TOPICS: Chatbot for Businesses   Chatbot for Website    Chatbot Trends   

Small Business Chatbots - What Can These Bots Do for You?

Online chatbots seem to be everywhere, from Facebook pages to ecommerce platforms. But does your small business website need one? To get to the answer, let’s start with a basic fact that applies to you regardless of the type of business you own:

Your audience has a short attention span, and you have a long list of competitors.

Everyone is strapped for time. Most people won’t spend more than a few seconds on a new website, unless it invites them to stay. As a small (and relatively unknown) business, you’re up against a bunch of better known and more established brands. So when someone visits your site for the first time, you want to get their attention in those first couple of seconds.

A friendly ‘hello’ is a great way to do that.

A small business chatbot generates leads, all the time.

Imagine how your potential client looks at your products or services online. They’ve probably visited several other websites offering something similar, and can just as easily head someplace else. They probably don’t want to read multiple webpages just to figure out if your offerings meet their requirements. This is where an AI bot can get to work for you.

Now imagine that the same potential client is greeted by a chatbot, and presented with a helpful set of options to find out more about your business. Better still, they now have a live chat window where they can just type their questions. For example, if yours is an auto-repair business, the client can ask, “Do you repair all makes of cars or only specific models?” And your chatbot can just tell them, “Yes, we service all makes of cars and trucks. Would you like to take a look at our service packages?”

And the conversation can proceed from there. Your chatbot can go on to promote your products or services, and by the end of the chat, you have a new lead. What makes it even better is that someone could be visiting your site at any hour of the day or night, on any day of the week, and they’ll always get the same level of assistance from your chatbot.

Chatbots get your clients to respond positively.

People respond better to what they perceive as another person. With proper chatbot development, AI bots can flaunt some ‘personality’, and simulate real,one-on-one conversations. If your potential clients know that the ‘person’ at the other end of the chat window will answer their questions right away, they’ll automatically engage more with your business. In contrast, emails and contact forms can feel slow and impersonal.

The best chatbots for small business websites won’t stop at lead generation. Many businesses use them to pitch promotional offers and discounts through instant chat. This usually gets positive responses from users, because all they need to do is type a reply in a chat window. In contrast, reading about an offer in a promotional email from a no-reply address, doesn’t really prompt them to take action.

The best small business chatbot will get you regular clients.

Efficient customer service turns window shoppers into paying clients, and one-time buyers into returning customers. When your clients are confused about a product, need an update on an existing order, or wish to return something, they want to be able to do it right then and there. Essentially, they want the assurance of instant help with their queries and complaints. Create a chatbot to answer their questions and log their complaints, and you’ve basically given them just that. Think about it –would someone wait a whole day for an email reply, or wait until business hours to make a phone call, when they can get instant help via chat?

Help your small business make great impressions with an online chatbot!