Technology Solutions: What You Should Know About Chatbots

In today’s world, where posting content generates immediate responses, people have grown accustomed to almost instantaneous feedback and answers when it comes to technology solutions. It’s no different for websites.

Nowadays, visitors to your website expect some type of online customer service that they can interact with to get responses to questions while online. But for many small businesses, it’s not feasible to monitor a website 24/7 on the chance that someone might have an inquiry. Many companies opt for automated live chat cloud-based solutions where a chatbot responds to all incoming questions.

Today, more than 1.4 billion people are using chatbots, and 77% of business managers have invested in chatbots for better customer support and sales. Chatbots can have one-on-one conversations with customers in their preferred language.

What are chatbots?

In the simplest technical terms, a chatbot is a software program that mimics human conversations, which can be written, spoken, or both. Most chatbots use AI technology solutions to learn and stimulate natural discussions and use them to communicate effectively with humans.

When visitors land on your web page, the AI-powered chatbot is programmed to welcome them and provide answers to questions. On e-commerce websites, chatbots not only interact with visitors but also offer product suggestions, help complete online purchases, and provide 24/7 customer service.

How does a chatbot work?

Chatbots analyze and interpret questions or comments and find the most relevant responses. For example, if someone asks a question about the price of a product on an e-commerce site, a chatbot will pick up on keywords and run through its database, looking for available responses and selecting the one that best fits the question. 

Chatbots work differently based on their type. Rule-based chatbots can only understand a specific type of input from the user and answer according to the rules on how it’s programmed. AI chatbots, on the other hand, answer all kinds of questions, whether they follow a particular pattern or not. They use artificial intelligence (AI) to understand the input and respond based on previous questions and responses.

How will my business benefit from chatbot technology?

Investing in a chatbot requires some commitment from you in both money and time. Chat services usually offer monthly, quarterly, or yearly billing. You will need to spend time setting up the service, and you will need to spend time addressing inquiries that the chatbot wasn’t able to answer. After all, the chatbot doesn’t know everything. Once the setup is complete, the process should be pretty seamless. Here are some advantages you’ll see from integrating a chatbot on your website:

Reduces costs and saves time

Chatbots can have a significant impact on reducing the costs of hiring additional staff for customer support teams. Research predicts that in 2022, companies will save up to $8 billion just from chatbot conversations. A chatbot can respond to many visitors simultaneously, which isn’t possible for one person to do, no matter how trained or efficient they are.

Chatbots also speed up sales operations by reducing mistakes and performing efficiently. By adding additional cloud solutions, you can offer features with chatbots to provide answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), which enhances productivity, and sales.

Improves user experiences  

Chatbots that use artificial intelligence technology solutions can provide personalized answers to questions in different languages using advanced technology solutions. There’s no communication barrier with chatbots because you can add language options for international visitors. Additionally, the services are available 24/7 on your website, so visitors don’t have to wait for a response from someone.

Unlike humans, chatbots never get tired or annoyed with repeated questions and rarely make mistakes while processing the information provided by a visitor.

Boosts customer care and support

Even the simplest type of chatbots significantly improve customer service by providing prompt responses to your website visitors. Visitors, especially those on an e-commerce site, have certain expectations regarding page load speed, customer care and response time, etc. And they rate your website based on those expectations.

If your website is taking too long to load or if they have to wait a long time to find answers or information, it creates a bad impression for your brand. KPMG’s Global Customer Experience Excellence report says that failing to meet customer expectations proves twice more damaging than exceeding them. It shows that customers value brands that provide smooth customer support and live up to their expectations.

Automates sales process 

Chatbots can offer more than just improved customer support and better communication. They act as a sales funnel and lead potential customers to the final step in their purchase. Recent statistics about the use of chatbots in businesses show an average of 67% increase in sales.

Well-developed chatbots automate sales by suggesting relevant products and services to visitors. Moreover, they can solve problems regarding payment, returns, order confirmation, etc., which speeds up the sales process.

Identifies and improves lead quality 

Chatbots use artificial intelligence to understand better and segment the target audience. They analyze and gather information about trending patterns and keywords people are looking for and provide initial assistance to the visitors before connecting them to specific team members. According to a 2020 report by Drift, 55% of the companies using AI-powered chatbots end up with top-quality leads. Chatbots filter the audience to find the perfect leads for your brand.

Chatbots, along with some additional modern cloud solutions, can help grow your business by contributing to and positively impacting your total sales. Because of the limited number of resources, small businesses see the most impact and can see positive results almost instantly. Speak with your managed services provider about integrating chatbots into your website.

 

Visual Edge IT, Inc. (VEIT) specializes in managed IT services and security, cloud computing, and print/copy solutions for businesses across the U.S. including remote office locations. We offer a full line of office technology and services including 24/7 remote monitoring and administration of networks, service desk, and data backup and restore to improve business processes across a variety of industries. Plus, Visual Edge IT™ represents the industry’s leading manufacturers of office technology allowing businesses to get equipment, supplies and service from a single source. Backed by more than 20-years of technology service and a national network of expert engineers, VEIT is uniquely positioned to support business technology needs. The company is headquartered in North Canton, OH, USA. Request your no-obligation assessment today and get a free dark web analysis.