Chatbots and Live Chat Marketing Services

Live chats are real time chat-based interactions and a form of customer service that you can use to grow your business. They work by nurturing your visitor leads until they become customer ready. Chatbots, mirror this process with an AI interface that mimics real interactions.

Chatbot Marketing: What is It and How Can You Use It?

Streamlining customer service means better reviews, a higher brand reputation, and more inbound links to your website (to drive SEO traffic). However, chatbots can do more than simply answer questions quickly. They can also serve as cold messaging software to reach out to your target audience.

Did you know that 95% of consumers cite customer service as important to brand loyalty? This high figure means that businesses must invest in quality customer support from the conception of their startup. Chatbots make communicating with users easy and efficient.

This is just one aspect of chatbot marketing, a lead generation and nurturing strategy that’s expanding in 2022. But how do chatbots work and how can they help your business grow? Read on to answer these questions and learn how to use chatbots.

What Is a Chatbot?

Chatbots are computer programs that have automated conversations with users. Businesses program these chatbots with different responses that they can share based on the queries that the user messaging them makes. They’re powered by artificial intelligence (AI) software, which makes the messages that users receive as responses to their queries automatic and quick.

Generally, chatbots are ideal for answering common questions that site visitors have. You can program your chatbot to detect common questions and keywords. The bot can then provide pre-set answers to common inquiries that you have programmed into it.

You can also program a chatbot to get in touch with a human representative if the user has questions that the chatbot does not know the answer to. It can direct users to a specific department or professional. It also can inform users of business hours if they contact the chatbot outside of them.

What Is Chatbot Marketing?

As the name implies, chatbot marketing is a digital marketing strategy that uses these bots to promote your business. This sometimes takes place on social media. After all, Facebook Messenger was the first to offer businesses the opportunity to integrate bots with their direct messages.

When integrated with Facebook Messenger, chatbots became a part of each business’s social media marketing campaign. They optimized customer service requests and made the business more accessible to those with questions and concerns.

Streamlining customer service means better reviews, a higher brand reputation, and more inbound links to your website (to drive SEO traffic). However, chatbots can do more than simply answer questions quickly. They can also serve as cold messaging software to reach out to your target audience.

Does Chatbot Marketing Go Beyond Customer Service?

Yes!

When you install a chatbot onto a social media platform, you can program it to reach out to people within your target demographic. This may mean previous visitors or followers who have not yet reached out. It may also mean those who like competitor pages or fall into a specific occupation or income bracket.

When you have a chatbot send cold DMs to these people, you can easily spread the word of your business to new members of your target audience.

You can also use chatbots to lead these people into your sales pipeline. Let recipients schedule appointments or consultations with the bot and automatically upload them into your business calendar. Have the chatbot collect contact information such as emails to subscribe to your newsletter.

Chatbots aren’t just great for customers in the long run. They can also drive immediate conversions and give you an instant return on your investment.

Are Chatbots Actually Effective?

Chatbots aren’t just effective but also are becoming increasingly necessary in any competitive market. Consumers demand round-the-clock customer support and assistance in most areas. It’s imprudent for businesses to remain open 24/7 or hire 24-hour customer service reps, so chatbots have become extremely popular in recent years.

It’s also interesting to note that about 40% of all internet users prefer talking with chatbots than with human representatives. This is likely because of the convenience and simplicity that chatbots bring to the table. It’s likely that we will see a rise in their popularity as AI technology continues to advance and become better.

The Benefits of Chatbot Marketing Strategies

One of the main benefits of marketing with chatbots is that you save time and money. You don’t just get back to customers in a timely manner but also can communicate with them using fewer resources. Chatbots can work 24/7 and don’t need to be paid a salary, so you can save money that you would otherwise spend hiring more customer service reps.

In addition to speeding up communications, chatbots can also streamline the payment process when consumers place orders with you. They can take orders within the chat and accept payment if linked to PayPal or transfer services. If you’re running an eCommerce shop, this is a great way to use chatbots for instant conversions.

One of the best ways to use marketing chatbots is by collecting data for analysis. Chatbots can give insights into the things that your audience values and what they are looking for. You can assess this information and create a better chatbot marketing strategy that caters to what your audience most wants to see.

Chatbots don’t just give you leads via insights into your target audience: they also help you nurture them. By programming chatbots the right way, you can easily lead interested parties down the entire sales funnel. Chatbots can redirect people to product pages, give actionable CTAs, and guide people on why your services are worth their money.

Digital Marketing Services

  • Brand Strategy
  • Social Media Brand Management
  • Social Media Listening ( Real Time brand Monitoring)
  • Social Media Identity Workshop
  • Corporate Identity / Branding
  • Marketing & Sales Automation
  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
  • Leads Nurturing

Chatbot vs. Live Chat: Pros and Cons

The purpose of a chatbot is to simulate a human conversation. In customer service settings, chatbots will assist customers with queries. They may also be capable of upselling, generating leads, and collecting data.

According to Grand View Research, the global chatbot market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 25.7% from 2022 to 2030. However, this popularity doesn’t mean that chatbots are the right choice for your business’ customer support. When comparing chatbots and live chat, you may find that your business is better off using live agents. 

Still, when it comes to the comparison of chatbot vs live chat, there are pros and cons to both options. Read on to learn more about these to help you decide which one is right for your business. 

Pros and Cons of Chatbots 

The purpose of a chatbot is to simulate a human conversation. In customer service settings, chatbots will assist customers with queries. They may also be capable of upselling, generating leads, and collecting data

Chatbots have different levels of sophistication. The least sophisticated ones will answer common questions with simple, one-line answers. The most sophisticated ones can change over time to offer increasing levels of personalization. 

With any of these types, however, your business will probably run into the following upsides and downsides. 

Cost-Effectiveness

Chatbots cost significantly less than human agents. To work with a chatbot program, your business will usually only have to pay a monthly fee to the business that owns it. These costs can range from a few hundred dollars to more than a thousand. 

This may seem like a lot. However, when you compare the costs of hiring a customer service team, it isn’t. You need to pay each of them hourly salaries plus employee benefits. 

Response Time 

Chat agents often have to keep up with several different conversations at once. If an agent keeps the customer on hold for too long, he or she may get frustrated and leave. 

In contrast, a chatbot will stay with your customer for their entire conversation. There may be some slight loading times as the bot processes information. However, in most cases, this wait time will be far less than what a customer will experience with a live operator. 

Scalability 

Is your business suddenly experiencing a larger amount of customer service calls regularly? One answer to this problem is to hire more agents for your customer service sector.

However, the hiring process takes a significant amount of time. You can also find it difficult to suddenly add the salaries of new employees into your business’ budget. 

You won’t experience this issue with a chatbot program. Depending on the power of your computer network, it can easily talk to hundreds if not thousands of customers instantly. 

24/7 Availability 

Does a customer have a query in the middle of the night? It will be difficult for a live customer service agent to reach them at that time. 

Your business can have a night shift customer service crew. However, the number of calls that your team will receive in the late hours is greatly reduced. You may find that you’re spending more on the nighttime agents’ salaries than they make you in profit. 

Yet, if a customer can’t get a response to a question right away, they may leave your site and never come back. A chatbot will be able to keep your customer engaged by answering their question right away. It will not, however, be able to answer more complex questions and this can frustrate your customers. 

Pros and Cons of Live Chat 

When a customer uses a live chat service, they’re having a conversation with a real person. In most cases, this agent will be an employee of the company. However, services exist that can provide customer service agents to businesses. 

There are a few different ways that this is done. Software can be included on a business’ website that allows the customer and agent to text with each other. In other cases, a customer can call a number. 

In both of these situations, agents will help a customer solve any problems he or she is having. It’s similar to what a chatbot does, but the agent can do a lot of things that the chatbot cannot. You can find some examples of these below 

Helps Solve Complex Issues 

Chatbots operate by targeting certain keywords and commands that customers often use. If the customer uses a phrase or word that the bot does not know, it cannot help the customer. 

For example, a chatbot can tell a customer the price of certain products and some options. However, if a customer is having a technical issue while purchasing the product, the bot cannot help. Live agents may need to use several different methods to solve the problem. 

Chatbots may be able to solve technical errors on their own at some point. In the present, however, the technology isn’t quite there yet. 

Personalization 

Humans are social animals. They appreciate and respond well when someone asks them personal questions and gives them personal answers. A chatbot can’t do this as effectively just yet. 

A live agent can ask a customer some simple questions about their day before starting. He or she can then respond to the customer’s specific answers. For example, a customer might say something about their family and the agent can talk a bit about their own family. 

Another aspect is that an agent can remember a customer if they need help through a longer issue. This can speed up the process of them helping the customer. 

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Live Chat Marketing: Strategies For Better Conversions

A livechat box gives consumers access to instant customer service which allows them to get answers to their questions or concerns immediately. When done right, this leads to a higher percentage of conversions for your company.

Even though automated technology continues to improve, 75% of people still prefer to interact with an actual human.  

This is part of why live chat marketing is so successful in helping to convert consumers. They can have their questions and concerns answered right then and there while still talking to an actual person. 

But there are many companies out there that are marketing with live chat but aren’t seeing the improved conversion rates. If you’re one of those companies, you may be wondering what you’re doing wrong and how can live chat increase conversion rates?

Keep reading to learn strategies for how to use live chat for better conversions.

What Is Live Chat?

A live chat box is a way to communicate with your customers in real-time while they’re right there on your webpage. It usually shows up in the bottom right corner of the page.

This box gives consumers access to instant customer service which allows them to get answers to their questions or concerns immediately. When done right, this leads to a higher percentage of conversions for your company.

Why Does Live Chat Marketing Work?

If someone is on your website then they are usually close to converting. If they have a question and need to call or email to get an answer, they will likely have to leave the page and wait a certain amount of time for the answer. This opens a lot of opportunities for them to simply forget about the purchase they were just moments away from making before.

Using a live chat box is also a great way of building trust between a customer and your company. It makes them feel like they have a personal connection and access to any answers they need. Building trust is a great way to help people who are on the edge to convert.

Take Time to Develop Your System

When you decide to add a chat box, or if you are redesigning the one you already have, you need to develop a strong system of protocols for it. 

You’ll need to set it up to open on its own in certain situations. This can be anything you’d like. For example, if someone is a first-time visitor to your website or if they’ve been on the page for a certain amount of time. It should pop open with a friendly greeting customized either for the customer or for the webpage it’s on. This is both so that the customer feels welcomed, and also so they know the chat box is there.

If the chat box doesn’t open on its own it’s easy for the consumer to overlook it. But be sure not to make the chat box pop-up annoying or intrusive, because that can also wind up turning a potential customer away.

You should also create a list of frequently asked questions and their answers to send to your live chat team members so they can copy and paste them. This helps to increase speed and efficiency. However, they should still be personalizing the responses where possible.

Everything Is Copy

Everything on your website is copy and should be working towards the end goal of converting the consumer. The chat box is no different.

To take advantage of this you can use it to demonstrate the value you offer to the customer. Include more than just a simple, “ask questions here”, tag for it. In essence, you can use the chat box as a pop-up ad.

This is a great place to advertise any sales or incentives you may be running. You can also consider including options in the message that opens with the chat box. Along with a friendly welcome include several clickable options. For example:

  • More information here
  • Browse our options
  • Schedule an appointment

Use these to help lead your customer further towards making a purchase.

This is also a great place to include something that encourages people to introduce themselves, including their email addresses. That way even if they don’t convert today you will have their email address and can continue to nurture the lead that way.

Train Your Live Chat Team Members Well

At the end of the day what your customers will remember most from their chat box experience is how the interaction with the team member went. Did they feel respected? Did the person understand their question and actually care about answering it?

Having a well-trained live chat team can make a massive difference in conversions. Just as having a poorly trained team member with a bad attitude can lead to even fewer conversions.

While your team should always be professional and helpful they should also be able to match the customer’s tone. If a customer is speaking in a formal tone, then so should the team member, and if they’re being more casual the team member should match that as well. Being able to adapt for each individual customer is a critical skill here. 

Another important thing your team should be trained in is how to answer your customer’s questions without talking down to them. Especially if you’re in a field where there are many technical concepts that the team may need to answer questions about.

Use Customer Questions to Improve Your Website

The chat box and the conversations that your team has in it is actually an excellent place to collect feedback that can be used to improve your website. Even if it’s already well-designed, it can always be improved. If people are consistently asking the same question, it’s safe to assume that others have the question as well, but instead of asking they just leave your website.

If you notice this, take a look at that question and see how you can answer it on the website itself. If it’s a question about a particular product or service, be sure to address it in the copy on the product page.

While having the live chatbox there to answer the questions is great, making it so that the consumer doesn’t have to ask in the first place is even better.

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WhatsApp for Websites: How and Why to Use It?

Before you figure out agency fees, you need to figure out what your marketing budget is. This means having a set amount set aside for advertising.

WhatsApp is an incredibly popular instant messaging application that has over 500 million daily active users.

It is used in over 180 countries around the globe to communicate with friends and family, but did you know that it’s also a great tool for businesses to chat with their customers? 

Nowadays, many businesses are putting a WhatsApp button on their website to create a better experience for their customers. 

In this article, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about WhatsApp for websites.

What Is the WhatsApp Icon and Why Use It for Your Business?

WhatsApp offers a Click to WhatsApp button that makes chatting with your business as easy as clicking a button for your customers.

Seconds after they press the button, they’ll be in a chat room with a customer service rep from your business.

According to research, WhatsApp can actually increase your conversion rate by up to 113%. It can lead to increases in leads, sales, and repeat customers by making it easier for them to contact you.

Advantages of Using WhatsApp for Websites

There are several reasons why so many businesses are starting to add WhatsApp to their website. Let’s look at some of the biggest advantages.

Build Relationships

The most obvious benefit for both customers and businesses is the fact that you can chat directly with customers and build relationships with them.

Customers like to know that they aren’t just communicating with robots or just dealing with mysterious executives behind closed doors. By listening and understanding your customers and their issues, they’ll not only be more satisfied with your company, but you’ll be able to learn much more about your customers and their needs.

Creating a conversational setting makes building relationships much easier.

Most consumers will say that customer experience is one of the biggest factors in making a purchase with a company. Adding WhatsApp to your business is a great way to do that.

Speed Up Your Customer Interaction

80% of all messages that are sent on WhatsApp are seen within 5 minutes. This is a great indicator of how WhatsApp can help your response rates to create timely conversations with customers. 

By dealing with customers’ questions and issues quickly, you’ll raise their satisfaction with the company.

Make It Easy for Customers

The WhatsApp icon is easily recognizable on a business’s website. No one wants to spend excess time and brain power trying to find a way to contact your company. This can lead to frustration or loss of customers.

By giving them an easy and accessible option to chat with the business, you raise your chance of keeping them on your website and eventually making a purchase.

Keep In Touch With Visitors Even After They Leave

Customers’ patience for waiting seems to grow thinner and thinner every day. Most consumers aren’t willing to wait for more than a minute or two for your customer service before they leave. 

A great benefit of integrating WhatsApp with your business is that they can get in contact with your business without having to stay on the website to get an answer. They can just contact you through WhatsApp and wait for your response as if waiting for a text message from a friend.

With the right apps, you can even automate responses or use chatbots to elevate your customer’s experience!

How to Integrate WhatsApp Into Your Website

There are three different ways to get in contact with customers with WhatsApp for business. We’ll show you how to install all three.

1. Click-to-Chat

This feature allows customers to simply click on a button to start chatting with your business through WhatsApp. This works both on WhatsApp web and on the smartphone app.

There are a couple of ways you can present this URL to your customers. You can add a hyperlink to a phrase such as “Chat With Us Now!” Once they click it, it will link directly to the WhatsApp chatroom.

To add this WhatsApp link to your website, you need to edit the following link:

https://wa.me/[WhatsAppNumber]

Where it says “WhatsAppNumber,” replace it with the phone number you want to use for your business.

2. QR Code

Some customers might not want to go through phone numbers to start a conversation. It can be very time-consuming for a customer to go through to add the number to their phone, which can drive many people away.

If they want to get a hold of your phone number, they’ll first have to look it up. Then they have to save you as a contact by writing a name and inputting the number into a huge list of contacts. Then, if they want to reach you again, they have to find you on their phone.

An easier solution to this issue is by creating a QR code to easily start conversations. 

To create a QR code for WhatsApp, first, create a click-to-chat link like the one in the section above. You can then turn this link into a QR code on a website like QR Code Monkey.

Then add the QR icon to a visible place on your website and you’re good to go!

3. WhatsApp API

The last option is to include the app on your website through the WhatsApp API. This way, you can include the app in any part of your website.

All you need to do is enter your company’s phone number onto the end of this link:

https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=

That’s it!

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