7 Benefits of Chatbots to a Business
Chatbots are one of the most interesting things to come from the world of technology. You have likely seen them on websites, like the one on the Cox service website. They are, in essence, an interactive computer program that uses a messaging interface. Most chatbots are actually basic forms of Artificial Intelligence. Of course, some are more hi-tech, like Mitsuku.
Chatbot technology shows tremendous promise. Many business websites include a chatbot for 24/7 customer support. Customers looking for an immediate way to get in touch with the business often use these. In this blog, you can find out how using chatbots can benefit your business.
Let’s discuss 7 ways businesses can use chatbots to their benefit.
7 Benefits of Chatbots to a Business
Chatbots use artificial intelligence to understand written communication and create an appropriate response. They are capable of understanding more than basic commands. A person can write normal and the program can comprehend what they are communicating. They learn with usage, so one that interacts with humans often is likely to understand better.
Here are 7 benefits chatbots can bring to a business:
- Save Costs
- Increasing Market Outreach
- Improving Business Leads
- Understanding the Consumer
- Increasing Engagement
- Improving Customer Service
- Staying Relevant
#1. Save Costs
Companies like Facebook, Microsoft, and others offer ready-made chatbots to businesses. Businesses can then integrate these programs onto their websites and other platforms. Since they are autonomous, chatbots can cater to many customers at once. This saves companies a lot of money in resources. Chatbots are an efficient back up for employees with basic and repetitive tasks. They are capable of responding at high speeds and easy to install. But, they do need some maintenance. To manage your brand image, you have to pay attention to the conversational skills of the program.
#2. Increasing Market Outreach
One of the most effective ways to grow your business is by reaching out to international clients. But, there is a major hesitation for businesses to do that. The most common reason for that hesitation is customer support. Most businesses find it difficult to provide customer support for international clients. The cost of arranging customer support in different languages would be significant. Chatbots provide an easy solution to this problem. They are programmable and can communicate in many languages. This allows businesses to open their doors to international clients.
#3. Improving Business Leads
Using a chatbot, you can program it to direct the flow of a conversation. The direction of the flow can be towards generating leads. A bot can ask the necessary questions to prep the client for persuasion and generation of leads.
Additionally, the bot can also sort through leads and shortlist the stronger prospects. It can filter using pre-determined KPIs like budgets or timeline. Then forward the stronger leads to the sales teams. This saves valuable time and resources.
#4. Understanding the Consumer
Chatbots can collect all sorts of relevant consumer data. Using that data a business can understand their consumers better. For example, a bot can track purchasing patterns and the behaviors of consumers. Businesses can use that data to figure out which products need new marketing tactics.
#5. Increasing Engagement
Keeping customers engaged with your brand is important for any business. Chatbots use newer AI technology and everyone is eager to use them. They make consumer engagement more interactive and fun. Studies show that more engaged customers increase their spend by 20 to 40 percent. That is a welcomed increase in revenue for any business.
#6. Improving Customer Service
Customer service departments are enjoying using chatbot the most. Most businesses develop chatbots to improve customer service on their platform. If you have an e-commerce platform, then your customers likely need in-shopping help. They could need help with webpage navigation or deciding on a product. Bots can assist customers with their in-shopping needs. They can assist customers in real-time like a salesperson would in an outlet.
#7. Staying Relevant
In today’s tech-crazed environment, customers are always looking for better. They want better customer service, better products, and better prices. Additionally, they want better technology. For this reason alone, they would be willing to change to another business that offers more. In order the keep customers, it is important to let them know that you are ahead of the curve. Because if you don’t, someone else will, and your business will suffer.
Conclusion
Chatbots can improve your business in different ways. They can cut costs and collect consumer data for analysis. Some even act as sales assistants, like the bot on the cox website. If you interact with it, it will ask you questions and tell you about Cox internet prices or their other services. Chatbot technology can do the same for your business as well. Implementing this technology, now, will set the framework for advanced technology later. It will become easier for your business to stay updated with trends.
Author Bio:
Rosie Harman is a senior content strategist working for COX Customer Service. She holds a Master’s in Business Administration from The University of Texas at Arlington and has spent the majority of her career working in tech giants in Texas.
When she escapes her computer, she enjoys reading, hiking, and dishing out tips for prospective freelancers on her blog.