What Can an AI Automated Chatbot Do for You?

Technology has given us access to unlimited knowledge with just a click of a button. We have the ability to look up the answer to almost any question and find the solution to it within seconds. With such incredible convenience, it’s no question that we have become used to the efficiencies provided by today’s technology like automated phone operators and AI automated chatbots. However, when faced with a dilemma and no immediate solution, the inconvenience may provide room for some less-desirable emotions to trickle in.

As a business owner, you want to prevent such emotions to overtake your customers. Regardless of them being a newcomer or a seasoned client, your happiness should stem from theirs. To ensure that your customers are visiting and leaving your site with a grin on their face, you’ll need to guarantee a convenient and efficient way in which you can provide the solutions to their problems.

To fill that responsibility, an automated AI chatbot is perfect for such tasks. For those who do not know what a chatbot is, it is a computer program that is able to converse with humans communicating through a messaging interface located on a company website or eCommerce site.

For those who are aware of chatbots with a skeptical eye, here are just a few facts that you may want to consider!

1. “In 2019, chatbots became more AI-driven, capable of handling complex human interaction with ease, and are now taking over traditional conversational services” (Acquire).
2. According to IBM, chatbots can help save up to 30% of the cost spent addressing customer requests without an automated system.
3. 4 billion people are using chatbots!

The list goes on but it’s best to show these statistics by detailing the capabilities that chatbots can offer.

Here’s what an AI Automated Chatbot can do for you!

24-Hour Instant Responder

We all need to sleep as we are only human. We set times of operation, normally from the mornings until the late afternoons/early evenings, and once we close up shop, it’s likely that questions from customers are set aside to be answered during the next day. Now, what if that customer had an urgent question or simply did not have the patience to wait for the morning? Wouldn’t it be better for everyone if their question or problem resolved before the next morning?

Chatbots allow for the quickest possible response time during regular and after-hours. When automation is set up correctly, your chatbot can provide the answers to your customers’ questions within a matter of seconds. In fact, the number one use case for chatbots is for customers to get “a quick answer in an emergency” while number two is to “resolve a complaint or question”. While it may come with its limitations compared to its human counterpart, chatbots can dramatically reduce the time you may have to spend responding to emails and phone calls that could have otherwise been resolved if they were installed.

Instant Transactions

Focusing once more on efficiency, chatbots allow for instant transactions when executed on the customers’ end.

Let’s draft up an example. Taylor runs an eCommerce store and has had a recent increase in customer orders. Things are going great, but the emails are starting to pile up as invoices, purchase orders, cancellations, and questions from customers start flooding in. On top of keeping up with the new orders, products have to be organized, packed, and shipped, all while juggling the responsibility to respond to emails. In high-stress situations like these, the probability of making mistakes is likely to increase.

In Taylor’s case, it’s certainly okay to prioritize tasks that are deemed more important, but the matter of the fact is that customers are being put on hold and questions are going unanswered for a longer period of time than needed! When responses are delayed, customers are left in the dark, and when that happens, it certainly does not lead to a greater satisfaction rating on Yelp. That’s where a chatbot can ease the situation with instant transactional capabilities.

Along with the instant responsiveness to questions, chatbots can be automated to process different transactions, all done on the customer users’ end. For example, one of Taylor’s many customers wishes to cancel an order. As they open up their “Order” tab, a small box in the corner appears asking, “May I assist you with anything?” with a list of actions to choose from. That customer can simply choose “Cancel My Order”, and the chatbot will prompt them to type in their transaction number. Once it is entered, the order is canceled without ever bothering Taylor’s busy schedule. Easy as that!

Are you skeptical of your customers’ wanting to interact with a chatbot? According to Drift, the willingness of users to engage with chatbots has doubled from 2019 to 2020. These engagements differ in a variety of ways such as purchases, meeting scheduling, mail list sign-ups, and more. While the skepticism is certainly warranted, the trend towards chatbots is evolving, and an increasing number of B2B / B2C companies are taking advantage of the perks that come with the program.

Data Collecting and Lead Generation

Much like technology, the business landscape is always evolving. As more and more services are accessible through new technological developments, businesses have to continue shifting and transforming to keep up with these transitions in their respective fields. However, one thing is and has been a constant: the vital importance of lead generation. And guess what? Chatbots has that covered too.

Let’s take a step back and look at a more primitive form of lead generation—lead capture forms. The customers’ tendency to abandon line forms is unsurprisingly high, with over 80% of the people surveyed by The Manifest abandoning at least one online form. Out of those who were surveyed, a third abandoned due to security concerns and a quarter had quit because the form was deemed too long. The same survey found that nearly 70% of those who abandoned the process did not return to complete the form.

It’s hard enough to find new members of your target audience and even harder to make them into conversions. Of course, forms have their benefits depending on a multitude of factors, but when one approach doesn’t work, chatbots work well as a substitution.

By replacing the standard procedures that follow a lead capture form, customers are greeted to shorter conversations with chatbots that are less obtrusive. Moreover, your customers are taken through an experience more similar to those between you and your clients. The biggest benefit here is provided to your customers, making the lead capturing process feel more natural and efficient.

Take this chatbot conversation for example: