Earlier this month, we posted a blog all about the use of AI in marketing. If you are following along with us, maybe you are ready to let the robots take over. If so, we need to let you in on a little not-so-secret helper for your customer’s overall experience with your brand: Chatbots.
Have you ever visited a company’s website and had a little bubble pop up, with someone (or in some cases something) asking if you need any help? If you have a Polly Anna complex, you may have thought “Oh how sweet, there is someone just waiting on the other side wanting to help me should anything arise!” If you are more of a realist, you know that this is a chatbot, or an example of using AI to assist your customer in real time.
Chatbots come in all forms but are mainly created to help take the burden off your customer service team. There are a wide variety of easily answered questions and queries that automation can simplify for your brand when it comes to interacting with the customer. Chatbots leverage platforms such as texting, messaging, and website chat windows to receive and respond to messages. They are programmed to respond to keywords, phrases and can learn to adapt as time goes on.
Technological Tool for Saving Time
We aren’t just talking about saving time on YOUR end, although your time is extremely valuable. We are also talking about saving your consumers time when they have a question or issue. Who wants to be on the phone with customer service, where long wait times, multiple transfers and misunderstandings abound. If you give your customers one gift this year, please let it be less of that hold music!
You will also be saving on precious time for your employees, who can focus on helping customers with more complex issues instead of wasting their workday answering the same repeated questions. What will your HR team do with all that time? We think some extra vacation days are a good idea.
Aren’t Chatbots Complicated?
The best part about the tech boom we are seeing across all platforms of marketing is that things are becoming more user friendly and streamlined, rather than more complicated. Chatbots are no different. Instead of worrying about how to code and install a chatbot for your company, you can simply subscribe to an already existing platform that can take your website to the next level in terms of customer experience.
You may be surprised to find out that chatbots aren’t new to the scene. They haven’t been around quite as long as your brain has identified with the sound of dial up internet, but they have maintained a steady presence in the world of online marketing. Their latest boom comes from the past few years of a growing online presence for all consumers. This same boom has also brought more automation to every aspect of business. If you want to keep up with your competitors (and we know you do), you may need to investigate this simple but effective method of helping your consumers navigate your product or service.
