Success

Chatbots

What is Chatbot Automation and How Can You Make It Work?

Jacquelyn Dunham

12 min read

Mar 8, 2024

Chatbots are changing the way we do business. Instead of waiting for specific company hours to find out when a custom cat sweater is available or to ensure your order will arrive on time through tracking, you get answers anytime, from anywhere in the world.

If you want better customer satisfaction, you want AI-powered chatbots.

To remain competitive in today’s online business world, you have to integrate powerful automation tools that streamline operations. Conversational AI is how you achieve better customer engagement that reduces manual labor. That way, you can redirect your team to finding new products, improving marketing, or expanding target segments with a knowledge base or self-service tool.

Considering there are over 300,000 chatbots in operation on Facebook alone, it is easy to see how using chatbots is more than a trend. It is a “must-have” for your online company.

Let’s look closer at what an AI bot is and how you can leverage it in your daily operations.

What is chatbot automation?

At its core, AI chatbots are nothing more than a computer program. They work by simulating people's natural online conversations to better understand your customers’ needs.

This is done by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) so that every question, inquiry, and request gets a timely response. The stronger the natural language processing (NLP) behind the chatbot automation tools, the better the quality of response.

Put simply, it’s a software program hoping to mimic human language. When used correctly, the conversational AI platform starts to learn how to respond outside the pre-written scripts you may use to teach it.

Over time, these chatbots can perform complex initiatives like scheduling meetings with suppliers, updating user accounts for addresses and preferences, or customizing responses based on the customer's previous order history.

A well-trained chatbot is like having a team of online marketers, sales experts, IT support, and more – without breaks or additional support.

What are the benefits of automated chatbots?

Your company can drastically improve and streamline online operations with the right chatbot. For example, ChatBot provides quick and accurate AI-generated answers to any customer questions, and that is just scratching the surface.

Other chatbot benefits may include:

24/7 availability

A chatbot doesn’t sleep. It doesn’t need a break for lunch or to use the facilities. This is an around-the-clock solution, continuously operating at total capacity.

Your customers get complete support before, during, and after purchasing. When so many people expect a same-day response to any inquiry, having a trained and streamlined chatbot boosts your ability to deliver the customer support needed to stand out from the competition.

Multilingual customer service

Ecommerce and online sales are no longer region-by-region activities. The world is way more connected, and you are just as likely to get an order from Australia as you would the United States.

A well-thought-out chatbot ensures you can respond to customer concerns in their native language. That includes working with multiple requests simultaneously. For example, ChatBot can be trained using websites, Zendesk, FAQs, articles, and other resources to better answer questions from a wide range of clients – boosting customer service.

Instant transactions

The more efficient your customer support, the likelier you’ll get bookings, orders, and payments. A chatbot removes barriers to finalizing the transaction.

For example, if a customer needs to know if your custom jewelry ships to a P.O. box, you can use your chatbot to answer in the middle of the night while you catch up on much-needed sleep.

Improve data collection

Over 80% of users have interacted with a chatbot, even if they are unaware of that conversion. This may be someone requiring IT support with a new iPhone or planning a trip to The Bahamas and working with airline support.

All of those questions, answers, and conversations get sent to a database that can then be leveraged for feedback and improving operations. As an AI-backed tool, AI chatbots empower your team to make better decisions based on these insights.

Cost-efficient

Perhaps the best benefit of chatbot automation tools is cost-effectiveness. Instead of outsourcing customer service after hours or on the weekend, you have an automated response that works around the clock.

With automation, you reduce the cost of employees having to complete mundane or repetitive tasks. You can direct their attention to far more high-value tasks with better ROI.

Reduces human errors

An often-overlooked benefit of an AI chatbot is the reduction in human error. Even the most well-intentioned customer support team will make a mistake from time to time. Having our focus on a single task for an extended period is challenging.

An AI chatbot doesn’t need a break. The boredom or “haze” of staring at the screen to answer questions doesn’t exist for an automated bot.

Progressive learning

AI can be taught. While you may base your initial chatbot on a series of articles or databases, it can learn how to respond better to your unique customers over time.

ChatBot can lead customers to a sale through recommended purchases as it learns their recent activity and preferences.

Easy to scale

Again, the cost savings of well-structured AI-powered chatbots do not stop with your current customer base. As your online business grows, so does the scalability of a tool like ChatBot.

These increased interactions only strengthen how chatbots can improve sales, drive lead generation, and boost customer satisfaction.

How does chatbot automation integrate with your online business?

With so many benefits, it is easy to see why competitors are crawling over one another to begin using an AI chatbot. The only question remaining is how you will integrate this powerful tool into the structure of your company. This may include:

Marketing

Chatbots can automate personalized marketing campaigns to better engage with potential leads and boost customer satisfaction. They can analyze various customer feedback and then build new strategies tailored to the unique needs of those interacting with your brand - all through natural language processing. This may include targeted marketing, cross-selling, coupons, and more.

Human resources

Streamlined chatbots help employees just as much as customers. Through flagging software, tickets can be created to look closer at order issues requiring more investigation.

Sales

Conversions are the name of the game, and automated chatbots can help. Instead of losing leads due to unanswered questions or slow responses, you get higher conversion rates with immediate responses.

IT

Even basic AI chatbots can answer common IT or business questions about your operations. These tools allow your customers to update an account, change a shipping address, or even update a password.

The only limit of such powerful tools is your imagination. If you can think of a way to leverage chatbots, an integration is probably available for completing that task.

What industries use chatbot automation?

Lead generation support chatbots like that provided by ChatBot are not limited to any type of industry or sector. Part of the advantage of such a powerful tool is versatility.

An ecommerce brand hoping to expand sales of a complimentary product can utilize chatbots for cross-selling just as much as a new bed and breakfast can streamline bookings during the holidays through virtual assistants.

The applications are practically endless, covering industries like:

• Ecommerce
• Banking and finance
• Healthcare
• Education
• Travel and hospitality
• Real estate
• Insurance
• Retail
• Telecommunications
• Automotive
• Entertainment
• Restaurants
• IT and tech support
• Legal services

For example, in ecommerce, an AI chatbot automation can shorten the response time of customers who receive answers. When you compare two companies offering organic tea, and one responds almost instantly compared to the other having to wait for regular business hours, there is a clear winner.

What about a healthcare provider that wants to make scheduling more accessible for patients? A well-trained AI chatbot can automate the process through the chat screen, offering self-service links to open dates and confirming the needs of that visit before the provider even sees the interaction.

Or, how about a real estate agent who needs a way to establish trust and lower the chance of human error? A mistake with a potential home buyer can lead to lost time and revenue from a potential sale. Many of the admin tasks automate workflows and customer interactions. These can be moved over to an automated chatbot instead.

The flexibility is why chatbot automation is so functional across all industries, sectors, and niche markets.

How to onboard an automated chatbot

It can be a little intimidating to onboard new chatbot automation if you’ve never had the opportunity to work with one before. Luckily, products like ChatBot provide no-code/low-code solutions. Instead of needing in-depth technology knowledge, you can simply follow the easy steps to boost your online business in no time.

That being said, it helps to follow the basic steps of onboarding any such tool. These may include:

Know your customer needs

Look at your business from the perspective of your clients first. What are the needs they have when interacting with your online brand? Do they need booking solutions, product suggestions, or return help? That customer interaction knowledge will help inform you how you use a chatbot.

Choose the right solution for you

A small ecommerce business moving 20 units a day isn’t going to have the same needs as a massive enterprise. Be sure the parameters of the chatbot automation you are considering fit well with your business operations. It should streamline your daily life, not make things more complex.

Integrate into legacy systems

Once you have a viable chatbot automation you want to use, be sure it fits into whatever system you are using for your online business. A product like ChatBot is easily installed into your website infrastructure to instantly provide answers to common questions as it learns.

Test and refine

Over time, you want this chatbot automation tool to learn. Schedule a time to test the system yourself to verify your target audience is getting the most out of this integration.

Track performance

Finally, monitor and track the automation for performance. It should be contributing to your overall business operations. This may be sales, customer service, response times, conversions, or other metrics.

Again, onboarding chatbot automation tools will depend on your unique needs and business structure. Everyone is different, and a little research upfront can save you a lot of headaches later on down the road.

Start with ChatBot for your online business

Unsure what chatbot automation to begin improving your online business? Start with ChatBot.

Using a simple drag-and-drop visual builder, you can outline the simple responses, A/B testing, and any other enhancements you wish for this tool. As a no-code chatbot builder, it creates a highly engaging action that leads to better experiences your target audience will appreciate.

On top of benefits like faster 24/7 support, no coding, and AI-generated accurate answers, you’ll gain access to ChatBot Academy and prebuilt templates. These will save you time and money, so you have the most efficient and capable chatbot automation.

As for security, ChatBot doesn’t rely on third-party providers like Google Bard, OpenAI, or Bing AI. Everything is housed and hosted within the ChatBot platform. That speeds up response times and allows you to integrate with other tools like your website, messenger, or Facebook.

Learn more by signing up for ChatBot for free! You can test out the system in place on the website or begin crafting your unique chatbot automation via the free 14-day trial (no credit card required).

Now is the best time to begin expanding your online business with the power of chatbot automation tools. Sign up today and bring ChatBot to your operations.

Embracing chatbot automation begins with choosing the right tool. The ChatBot platform offers a seamless, secure, and efficient solution to embark on your automation journey. With no dependency on third-party providers and a commitment to data security, it stands as an ideal choice for online business owners.

Conclusion

Chatbot automation will help your online business grow. It is a surefire way to enhance the customer experience that directly leads to higher sales, lowered returns, improved FAQs, and around-the-clock interactions.

When you take advantage of modern tools like AI and NLP, you automate many of the processes that take up your team’s time. That allows your online brand to improve resource allocation, leading to lower expenses and higher ROI.

Whether automating your sales during the holiday season or lowering chargebacks due to higher returns or questions getting answered, using a tool like ChatBot is the best solution.

Sign up today and experience first-hand how ChatBot can redefine your online business operations.

FAQs

Are chatbots limited by number? 

It depends on the service you’re using. For example, if you work with ChatBot, you can create as many chatbot automations as you’d like, but the active bots in operation will depend on the price plan you select.

Where can a chatbot be installed? 

Again, this will depend on the service you use, but they are most often used on private websites, inside of direct messaging platforms, or through social media brand presence like Facebook. The tool's versatility has a lot to do with its potential power.

When can I launch a chatbot? 

Once you have built the chatbot, you should test and re-test it for accuracy. The fewer mistakes it makes, the better your sales and results with customers. However, when you are satisfied your testing is exhausted, you can launch your chatbot anytime.

What if I don’t have a website? 

You can still use a chatbot with your customers on social media and other contact platforms. ChatBot works as a widget, inside Slack, on a WordPress site, alongside Shopify, or even in Facebook Messenger.

How do I measure how successfully my chatbot automation is working? 

Track your basic data like customer service inquiries, sales figures, conversion rate, and other satisfaction scores. You should see shifts in your operations' quality once the chatbot integration is introduced into your regular systems.

Do I have to know a lot about computer coding? 

No. A big appeal of tools like ChatBot is that they provide a no-code solution. Everything is built using an easy-to-apply drag-and-drop system inside a visual environment. If you can update your Facebook profile, you can build a highly immersive and effective chatbot automation.