How to Choose the Best Chatbot Platform for Your Business

Superior customer service is paramount, especially in the digital age. Bain & Company found that customers are four times more likely to take their business to a competitor if the problem is service related instead of price or product related and 47% of customers report they’ll stop buying from a company if they have a poor customer service experience.

Dealing with untrained customer service representatives, long hold times, or non-existent communication from a company can be thoroughly frustrating. To alleviate this irritation for customers, companies are turning to chatbots.

90% of businesses report faster complaint resolution when using chatbots; and 57% agree that chatbots deliver a large ROI with little to no effort.

Could chatbots be the tool that remedies your company’s customer service woes?

What Are Chatbots?

A chatbot is a computer program that simulates human conversation through voice commands, text chats, or both. These programs use natural language processing and artificial intelligence (AI) to make decisions on behalf of the company and the customer.

Chatbot apps can be used to:

• Communicate with customers
• Answer customer questions
• Offer product suggestions
• Alert companies of an elevated customer need
• Streamline a business task such as scheduling posts or reserving a conference room

From ordering a Domino’s pizza through Facebook Messenger to scheduling a meeting on Slack, chatbots have endless uses.

6 Benefits of Chatbots for Business

1. 24/7 Customer Support

For small- to medium-sized businesses, having a 24/7 customer support team is costly. With an AI chatbot at your service, your company can answer customer questions from anywhere in the world, any time of day.

2. Reduced Labor and Overhead Costs

Since you don’t need to hire or assign employees to monitor online customer requests (unless the chatbot deems it necessary), your company will enjoy reduced costs. You can dedicate that funding to other areas of customer service that may need improvements, such as training or website design.

3. Customer Convenience

As a customer, it’s never a good feeling when you have a product or service problem in the middle of the night and know the company is closed until the morning. With a chatbot platform, customers have access to answers whenever they need it! This added convenience amplifies the customer’s trust in your brand and company, leading to more purchases down the line.

4. Lead Generation

Chatbots can be programmed to complete whatever task or conversation you assign. With this in mind, your chatbot software can be used as a lead generation tool for converting online visitors into paying customers through product suggestions, content recommendations, and more.

5. Content Distribution

Want to get more eyes on your blog posts? Use a chatbot! Program your chatbot app to suggest articles to qualified website visitors.

6. Programmability

Arguably the most important benefit of chatbot platforms is the ability to program them to accomplish almost anything. Think about what areas of customer service or day-to-day operations your business needs help with, and program your chatbot software to streamline the process.

The Top 5 Chatbots for Business

It’s important to find the best chatbot for your business. Consider these chatbot platforms:

1. Intercom

Intercom is a conversational chatbot app that helps facilitate the customer journey. It can also interact with external apps and tools to fit right into your customer support strategy.

2. Landbot

With Landbot, you don’t need to be a master coder to have a chatbot for business. Landbot is a “no-code” conversational chatbot platform. And the platform connects right with WhatsApp to reach your customers where they are.

3. ManyChat

ManyChat is a marketing chatbot app focused on selling your products and services to customers through a messenger conversation. The platform also integrates with platforms such as Shopify for a seamless shopping experience.

4. Drift

Drift is a conversational marketing chatbot program designed to qualify leads that visit your website. Plus, it can schedule customer meetings with your sales team through calendar integrations and more.

5. FreshChat

FreshChat is another conversational chatbot app that communicates with customers through every step of the purchase process, from research to shipping notifications. The chatbot app connects with tons of messaging platforms including Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.

Implement the Best Chatbot Into Your Business

Whether you want to improve customer service interactions or enhance your lead generation campaigns, chatbot platforms are the way to go. Which AI chatbot will you incorporate into your business?