Something to Chat A‘bot’?

 Monty Wyne

When you hear or see the word chatbot, a number of questions might come to mind. For one, what is a chatbot? Two? How can they help my business? And three? What’s it take to build one? Read on and chances are you’ll come to the same conclusion many of today’s forward-thinking companies and businesses have come to–it’s time to get on board.

So, what is a chatbot? In essence, it’s an AI (Artificial Intelligence) tool that interacts or communicates with humans. Think of it as a digital assistant. It’s there to help customers. Answer questions. Take care of their requests. And respond in either voice or text. You can also utilize this tool over websites, mobile apps, and familiar messaging mediums like Twitter, Facebook Messenger, or Whatsapp. In short, a chatbot’s essential purpose is communicating with a human being in a humanlike manner.

How can chatbots help your business? For one, they can reduce your operational costs. Two, they can streamline your response time, improving customer satisfaction and retention. Three, this tool is scalable, making it possible for you to address and assist several customers versus one at a time. Chatbots also deliver quick and precise customer service, freeing up staff so they can address other responsibilities. And this tool can even help you revive a cold lead’s interest by utilizing chatbot’s versatile technology to create lead funnels where the bot can be programmed to interact with customers.

Question 3, how tough is it to build one? Start by defining your business objectives. Once they’re solidified, you decide which medium or channel you think will generate the greatest amount of traffic. After that, feed your bot an extensive list of FAQs so it can deliver pertinent answers to customers and visitors alike. It’s also a good idea to give your bot a unique personality and voice. One that distinguishes your company or business and helps you stand out from any competitors. And remember...customers and visitors will most likely look for live human support at one point or another. You’ll need to decide when that happens. After that, it’s test and eventually launch.

Maybe it’s time to put chatbots to work for your company or business? Its market is projected to reach $1.25 billion by 2025. Why not get in touch with John Wagoner, our brand strategist and account supervisor to get the ball rolling? He can be reached at: jwagoner@maycreate.com  or call (423) 255-9961. He’d be more than happy, to “chat” with you.