If you haven’t set up a chatbot for your business’ Facebook age yet, then it’s time to consider getting with the times! Messenger bots can be very valuable to any business as they can be programmed to automate customer support functions and answer basic questions, as well as capturing and converting new customers.
What is a chatbot?
Chatbots are automated messaging software that uses AI to converse with people. You’ve probably noticed it on Facebook Messenger or certain apps and websites.
Chatbots allow business pages to automate many low-level customer service functions or questions by using a series of menus or keywords to guide customers to the next steps. They’re favourable for many customers as they’re easy to use and a major time saver! Nobody wants to deal with calls to a customer service agent!
They can be used to:
- Answer basic customer questions
- Deliver promo codes to potential customers
- Automatically deliver important information or links
Example of our client The Facial Room’s chatbot at work:
What benefits do they provide for both the brand and the customer?
Save time and money on customer care
Often, business owners don’t have time to answer customer questions promptly on Facebook Messenger. So by adding this step of automation into your workflow, you could satisfy customer questions, provide automated responses and even perform tasks without burdening a member of staff.
Facebook now uses an NLP (Natural Language Processing) engine that understands and extracts meaningful information from messages you receive and send. This is how Facebook’s Messenger bots can identify intent and automate some of your replies and route the conversation to a human live chat. NPL also allows Chatbots to sound more human-like and gives the customer a better overall experience.
Fun fact: Dates and times are automatically localized based on the locale sent from the user’s profile.
Identify leads
As your Chatbot greets potential customers, it can filter through their needs and ask basic questions like “What is your budget?” or “How quickly are you looking to move house?” and re-direct high-quality leads to a person on your sales team or a product page on your website.
24/7 availability
Facebook Messenger Chatbots are available 24/7/365 even when you and your staff aren’t!
How to set up a Facebook Messenger Chatbot?
If you know how to code, then you can build your own Facebook Messenger Chatbot. Facebook offers up a lot of information and tutorials on how to set one up, so if you take this route, be sure to use these resources.
If you don’t know how to code, don’t panic! There are several third-party tools available so you can create and customize your own Facebook Messenger Chatbot. Check out some of these third-party services available:
Tips for using a Facebook Messenger Chatbot
Chatbots have the ability to increase conversion rates, as long as the pre-designed messages are written and planned effectively. Make sure you’re doing the following to ensure top-notch customer service:
- Get to the point quickly! According to VentureBeat, the point of sale should be within five clicks of the designed user experience. Beyond five clicks, you risk losing the lead.
- A Chatbot’s success depends on its ability to recognize when human interaction is needed. Make sure that the customer has the option, at any point to communicate with a person.
- Invite personalization! A Chatbot that has the ability to recognize a user’s preferences and needs quickly will result in higher click-through rates and engagement.
- Integrate Chatbots into your social media marketing strategy. Measure its performance and update automated responses when necessary.
Final thoughts
Chatbots are a welcome time-saver for customers and a cost-efficient way for businesses to limit their need for customer support staff. We definitely recommend expanding your Facebook marketing by implementing a Chatbot into your Messenger account in order to generate more leads/sales!
If you need more information or help with setting up a social media or marketing strategy, get in touch!
