gets the information via message the next business day.
If it’s during business hours, one of your agents can immediately respond and resolve the customer’s issue.
Don’t Wait to Start Using AI Chatbots
No matter what kind of business you have, you have to keep your customers happy. They often have routine questions and don’t want to call or wait for an email response.
AI chatbots come to the rescue. They improve customer interaction because they handle the routine stuff.
Your customer care team gets freed up to handle larger issues. Your customers get a response at their convenience. They’re happier and they stay loyal to your business.
Did you enjoy learning about AI chatbots and how they help your business? The Technology section of this site has plenty of tech tips to help you grow your business. Check out those articles today!
