INSIGHTS Does my website need a chatbot?

It’s no secret that technology is helping to make everything automated these days, in an attempt to make life easier and help us get things done in speed time! So it's no surprise either then that the need to make life easier has moved over to the world of marketing too. 

There’ll always be a need for consumers to communicate with companies, which we all want to be as seamless as possible. This is where chatbots take the stage. Chatbots are pieces of software that have been developed in order to conduct conversations in a natural way with users on your website, mimicking human behaviour. Frequently asked questions and answers are programmed to eliminate the need for an actual person to read and respond to every message.

At this point you may be wondering what the difference is between a chatbot and live chat? Automation is what sets them apart. Although both involve real-time support, live chat involves communicating with a human agent. Chatbots, however, provide instant replies and automated or 'canned' responses to queries.    

With more and more websites using chatbots, or automated conversation systems, they are becoming more and more sophisticated. The question is, will your website benefit from it and will it benefit performance? There are various types of chatbots, from simple programmes to sophisticated systems. They are usually hosted on websites or served through an instant messaging platform like Facebook Messenger, and are used for customer service and ensuring that users are provided with what they are looking for in a speedy timeframe.

You may be wondering if smaller businesses will benefit from chatbots and whether they’re worth the hype. Chatbots can add value, or even strengthen your marketing strategy. Your website should already include all of the information a customer should need to know, but as we mentioned before, there’s a need for things to be as easy as possible. Rather than expecting customers to dig around to try and find the information they’re looking for, you can use a chatbot.

Keep in mind that there isn’t another human on the other side responding to queries, so there are no emotions involved which results in customers remaining calm, collected, and valued which is a big advantage when it comes to customer service.    

There are many potential advantages from using chatbots which act as virtual assistants, allowing them to turn new users into customers in a short period of time. Chatbots can also assist in brand trust and credibility, educating users with product and service information. Because they provide a positive experience for customers, a powerful connection can be built between the consumer and your brand.

User experience is a key factor which ties in with the personalised conversation experience received from chatbots. Thanks to customer data which can be collected such as location or previous purchase information, bots can end up knowing the consumer even better than a sales rep or actual human could.  

If there is a possibility of a customer having a question about the service that you provide, then the question of whether or not you should install a chatbot is already answered. Smaller businesses who have less people on their team can benefit from chatbots that are available 24/7 and are ready to assist. The same goes for large businesses who have too many messages to respond to. 

So we can see that no matter the size of your company, most websites will benefit from chatbots. Think about it this way: there is no limit to the amount of users a chatbot can respond to, and can serve a large amount at a time (provided you have enough power and space on your server). 

Industries which are known to benefit from chatbots include financial services, travel, and retail. Though there are many companies that will benefit from chatbots, it’s best to weigh the pros and cons to determine whether or not it will be worth it.