As the world becomes more interconnected and digitised, the need to be present and available to your customers at all times becomes more pressing. 

You are told to be available wherever your customer is, which is a great start but unfortunately this can become either too expensive or is just not humanly possible. 

But who said that only humans can take care of your customers?

Chatbots are the answer

Chatbots are programmable digital robots designed to answer your audiences’ questions in real time. These can be easily incorporated into your company’s website, your social media channels and much more. 

Chatbots have been around for a while now and the chances are you might have interacted with a few yourself. Luckily, the technology keeps getting better and better, and easier to implement so everyone can benefit from them.  According to a new analysis by Grand View Research, Inc., the worldwide chatbot market is predicted to reach USD 3.99 billion by 2030, and that’s nothing short of amazing.

So, let’s find out why these are imperative for your website in 2022.

1.     Efficiency

Chatbots can hold multiple conversations at once, ensuring that you respond to every visitor that visits your website immediately without wasting time. They are programmable to answer all the frequently asked questions and more.

They are extremely cost effective for the service they offer, and best of all, they never sleep. Chatbots work 24/7, do not require days off, do not experience mood swings, and can be fluent in multiple languages. Simply, perfect hosts!

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2. Improved Lead Generation & Nurturing

Chatbots are a proactive way to improve consumer engagement by making it more interactive and less stressful. Many people choose to interact with these chatbots because they feel safe knowing there isn't a person on the other end, allowing them to experiment with the many features that chatbots offer. 

By guiding and questioning customers throughout their buyer journey, they can provide information that may persuade the user and ultimately create a lead. The chatbot can then provide information about potential customers to the sales team, who can then follow up with the leads. The bots can increase conversion rates and ensure that the prospect’s journey leads to a purchase.

3. Increased ROI

Chatbots can also assist the sales team in determining a lead's qualifications by using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as budget, timeframe, and resources. This can save your businesses time and resources that would otherwise be wasted on non - qualified leads and time-wasters

The story of "Movistar," a telecommunications operator operating in Spain and Hispanic countries, is an excellent illustration. They were able to lower Customer Service expenditures by more than 30% while increasing customer retention rate to 80% by implementing chatbots on their websites.

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4. Data Collection and Analysis

Feedback collection is another fantastic feature that chatbots offer. They can collect feedback from each interaction and use it to help your company improve its services, products, or websites. 

Bots can also be used to collect user data in order to track behaviors and purchasing patterns. This data can help organizations understand how to better market their products and services, as well as avoid common stumbling blocks that customers face during the purchasing process.

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5.     A Promising Future

 The future seems bright for these little servers, with additional functionality being added to their already impressive arsenal. Artificial intelligence (AI) implementation is a significant area that developers are already looking to incorporate into chatbots to make them even more effective and to boost the level of personalisation that they provide in terms of engaging with clients.

Voice conversation Chatbots are gaining traction as well. Mostly as a solution for those who would experience difficulty typing or visually viewing the webpage.

Challenges along the way!

Even though chatbots are extremely useful and versatile, they do have their own set of issues that must be addressed.

Firstly, despite the fact that technology has been around for quite some time, it is still relatively new and evolving on a daily basis. Ensuring they are equipped with the latest updates and new features can be time-consuming, but it is well worth the effort.

Secondly, even if they can be programmed in an infinite number of ways, they will never reach the level of social comprehension and complexity that humans have with one another. Therefore it is always best to include an option to have the conversation transferred to a human, when business hours permit you to do so.

Lastly, sometimes people have a tendency to make mistakes when typing, either by typing random letters or incorrect information. While there are ways to ensure that the correct information is submitted, these bots cannot detect all data errors. So it is best to have someone perform a periodic data audit to try and rectify common problems.

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