8 Benefits of a Chatbot
Many companies and web shops nowadays use a chat function. This can be in the form of a chatbot, via chat with an employee, or a combination of both. Chatbots are getting better and better and their benefits are increasing. We give you eight benefits of a chatbot.
Before we move on to the benefits of a chatbot, some general information. There are different types of chatbots.
For example, there are rule-based chatbots that can answer specific questions or ask multiple-choice questions. But there are also more complex chatbots that can independently conduct a normal conversation with your customers and visitors on the basis of AI or NLP. A combination of both is also possible.
Chatbots also differ in identity, of course. Companies give their chatbots different characteristics: is it a man or a woman? Is there a picture of a normal person, or not? Whatever you choose, it is important that your chatbot fits your company, also in terms of communication. You want a Conversational Human Voice (CHV) as much as possible in which your chatbot communicates in a human way, for example with empathy. Read more about choosing a chatbot here.
Table of Content
1. You are more accessible
The first advantage of a chatbot: your company is available at any time. This is especially useful for international organizations with customers in other time zones. Your customers will never have to wait again: a chatbot can help several people at the same time, while an employee can only handle a limited number of chats. As a result, chatbots make your company scalable. Furthermore, a chatbot is an accessible way of contacting your customers. All this together ensures that your company is more accessible through a chatbot.
2. You can save time
Depending on your company, a chatbot can handle 20% to 40% of customer queries. This gives your employees more time for more complex customer questions. They can take the time for these more complex matters, without other customers being dissatisfied with long waiting times. This is a win-win situation. Customers with relatively simple questions that can be answered by the chatbot are helped, but also customers who need personal attention.
3. Good investment
Implementing a chatbot specially designed for your company costs time and money, but for companies with a lot of traffic, it is ultimately the best investment. For example, small businesses can take advantage of HubSpot’s free chatbot software. This allows you to build your own chatbot even with a lower budget. In this way, every company can benefit from the advantages of a chatbot. Want to know more about HubSpot? Then read our blog about it.
And now: Using Facebook Messenger Bots Like a Boss
4. Increases customer satisfaction
An important advantage of a chatbot is that it increases customer satisfaction. Customer questions are answered immediately, without waiting time, and also outside office hours. The chatbot has access to all information in your database, allowing it to respond quickly and efficiently. Your employee may still have to look up things, your chatbot has everything immediately at hand. In addition, a chatbot is patient. Even if he answers the same question for the hundredth time in a day, he remains polite.
5. Increased employee satisfaction
But not only your customers will be happy with a chatbot. Your employees will also be satisfied with it. This is because they need to perform fewer routine tasks, such as answering the same question repeatedly. This gives your customer service representatives more time for complex tasks and they can take an extra step for the customers who need it. In this way, they get more satisfaction from their work.
6. A chatbot collects data
Your chatbot can collect information about what your customers want to know. You can use this again, for example, to optimize your website. For example, your chatbot makes it possible to ensure that your FAQ actually contains the most frequently asked questions. It is also possible to make an inventory of who has contact with the chatbot and to adjust the status of your leads in your CRM based on that. A chatbot is, therefore, a major advantage for those who want to work data-driven. More information about what you can do with this data can be found in our blog about lead recognition.
7. A chatbot is personal
Yes, you read that right. By linking to your CRM, your chatbot can use personal information and thereby tailor its answer to the questioner. Modern chatbots are also becoming more ’empathetic’ because they have learned to first indicate that it is annoying in the case of, for example, an incorrectly delivered product. So they are increasingly developing a Conversational Human Voice.
8. Real personal contact remains possible
A chatbot cannot of course offer real personal and empathetic contact. But a chatbot on your website does not mean that contact with an employee is not possible. Does the chatbot not know or is a question too complex? Then he can forward visitors to an employee. They can then get to work all the faster because the chatbot has already collected important information, such as the order number. The chatbot thus becomes the ideal work planner.
