The world absolutely loves chatbots these days. You can see them everywhere--from website customer support chatbots to Messenger chatbots on your favorite brands.
It’s especially popular here in Asia and the Philippines, where they are seeing and expecting many businesses to integrate chatbots within the next few years.
It's easy to want to do what the big boys are doing and jumping straight into putting a chatbot to work for your business. But if you want to maximize the impact your chatbot brings to your business, taking a few minutes to plan your chatbot strategy will be worth it in the end.
Let's get started.
Tip #1 - Focus on ROI
Don't try to do everything with your chatbot when you're starting out.
It's not about what the chatbot can and can't do, but rather:
- What your target market and potential customers want to see out of your chatbot, and
- What will have the most positive impact on your business
Let's say you are a hair stylist and you also sell hair and beauty products in your salon. It will be tempting to have your chatbot manage appointments for your clients, and also offer them the products you sell.
But we recommend focusing on what will have the most impact on your business, and what your customers will need the most. If the bulk of your business activity revolves around haircuts, makeup, and other salon services, focus on an appointment-taker chatbot first.
Why?
A chatbot that instantly overwhelms your customer with options isn't going to do well. They are more likely to just ask to speak to a human customer or sales officer than try to go through a conversation with your chatbot.
The secondary business activities can come later.
Whatever your need for a chatbot is, focus on what's most important to your business first. Think of what your chatbot really needs to do well and will have the most impact on your business, and start with that.
Tip #2 - Gather Data
Don't just install a chatbot, take orders or appointments, and forget about it. There are many things you can learn about your customers by looking at how they interact with your chatbot.
This is one reason why it's good to focus on one set of tasks for your chatbot first. The first version of your chatbot will give you a lot of information about what your particular market expects from them. You can apply this knowledge to your chatbot once you start expanding it to cover more tasks for your business.
Think about what information you need to know about your customer, and how you can make the customer open to sharing that information with your chatbot, and in extension, your business.
Once you have that information, you can start improving not just your chatbot, but your whole business, too. Perhaps it's ways to expand to bigger markets, exploring new product lines, or enhancing current products.
The sky's the limit.
Tip #3 - Make Your Customers Smile
Your chatbot is an extension of your customer service staff and sales people. It's tempting to treat them as an "upgrade" to website forms. But they can be so much more, and that's how your chatbot will bring you great ROI and enhance your brand experience.
Think about what things your customer might want to do that only a chatbot might be able to do. It can be something as simple as making appointments without having to talk to someone on a phone. Or it could be something as specific as organizing a grocery list for them based on what they want to cook. (Check out some of these innovative ways people have used chatbots, too.)
Get Inspired
Chatbots are popular these days, and for good reason. Check out these interesting use cases that has seen amazing ROI:
There are so many more companies who are seeing amazing returns on their chatbot investment. It takes a little strategy and focus, but your business can join these ranks as well.
Remember:
- Focus on ROI,
- Gather data, and
- Make your customers smile.
You'll win the chatbot lottery in no time.