The addition of a chatbot to your business can be a very valuable asset. Below I’d love to explain why:
Chatbots for SME’s provide small businesses with a sophisticated way to manage customer service. It is one of the most valuable tools which any small business can have. It provides the business with the opportunity to enhance business intelligence simply by making use of an AI chatbot. When properly and accurately leveraged chatbots can provide a very high level of customer satisfaction. In a small business, this can mean the effective streamlining of all support functions. Over the last couple of years, there has been a tremendous increase in the amount of implemented chatbots. These AI entities have become very prevalent and omnipresent. It doesn’t matter where a person may go, whether they are calling a cab or ordering food there is a strong likelihood that you are dealing with a chatbot when doing that transaction. These chatbots are widely used in social media messaging apps or on company websites and they are always ready to provide assistance to visitors.
What is a chatbot
There are still many people who are still uncertain what a chatbot actually is. Basically, computer programs which have the ability to have a conversation with a human being are referred to as chatbots. There are already a very large number of very popular messaging apps which is making use of chatbots. There are also a large number of small and big businesses who have their own chatbots. Some of these chatbots are well-known to consumers. They are artificial intelligence entities which have the ability to understand written text and also spoken words. These smart chatbots have the ability to understand those messages and to provide the user with solutions and information which correspond to the question which has been asked. They are able to do this because of the technologies which have been embedded in them. There are two basic types of chatbots and they use different technologies. The first is AI-based chatbots and the second is command based chatbots. Those AI-based chatbots are making use of technologies such as natural language processing and machine learning which allow them to answer many questions. They will generate answers which will be mostly correct because of natural language processing and they can even improvise because they have the ability to learn from past questions.
Command based chatbots
These types of chatbots function on hardcoded messages. They will also make use of heuristics and they have access to an entire databank of possible questions and answers. One of the limitations is that they cannot generate text themselves. They do have the ability to understand most user questions and are also able to select a suitable reply based on the question which was raised by the user. In general, command chatbots are extremely dependable and they will always be grammatically correct. The primary limitation of these command chatbots is that they will not be able to answer questions for which there is no answer in their databank. Even though they are highly useful and effective, command chatbots will only have access to a very limited set of questions and answers. They will only be able to find answers which have been included in their databank. Human intervention will be necessary when questions are asked to which the command chatbot does not have access.
First line support
In most customer support departments Chatbots are mostly the first line of customer support. Many of them have sophisticated conversational user interfaces. No coding is necessary during implementation. They have become essential to small business enterprises especially those who are serious about a high level of customer service. Chatbots can help these SME’s to quickly increase their customer base. Chatbots can provide a very unique user experience. Conventional websites and apps simply cannot compete. This also makes them suitable for interactive marketing campaigns. With Chatbot implementation a small business will be able to reach a larger consumer audience. Even though the results will be better the cost will remain amazingly low. Thousands of Chatbots are already been used on websites and social media accounts, they are also used on Facebook messenger. Looking at these examples can show businesses how to reach out more effectively to consumers without needing a large budget.
24 hours a day availability
One of the most remarkable benefits for small businesses, when chatbots are used, is that less human resources will be necessary to engage with valuable customers. Even the best human employees will only function effectively for approximately 6 hours. This is not the case when you make use of chatbots. They will continue to operate effectively and uninterruptedly 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Most businesses see a decrease in operating cost when making use of chatbots. The customer does not have to wait endlessly for customer care agents. The majority of those frequently asked questions can be successfully answered by chatbots. Therefore, the consumer no longer has to wait for long periods of time before they will be attended to. One of their frustrations, when been placed on hold, is that they are forced to listen to that horrible music which is used by most businesses. Making use of chatbots will be a lot better because they allow small businesses to better manage the quality of every call.
More productive businesses
Many small businesses have experienced rapid expansion because of chatbot implementation. Because of chatbots, there is no longer any limitations as far as time and efficiency are concerned. Even the very best switchboard operator can only manage 2 or 3 calls simultaneously. Chatbots will be able to keep track of dozens of calls without becoming confused. This will allow the business to provide quick and effective solutions to their consumers. There is also the very important issue of customer acquisition cost. This can be a big burden for small businesses. Once again making use of SME chatbots can result in sizable savings. Chatbots are more than able to effectively handle sales. Just like the switchboard operator salespeople will not be able to handle more than 2 or 3 customers simultaneously. However, AI chatbots are more than able to process several gigabytes of data in a very short time. The result is significantly quicker response times which converts to customers who are highly pleased and impressed with your business.
