You can hardly visit a website today and not have a live chat feature pop up. Whether manned by an actual person, or through a scripted chatbot, this entire function is becoming more and more sophisticated among small to mid-sized businesses. In other words, it’s not for just the Fortune 500 companies anymore. It’s the new, modern way to engage visitors on your site, sell them on your product and keep them coming – all through the expanding technology of automation.
Chatbots offer a real-time answer to questions visitors to your site are looking for. They can also point visitors in the right direction to further your chances of converting a sale. One of the core benefits of chatbots is that they’re less expensive than a salaried employee doing all the work and they don’t miss a thing – capturing every visitor.
Plus, we humans need sleep – chatbots not so much. Nothing and no one is missed and that’s something business owner, large and small love. Small business especially, relies on just about every sale and can’t afford to let a potential customer fall through the cracks.
It’s been reported that visitor interactions on websites raise lead conversion by up to 36% with chatbots. That’s a big number that can translate into real dollars when visits convert. Wherever customized live chat is provided, companies are undeniably giving customers a far better experience thus, increasing their chances of conversion.
When done right, potential customers are left with a positive feeling and a comfortable experience. Experiences like this are more likely to become to turn visitors into loyal followers of your product and/or service. That loyalty then turns into repeat business. And as we all know, it’s much less expensive to keep a customer than it is to acquire a new one.
LET’S GET PERSONAL
However, building the perfect chatbot requires time and a strong familiarity with your audience. You need to get this part right. Developing scenarios based on frequently asked questions (FAQ’s) is key to getting automated responses that make sense and hit home with your visitors. It helps to develop a relationship with your audience and keeps them engaged.
And you don’t need any research to prove that companies who give a better experience usually get one in return with higher sales. Methods differ in this respect and while not every interaction will end in a sale, it does help the likelihood of future sales if/when data is captured, such as visitors’ email addresses or telephone numbers. Having this data is essential for re-targeting efforts later.
READY, SET, GROW!
Of course, research still shows that telephone and email are still the most common forms of communication and interaction between companies and customers. And nearly half of American adults would rather deal with a fellow human when inquiring about a product. And while that may not change for a while, the stats on chatbots are proving to business owners that they can’t merely rely on these forms of interactions any longer if they plan on growing.
Chatbots and live chat functions provide an undeniable advantage and benefit. For quick and instant answers anytime, it offers a convenience that you can’t get through any other means. Any business or especially a startup that hopes to stay competitive will need to incorporate chatbot and/or some kind of Artificial intelligence into their marketing and sales strategy if they expect to keep up with the way the modern business runs.