Chatbots for business use are computer programs that use AI to mirror human conversation. They are useful for providing customer service at any time, and depending on their programming, can direct site visitors towards sales or inquiries.

Using a chatbot can increase a company’s engagement, and it will often be the first port of call for website visitors. If you wish to automate time-consuming tasks, and free up resources, read this article to find out how to get your own. 

One of the biggest positives about chatbots is that they can increase an organisation’s responsiveness. This means providing simple information to answer queries fast, 24/7. A chatbot contributes to a highly personalised customer experience, meaning the visitor can get their queries solved and leaves them with a more favourable view of your business.

Chatbots have the ability to problem-solve and can automate sales, too. They minimise the risk of human error – slow response times, incorrect spellings or anything else that would degrade the customer’s experience. Often, they provide a more detailed answer to a query – and if all else fails, they can direct visitors straight to the appropriate human who can help.

According to Sprout Social, 53% of people are more likely to shop with businesses they can message directly. Customer satisfaction remains the main aspect of chatbot software – if a user’s experience is unfriendly or they can’t find what they’re looking for, they’ll simply go elsewhere.

There are plenty of options for chatbot software available – Zendesk is the software of choice for companies like Airbnb, OpenTable and Slack. Boost.ai offers integration and automation with no coding experience required, and a conversational AI which is self-learning. Also, Intercom’s chatbots can be used to convert visitors into leads, speed up resolution times or be customised to perform any action.

Despite how advanced the software is, it will still need some monitoring to ensure things are running smoothly. Humans may have to handle some of the more complex inquiries, as a chatbot may struggle with multiple queries at once or a different phrasing than they were expecting.

A chatbot represents your business, so think carefully about how it will convey your branding. Program its responses to match your business personality, and make sure it communicates your values effectively.

Depending on your end goal, i.e. converting visitors into customers or leads or promoting a product or service, make your chatbot agile enough to effectively assist with this. Also, you should think about where best to implement a chatbot, again depending on your goals – website chatbots have many uses, including directing website traffic to a certain page on your site.

AI chatbots, as standard, will respond to a message sent by a user. For example, if someone enters the query ‘do you deliver?’ a sofa seller’s chatbot may give a simple answer (yes or no) as well as any extra information they need, such as any minimum purchase price to qualify for free delivery or the catchment area they should be living in to get a discount on their delivery.

So-called ‘smart’ chatbots are AI-based, and can understand the context of a question, factoring in customer intent. They grow more efficient from their conversations through machine learning, and are dynamic, depending on the situation. However, these tend to be on the higher end of the price scale.

Rule-driven or ‘simple’ chatbots operate from commands. They may be on the lookout for a specific keyword or phrase which will direct them on the next prompt to deliver. They work from pre-written scripts and work like a flowchart to answer the customer’s questions. These chatbots require more monitoring and are more likely to encounter issues due to unfamiliar phrasing.

Although implementing a chatbot seems like a daunting task, the payoff can be huge. Chatbots can shoulder live support at any time, in turn freeing up more resources for your team to work on other projects. We hope you have enough information to decide whether or not your business can benefit from a chatbot.

If you would like to learn more, consider using the Lincoln Be Smarter scheme; not only do we offer grant funding of up to £50,000, but you can receive academic support from the computer science department at the University of Lincoln. Why not have a chat with us?