You’ve most likely come across a chatbot at some point over the last or so when you’ve been online. Depending on how they are set up, you’ll most likely notice a small chat bubble in the corner of the screen. When you click it, you activate the chatbot system. You can then proceed to find out information about the company and their services, or have questions answered.
Some chatbots work with AI (artificial intelligence), so you can literally have a real conversation with one, whereas others are set up to work on the basis of the user selecting options from predefined lists. The type of chatbot that a website uses will depend on many factors such as the products or services that they offer, and whether or not the chatbot is one that has been set up for full conversations, or simply one to answer basic questions.
However you feel about them, as there are many people who don’t like them at all, they are a useful tool for a website, and have many benefits in terms of helping potential clients find the information they are looking for on your website.
Available 24 hours a day
Unlike a member of your support team, a chatbot will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and always available to help visitors to your website. Imagine a human being trying to work similar hours ! It simply can’t happen, so if you are a business who deals with clients the world over in all different time zones, then a chatbot can be a great addition to your website.
Multilingual
Another advantage of a chatbot on a website that deals with international clients is that the bot can be set up to work in a number of different languages. Providing your existing and potential clients the ability to communicate with you in their native language is a huge asset, and something that will create a very positive image of your company.
The work involved in setting up a multilingual chatbot will depend on it’s complexity, but if you are using a chatbot to answer various predetermined questions, then you can very easily get the transcript translated into multiple languages.
They are economical
Having a chatbot developed to handle support requests for your business can give you huge financial savings. The running of a bot is much cheaper than hiring workers to provide support.
Though the initial cost could easily be in the thousands, once you have had it created, it is there working for you around the clock. It won’t take any leave, doesn’t get sick, and can work 24/7.
Keep Track of Support Requests
With your chatbot you can keep an extensive archive of all of your support requests. Previous conversations with clients can easily and quickly be found, and they can help cut down on potential errors that might occur somewhere down the line. Having everything archived is very important, and gives your business the chance to deal with all support requests in a timely manner.
They can grow and evolve with your business
Technology is constantly changing, and what may not be possible today could easily be an option in a year’s time. The great thing about chatbots is that they have the ability to change and evolve when the technology that supports them does.
The chatbots can also be modified to deal with support requests in different ways depending on the support that is requested by clients. They are able to deal with large volumes of support requests and can immediately assist with clients, whereas if support was provided by trained people, the ability to provide an instant response would be very difficult, especially at peak hours when demand is high.
Improve engagement with customers
Your chatbot can be developed to offer personal interactions with your customers, referring to them by their name, and providing helpful advice that is based on their previous interactions, as well as their history in terms of being a client. The chatbot might see previous purchases made by the client they are interacting with and can ask them what they thought of the product or if they are enjoying it.
It is small details like this that can really create a pleasant experience for your clients, and one that they are sure to mention to friends or families.
There are lots of different support ticket management systems available, some of which you can find over at commence.com, and each have their own benefits and features. However, a chatbot is a very different option for the support side of your business, and has the ability to adapt instantly to different situations and support requests.
Comments