If you are ignoring chatbots just because you own a small business, it’s time to think again; they can take your business to the next level. Maybe you don’t believe that chatbots are the future for both small and big business; you just need to see this Forbes article which indicates that in as early as 2015 over 1.4 billion people were already interaction with chatbots per year.
1. Keeping Your Business Open Even When Closed
The days when customers would wait until a business opened its doors for them to get service are long gone. The modern customer expects to get customer service around the clock. This is where chatbots can assist small businesses that don’t have the resources to have staff manning their customer service on a 24-hour basis.
If you have already set up your website for search engine optimization, it is likely customers will start noticing your business more. You can support the efforts of your website by investing in chatbots that can answer your customer’s questions and queries whether your business is open or not.
2. Enhance Engagement on Social Media
If you see a social media guide which still does not focus on how a small business can leverage its social media engagement using chatbots: that guide has lived past its sell by date. Businesses that are already using Facebook Messenger to connect with customers can now use chatbots on messenger.
Apart from bolstering social media engagement using chatbots on Facebook messenger can also help your small business to achieve more sales.
3. Save Money And Resources
As a small business, it is important to ensure that all your resources are used effectively. Even though chatbots look simple, they are quite smart. For example, when a user tells them something, they don’t forget. And, as VentureBeat highlights, retention is as simple as adding additional memory. Keep in mind that some chatbots are designed to remember the Zip code of a user so that even when the user asks a question which is too broad, the bot delivers information that is relevant to that customer based on the information they already know.
Apart from helping customers get information specific to their needs, chatbots can also help a small business to gather useful intelligence about where their customers are located. This gives the business an opportunity to tailor their offering according to the needs of that customers segment.
4. Interact with Employees 24/7
Chatbots can also be used by employees on a 24/7 basis. Instead of having to wait until someone is able to answer their questions in person, chatbots can supply employees with answers they need in order to successfully complete a task. Aspects that can be managed using this technology include employees checking their leave balance and applying for leave. Also, when employees are looking for specific information about the company, they can get a fast response without having to wait for someone with knowledge to be physically available.
Now that you know chatbots are not only for big business, it’s time to try them.
that’s really amazing use of tech!!
Thanks Michael for these tips. They are indeed useful to make better business.