It is a paradigm shift that we must quickly adapt to if we have not yet done so. Customers and users expect the presence of companies in messaging platforms.
The number of organizations that use chatbots or virtual assistants to communicate has grown exponentially. According to a Gartner study, almost 80% of companies will have their own chatbot by the year 2020.
Today, many people would prefer to contact a business through an instant messaging platform than through a phone call or email. Instant messaging is no longer an exclusive channel for talking with friends and family, but also for doing business.
It is a paradigm shift that we must quickly adapt to if we have not yet done so. Customers and users expect the presence of companies in messaging platforms.
Its number of users is impossible to ignore. Almost everyone uses at least one instant messaging application. In fact, they have even more users than social media platforms or applications. In 2020, not having a chatbots or virtual assistants strategy is almost as unthinkable as not having a social media strategy.
Most common uses of chatbots
It is worth mentioning the most common probable uses of chatbots:
- Answer questions in emergency situations
- Address complaints or claims
- Get detailed answers and explanations
- Help find an available and trained human assistant
- Communicate with the brand
- Make a reservation (restaurant, spa, hairdresser, theater, cinema)
- Pay a bill or fine
- Get usage ideas about the products that were recently purchased
Main reasons to incorporate chatbot in your organization
We will detail some reasons why you should incorporate a virtual assistant. Most people have not yet fully identified the potential and benefits of chatbots. We will also include examples of real cases.
1. Ideal for those who don’t like phone calls
Although they spend much of their time using their smartphones, millennials avoid making or receiving phone calls. They even shy away from the simple task of ordering a pizza over the phone.
The reasons are diverse, and some of them shared with people from other generations. Calls can be invasive, inefficient, and cause anxiety. And there are also those who do not enjoy hearing classical music noise on a switch and then get dizzy with indecipherable options.
2. Chatbots have no work schedule
One of the fundamental advantages of chatbots is that they can be available at all times. This is especially important for organizations with clients all over the world. With a virtual assistant that works for us 24 hours, time zone differences are no longer a concern.
3. You can automate tasks
Most customers who communicate with a store or brand often seek answers to the same problems or questions. What are your: opening hours, available products/services, etc.
Even the simplest of chatbots can handle these requests and respond satisfactorily, giving us the freedom to use that time for other issues.
4. A chatbot provides a timely response that consumers want
Nobody wants to be left on hold or have to postpone a consultation for another day. We want answers instantly. In addition to being increasingly informed about chatbots, users demand more interactions of this kind from companies.
A chatbot gives users the benefit of an instant response without the need to wait for a human’s attention. On the other hand, since chatbots are present on instant messaging platforms or on business websites, users do not need to download any additional applications. The chatbots will be immediately available to them on Messenger, Whatsapp, Telegram, Slack, Skype, etc.
5. You have full control of what your chatbot communicates to your customers
A chatbot developer will always ask for a script to implement and follow. In this way, the confusion that can be generated in the communication with a client is avoided. Except for errors in programming, a chatbot will rarely provide erroneous information, wrong details, nor show a rude attitude towards any customer.
However, it is vitally important to review this script constantly in order to ensure that users never obtain outdated or expired information. In addition, the dialogues must be updated to maintain fresh conversations and generate engagement. The chatbot will be the voice of the organization and its ambassador in the digital world.
6. You get benefits in the form of savings in operational costs
The amount of items on which a chatbot can save money is striking. Once you get enough traffic on a website, a friendly chatbot can generate more engagement with visitors and turn them into customers. On the other hand, you can also save costs on customer service personnel.
However, this does not mean that chatbots can replace people in their entirety, thus eliminating work positions. This is usually one of the biggest misunderstandings regarding chatbots and artificial intelligence in general.
Another benefit is the reduction of Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) because the virtual sales agent can accept and process thousands of requests at once and automatically.
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