5 Benefits Of Having A Chatbot On Your Company’s Website
Customer service has been one of the fields where it has evolved the most in recent years. The client has become a very valuable asset and it is necessary to take care of it and give it the attention it deserves.
New technologies have evolved and provided new tools that can be used for the benefit of customers but also of the company. The chatbot is a clear example of this.
These are software applications that work with AI and are responsible for immediately responding to doubts or questions that customers may have.
It is a state-of-the-art technology that we can take advantage of without too much effort and at a very high cost.
In addition, current trends suggest that we will find more chatbots on more and more web pages. Not implementing it will make us fall behind technologically speaking.
If you are still not convinced, we leave you 5 benefits that you will notice when implementing a chatbot on your company’s website.
1. Immediate response
The first thing that comes to mind when we think of a chatbot is response speed. The use of a chatbot substantially improves the time it takes to answer since it is done automatically.
The advantage it presents over, for example, contact via email or a contact form, is that it is not necessary to wait for a response.
Depending on the type of query that we receive the most, we can upload relevant and necessary information to answer these types of questions and, thus, customers obtain an update on their order or more information about the product at the moment.
Chatbot software is easy to use even for those who don’t have much knowledge. They allow you to customize the responses according to your company or use already-established templates.
Many customers prefer to directly contact the chat rather than search for information that is present on the web. In this way, the chatbot can also serve as an internal search engine, giving the customer precise indications about what they are looking for or even a direct link.
In this way, the chatbot also becomes a way for customers to streamline the purchase process. They ask their questions, get an answer at the moment and directly proceed to purchase the product. Without delay or having to wait longer.
A chatbot can, therefore, facilitate user navigation, but also serve as an efficient, fast, and precise method to meet their needs.
2. Attention 24 hours
Internet does not sleep. There are no schedules nor can it be closed after a certain time. The website of our company will always be available and will be visited by users throughout the day.
There may be times when there is more traffic and others when there is less, but there may always be people visiting our website who need to answer questions, no matter what time it is.
Many companies decide to set a schedule for customer service. With a message they are told that they will not be available outside of certain hours. However, many customers either do not read it or decide to ignore it, creating a feeling of dissatisfaction since no one answers their questions.
A chatbot can save customers from having to go through this. They can be available 24 hours a day and always ready to help our customers.
We can opt for a chatbot that is always present as the first response option or opt for a hybrid option.
When we talk about the hybrid option, we mean using the two options that we have mentioned above: customer service provided by our staff within a certain schedule, and the chatbot during those hours when they are no longer working.
In this way, we can provide customers with an answer even in those hours when there is no natural person who can help them.
Using the chatbot allows us to provide answers to customer questions over a much longer period than would be a significant expense to staff if we wanted to provide it in person.
3. Improves the image of the company and customer satisfaction
Implementing technological advances for the public can substantially improve our image. Clients like to see a company that makes use of the latest technology. It gives the impression of a company that is not stagnant and that is up to date with all the new implementations that are on the market.
Let’s think, for a moment, of a customer who is looking for a certain product and finds several offers from different companies on the Internet. Surely it is something that has happened to all of us as users at some time.
The amount of offers makes it difficult to choose one since they all present the same product and at a similar price. However, the client has some questions that he needs to answer.
After sending emails and filling out contact forms on different pages, he finds a page where a chatbot answers his questions instantly.
You will end up choosing this last web page since your doubts have been cleared up and you are now in a position to make the purchase. We must become that web page that helps the client and convinces him to choose us.
In addition, we will see how customers will gradually become more satisfied. Customer service, as we mentioned before, is a very important aspect. Customers highly value when the service has been correct and useful.
They will not hesitate to leave good comments and recommend the company to others. Customer satisfaction is the best way we have to create a loyalty bond with them. They will use our services again if the experience has been positive.
All the tools that help us improve customer service and dealings must be considered and a chatbot is undoubtedly one of them.
4. They reduce workload
So far we have seen how the implementation of chatbots can be beneficial for customers. However, it is also a great benefit in terms of the company itself and those behind it.
The first point, and perhaps the most obvious, is that the chatbot represents savings in terms of personnel costs. Having one or more people in different 24-hour shifts available to answer customer inquiries can come at a high price.
Some people prefer in-person care, but they will also understand that outside of what is usually called “office hours” it is difficult to find people behind the web who can help them.
In a pinch, even if it is not their preferred method, they will end up using the chatbot. Something that can also make you change your idea regarding the care performed by AI.
In addition, they also serve as a method to reduce the workload of those who are in charge of customer service in our company. The chatbot is not always a substitute for people, sometimes it is a filter that can help gather information before the customer is passed on to a customer service representative.
In this way, if the question that the customer has can be answered by the chatbot, the people in charge of customer service should not intervene. They should only do so in more complex or specific issues that the chatbot cannot fully resolve.
In this case, they will have the information already collected by the chatbot, so they will already have several steps ahead from the start. Being able to assist the client in a more agile way.
Therefore, the chatbot must be seen as a complement that will improve and streamline customer service but, ultimately, cannot function as a total substitute for people.
5. They collect data (AI)
Chatbots are not perfect. As much as we have uploaded all the information possible to them, there will always be new doubts or particular queries that they will not be able to answer.
However, just like people, over time they improve and learn new concepts that they can use in their answers.
Chatbots and the AI they are based on use machine learning as a method to continually update and improve.
Through conversations and the more interaction they have with customers, chatbots constantly learn from customers and collect data. This data is then used to increase or refine your database and thus be able to offer better answers.
It is, therefore, necessary for the chatbot to have a “training” period in which it learns various concepts to provide better service.
Not only does it learn to resolve doubts, but also based on the customer’s tastes, it can offer certain products that may be to their liking or that may be closer to what they need.
In this way, a chatbot can take care of customer service but also act as a salesperson and manage to secure sales for our company.