Six Reasons Your Ecommerce Site Needs A Chatbot

The modern consumer has an increasingly shortened attention span. In addition, they are quite used to instant gratification. They want their questions answered 24/7. Consequently, humans do need sleep and you just can’t answer every single question at all times.

As a result, chatbots are starting to become the new normal in ecommerce. Plus, you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg hiring a new customer service team.

What Is A Chatbot?

If you’ve ever tried to contact a company’s customer representative, you know how frustrating that task can be. You’re asked to answer a series of prompts before you can even begin to get your question answered. If there are other customers calling in, you might have to wait when you just don’t have the time.

Depending on the company’s customer service hours, you may also have to call only during the day–on your work break. Then, there is the fact that the customer representative can only do so much and is limited by the speed of the customer management systems they can open.

In today’s hyper-connected and digital world, people just don’t want to wait. Fortunately, there is a quick and easy answer: chatbots. Also known as a talkbot, a chatbot is a computer program designed to engage in conversation while passing the Turing test, which makes the recipient believe the chatbot is human.

Through the use of artificial intelligence (AI), chatbots can respond to a question and even learn from what the customer types or says. In fact, chatbots can build off previous conversations. Moreover, chatbots can dig through massive amounts of data to find the perfect answer for the customer.

For instance, if a customer asks a chatbot for a hotel recommendation, the chatbot can remember the hotel and even suggest nearby restaurants. For ecommerce sites that want to offer 24/7 customer service, but can’t afford to hire an around-the-clock customer service team, a chatbot is a perfect solution.

Plus, creating a chatbot that can handle basic business information isn’t as difficult as it may seem. Now, let’s move on to the reasons your ecommerce site needs a chatbot.

Save Money

Every year, $79 billion is paid out to customer service representatives in the U.S. While ecommerce trends are constantly changing, one thing remains the same–the need to cut costs and improve margins.

With advancements in technology, it is important to embrace it. If you want your ecommerce sales to grow, then you must keep up with contemporary trends–and, this includes utilizing a chatbot.

The good news is chatbots can help you cut down on costs over the long run. And, you can invest the savings in other areas. According to this article from Wonolo, you have several options for reducing business operating expenses. Furthermore, based on a study from Juniper Research, AI-powered chatbots can save businesses $8 billion globally–every year–by 2022.

This is due to automating services such as human call centers and customer support sites. And, with AI, chatbots can only get smarter and more effective. There is a reason why companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are making major headways in AI technology.

Get Quick Feedback

As your ecommerce site continues to evolve, you will probably want feedback from your target customers and prospects. As you well know, if they aren’t happy with your site’s functionality, they won’t be back. Still, creating a variety of surveys can be seriously time-consuming. Moreover, people just don’t want to fill out surveys–it’s really difficult to get anyone to do it.

Instead, use a chatbot to help create and send out a poll. Since chatbots are designed to be conversational, customers will appreciate this less intrusive method for gathering feedback.

And, you’ll get more of your time back since you don’t have to create the surveys on your own. This can be a valuable resource in terms of creating long-lasting relationships with your customers.

Make Customers Feel Appreciated

Customers are more loyal when they feel understood by your brand. You want to make them feel that their concerns and suggestions are well received.

Eventually, chatbots will have the ability to track moods, performance, and mental patterns. As a result, they can anticipate needs and offer solutions before they are even requested. Think of how useful that can be in terms of personalizing every single customer interaction.

Improve Your Brand Reputation

When your ecommerce site has a reputable brand, it builds trust. Of course, it makes sense to follow brand identity guidelines to ensure you aren’t confusing your customers and prospects.

How else do you build trust in our modern world? Through amazing customer service and innovative technologies. People prefer interacting with an AI-powered website or mobile app. They don’t want yesterday’s technology, they want the future right now.

When your brand conveys technology-forward thinking, you will get a positive reaction. One way to do that is by incorporating chatbots.

Provide 24/7 Customer Support

One critical factor to e-commerce success is customer service availability. When you offer 24/7 customer service, it produces a positive outcome in relation to customer satisfaction.

And, it goes without saying that chatbots can immediately improve your customer service offerings. Consequently, you can then assist more customers–saving both time and money.

Increase Engagement

Customers want to interact with brands. And, they want instant gratification. Yet, many companies do not have the resources or the staff to interact in a proactive way. Most of the time, it is passive customer interaction where they only respond to customers.

But, in highly competitive industries, customers cannot afford to offer only passive interaction. On the other hand, chatbots let you interact with your customers any time of day—being proactive. You have now transformed into a friendly brand that is available whenever customers and prospects need you.

Final Thought

Chatbots can become one of the most important innovations for your ecommerce site. They ensure 24/7 availability and a hyper-personalized experience. As a result, you can save on costs while increasing efficiency, customer engagement, customer loyalty, and brand reputation.

Chatbots are the wave of the future. So, what are you waiting for?