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29
Oct

The Benefits of Chatbots

29/10/2019
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Consumer demands and expectations are constantly on the rise and as a result the rapid progression of artificial intelligence (AI) has been welcomed by businesses.

Now more than ever, consumers are expecting on-demand communication whether dealing with a business online or offline.

Thankfully, advances in AI have allowed businesses to automate the communication process and meet customer demands.

In terms of website owners, this AI comes in the form of chatbots. They allow for businesses to answer customer questions on demand and around the clock.

Customers are warming up to the idea of chatbots as well. Higher end chatbots are able to deliver stellar customer service and keep customers happy.

So, what are chatbots?

In its most basic form, a chatbot is a tool that’s programmed to conduct human-like conversations with users. When a human asks a question, the chatbot replies and works its way toward providing a solution.

There are two broad categories for chatbots, being integrated and standalone. They differ as follows:

  • Integrated chatbots are those that can be built into messengers such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and even your website.
  • Standalone chatbots, as the name suggests, are standalone applications.

In terms of your website, in most cases you will go for an integrated chatbot in the form of a plugin.

How do chatbots work?

At their core, chatbots are driven by the same technology that voice recognition systems stem from, Natural Language Processing (NLP).

Chatbots begin by processing the query (text) that is presented to them by a user and then use a complex series of algorithms to interpret what the user wants to provide an appropriate response.

Higher end chatbots are able to provide a significantly more enhanced user experience when it comes to this process, sometimes making it difficult for users to spot the difference.

These chatbots utilise machine learning to become better over time and thus provide your customers with a better website experience.

Lower end chatbots are commonly referred to as scripted chatbots. They come with a set of questions to which they respond with a corresponding set of answers.

Chatbots that learn are often more expensive than their scripted counterparts, but they are the way to go if you want to provide your customers with a human-like experience.

Why might you want a chatbot?

  • Now you might think that humans only want to deal with other humans, but if the job will get done in either instance then humans have no problem dealing with bots.
  • In fact, leading chatbot building company Ubisend states that almost 7 out 10 of people don’t mind dealing with chatbots so long they get what they seek.
  • So, by getting a chatbot you will be able to provide your customers with on-demand and around the clock customer service, and guess what? They don’t mind that you’re using a robot to do so!

Now that you know a little bit about chat bots, we’re going to explain how they can enhance your website visitors’ user experience.

How do chatbots enhance your website visitor’s user experience?

Below, we’ve written about 5 benefits you can inherit by having a chatbot on your website. Keep reading as we go into detail. Here’s the short version first though.

  1. Human-like live chat
  2. Round-the-clock customer service
  3. Smooth customer experience
  4. Less stress
  5. Personify your brand

Human-like Live Chat

With chatbots that use machine learning, customers can experience the same customer service as if they were being served by a real-life customer support employee. These chat bots are able to deeply analyse customer questions and deliver appropriate responses. Unlike scripted chatbots, they don’t rely on a set of responses to answer customer queries.

Round-the-clock Customer Service

With a chatbot, you can answer customer questions beyond trading hours. This is great because the need for customers to ask questions often arises after hours. Due to their ability to answer questions 24/7, chatbots are able to meet consumer expectations with on-demand communication.

Smooth Customer Experience

Chatbots can be used to intuitively offer information and not just answer questions. Website product pages are a great place to implement chatbots in this way. For example, are you running a promotion for a particular product on your website? Set your chatbot to ping website visitors and let them know that the item they’re looking at is on sale.

Personify Your Brand

Chatbots are versatile when it comes to the way in which they can engage with your website visitors. Not only can they perform a variety of different roles i.e. technical support, but they can be programmed to chat in a style that reflects your brand’s personality. For example, you can set your chatbot to use a humorous tone when engaging with your customers if that’s the tone your business would like to set.

Conclusion

Does your website have a chatbot? No? Talk to us about how a chatbot can be beneficial to your business or how you can get one installed on your website. Use the form below to get in touch.