Increasing international competition, progressive digitization and thus also greater transparency in all areas. In times of Industry 4.0 and substitutable products and services, companies need to look for ways to assert themselves in the fight against competition. This applies in every area of the company, along all stages of the customer journey. A lot of information must already be included on the website so that — no matter how diverse the expectations are — all users quickly achieve the desired result. Anyone who doesn't find what he or she is looking for jumps off annoyed. With the flood of information that each of us is exposed to almost every day, it is only normal that some users lose track of things and are simply overwhelmed by the amount of options and content. It can also be extremely difficult to sell a product if you don't know your target group well. A chatbot offers an efficient and cost-effective solution to all these challenges.
What is a chatbot?
In simple terms, this is a text or voice-based interface that allows users to perform specific actions and receive information. At the most rudimentary end of the spectrum, there are bots that only offer a chat interface via a simple service. No artificial intelligence (AI) is involved here. At the other end of the spectrum are AI chatbots, which act as a full-fledged virtual assistant. Such bots work with artificial intelligence and Natural language processing (NLP). They are characterized by a variety of technical features and can be used in a wide variety of ways. For example, guests no longer have to call the restaurant to reserve a table, but can do so at any time via the chatbot. Customer service is relieved because the chatbot can already answer questions without the need for an employee. But AI chatbots have a number of advantages, especially for automation in sales.
The benefits of chatbots in sales and sales
In addition to other digital technologies, AI chatbots offer all companies, regardless of the industry (e.g. ecommerce, Finance, publishing, forming, etc.), lots of support. The software can help sales employees in the following ways, among others:
1. Automated lead generation
The use of a Chatbots for lead generation is one of the best strategies that companies can pursue. The sales team is therefore able to concentrate on the core tasks of their work. Chatbots enable a company to reach a larger audience without significantly affecting productivity or resources.
The bots not only answer questions, but can also ask questions and obtain information in this way. In this way, a chatbot can independently generate and also pre-qualify leads by querying data, such as the name, contact details and budget that is available. If a contact is actually interesting, the chatbot seamlessly forwards it to the sales team or makes an appointment directly. In addition, modern solutions in this field even offer the option of using the chatbot Connect CRM systems, so that leads from the chatbot are captured directly there. It is then time for human employees to get in touch, send information material, or start negotiations directly. The chatbot does the preliminary work — and the automated forwarding of information to the desired CRM system does not create a data silo.
2. Chatbots personalize automated content
Logically, a chatbot will not engage in acquisition in the form of cold calling and customer visits in the classic sense. However, chatbots are definitely able to carry out these processes — at least to a certain extent. Changing markets and the increasing transfer of businesses and buying processes to the Internet are playing into the cards here. The information they are looking for and a comprehensive product comparison are just a Google search away for people. Customers generally no longer go to the store for advice, at least not without prior research on the Internet. This is usually where the first contact with the potential buyer takes place. This is where the chatbot can be used for the first time. He greets the website visitor, offers his help and is available to answer any questions.
AI chatbots can also compile and analyze data and then make decisions based on it. After interacting with the customer, they are able to generate product suggestions based on the user's search history, buying trends, and previous purchases. This in turn leads to personalized solutions for the buyer. In many cases, chatbots can also offer discounts or point out promotions and thus perhaps also convince people who were still undecided or had no actual intention of buying, but these capabilities have so far been reserved for systems such as Google or Alexa from Amazon. These skills are impressive, but not always with the GDPR compatible. But even though not every AI chatbot has these skills, there are always ways to offer users a personalized experience. For example, the AI chatbot can “remember” the user and continue the conversations that have begun when the user visits the website again. In addition, a shipment number can be automatically queried in order to communicate the shipment status of the respective user to that user.
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3. Chatbots encourage buying
AI chatbots show their strengths, especially when it comes to giving visitors to your website the last impetus to buy. Just the ecommerce Can sing a song about it: Every day, website visitors worldwide add items to their shopping cart and then leave the site without making a purchase. The same applies, for example, to downloading marketing materials such as white papers. As a result, sales and potentially revenue-generating contact data are lost. In order to bring back these lost customers, a company can therefore opt for measures such as sending email reminders. However, chatbots can actually be more effective, as they encourage conversations through their personal appearance and friendlier brand voice. You can react to the problem that a prospective customer was confronted with and which caused him or her to give up the shopping cart. In this way, a chatbot can persuade a website visitor to complete a purchase that he or she has started.
4. Website visitors are more willing to reveal their contact information
Website forms are now an integral part of the Internet. This is one of the most commonly used methods for collecting customer data, including full name, email address, preferences, etc. However, this approach can be boring and tiring for website visitors, or has a very negative aftertaste in times of privacy discussions. The excessive use of generic emails to large mailing lists has led people to be wary of sharing their contact information. Nobody is happy to receive countless spam emails. Fewer and fewer people are willing to give their information unless they believe it will provide them with something valuable in return, i.e. something relevant to their specific needs.
Many people will therefore leave a website without sharing their information because a form is too long, has too many fields, or is being asked for information that they do not want to reveal. Some companies have already recognized this and have started phasing out forms and replacing them with chatbots. Now, instead of completing a sober survey, a visitor can provide personal information by engaging in a conversation with a chatbot. This chatbot asks questions, and users provide personal information simply by answering in the chat. The process will be much easier for potential customers. Often, some questions can even be answered via quick replies, so that not everything has to be entered individually.
5. Chatbots in sales build a relationship with customers
The range of products and services in the 21st century is more diverse than ever. Every product, every service offering can be substituted (at least to a certain extent). Hardly any product can describe itself as unique anymore and if it does, this advantage is often only short-lived. It is therefore all the more important to convince customers in the long term and turn them into repeat buyers. To do this, companies must build trust with their potential buyers. And the best way to establish such a relationship is regular contact with customers, which is not primarily about selling something. Instead, companies should be able to answer any customer questions immediately. In this way, customers will perceive the company as reliable and trusting. However, it would be expensive and complicated to hire enough human agents to work around the clock. A chatbot that can address customers at any time offers an adequate and flexible solution.
6. Build a solid foundation of data
Chatbots are an important source for collecting data from customers, their wishes and preferences. This data sometimes provides decisive insights into the needs of relevant target groups. The data also helps you adjust your chatbot marketing strategy to send better, even more specific marketing messages. This creates synergies that can be used to be successful as a company in the long term.
What should a chatbot be able to do in sales?
Anyone who is already considering implementing an AI chatbot on their website should pay attention to the following points: Modern, advanced AI chatbots are self-learning. Through intelligent queries and automated and monitored training methods, the system learns with every customer dialogue. But that's not all, the AI chatbot solution moin.ai also offers the so-called dreaming feature. This means that the AI also reflects and clusters queries that it does not understand. In this way, topics are identified that the chatbot has not yet mastered, but which are frequently asked by users. These topics are suggested to the chatbot owner or the company. As a result, the company gets even more user insights and can gradually expand the chatbot to include more topics. You can find out more about the dreaming feature here.
A chatbot, which is intended to ensure automation in sales, can offer great added value by connecting CRM and ticket systems. When leads are generated, he sends a notification in the background with all necessary information to the sales representative or hands over the chat to them during the conversation. Ideally, the chatbot can be used in Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and other messenger applications. Of course, an AI chatbot should work independently of the browser and support common options such as Chrome, Firefox or Safari. The function can be used in full regardless of the device (tablet, smartphone, laptop).
Test a chatbot
At MoinAI, we develop technologies that allow companies to simplify their processes and focus on the central areas of their work.
If you want to find out how MoinAI's AI chatbot can help generate leads specifically in your company, feel free to try it out for 30 days.
