Have you heard of Facebook Chatbots? I would not be surprised if you hadn’t, it’s an up and coming option in the field of online marketing. It launched back in 2016 and allows companies to build chatbots on the Facebook Messenger platform. Messenger is widely used and chatbots allow companies to interact with their customers through automation. Let’s dive a bit deeper into what chatbots are and what they can offer your business.
What are Chatbots?
First, let’s describe what a Facebook Chatbot is exactly. A bot is generally considered something that can be automated. In this case, a chatbot is simply automated messaging. This allows companies to interact with potential customers, on a basic level, to accomplish certain tasks. Outcomes may include sharing of information/content, collecting an email address, or even making a sale. Here’s an example from 1-800 flowers. It starts off with an introduction and once I “Get Started”, it places me in a new sequence where I Get Started on what I’d like to do.
In this example, the 1800 Flowers chatbot is helping me pick the perfect gift for the occasion. It’s almost like a choose your own adventure game. This form of communication is more conversational and customizable to the users needs. The possibilities are nearly endless as to what you can create to customize your customers experience. To try this bot out yourself, just head over to the 1800 flowers Facebook page and click, “Send Message”.
Why Chatbots?
Now, you may be thinking to yourself, “that sounds nice, but why should I care?” That’s an excellent question and one worth exploring. Do I think every company out there needs a chatbot? Probably not, but there are a number of reasons why you might consider it and we’ll cover those here.
1. Open rate
According to MailChimp, email has an average open rate of 20.81%. People are used to receiving email advertisements every single day, so it’s easy to ignore them. On messenger however, you can reach open rates near 98%! This is because people are not generally familiar with Messenger marketing. This gives early adopters the opportunity to reach their audience effectively before the channel becomes saturated with other advertisers. Email marketing is still a valuable advertising channel, but utilizing chatbots may further improve your results.
2. Save on Customer Service Expenses
Creating a number of chatbot sequences may cut down on your customer service expenses dramatically. Say for instance a customer wants to know how late a particular restaurant is open. They could simply ask the chatbot and receive the answer along with options to make a reservation or take a look at the menu.
Another example would be booking a vacation through a travel agency. Maybe a chatbot could help customers find a flight, rent a car, book a hotel room, and offer/book a number of activities for the trip. Something like this would offer customers great value while reducing the need for a travel agent. This boils down to saving money while still providing a service.
3. Faster Customer Service
Have you ever sent an email to a company and wonder if you’ll ever hear back? Well, chatbots allow customers to reach out to a company and receive instant feedback. This dramatically reduces response time and may even solve the customers problem. Even if the inquiry requires a human response, at least the bot allows you to gather information for faster resolution.
4. Less Error Prone
One specific pain point I experience over the phone is the transfer of information such as my name and email address. Most people butcher my last name and get my email wrong. This can become an issue when reaching out to your audience. With chatbots, this can be reduced because customers type in the information themselves.
5. Improved Customer Experience
It’s all about improving the customer experience. Customers enjoy instant feedback and solutions to their problems. The more you can solve their problems in a fast, fun, delightful way, the more loyal they will become to your brand.
Facebook Chatbots for Your Business
We’ve covered a number of benefits your business may experience by using Facebook Chatbots. The faster you take advantage of this new advertising platform, the more success you will have with it. To begin, there are a few options to choose from which I’ll list below.
Chatbot Service Options
There are many chatbot options to choose from and it will take some research to decide which one fits your needs best. Personally, I’m diving into ManyChat because it’s mostly free to use and has a great user interface. They also offer a free ManyChat course to get you up and running in no time.
Facebook chatbots may seem a little intimidating, but it’s really not that bad. It’s just another way to communicate with your customers in a more conversational manner as opposed to a long, one sided email. Take a look, try it out, and see if chatbots can work for you…you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.
What are your thoughts, have you tried Facebook Chatbots before? If you’ve ever interacted with a chatbot, do you find them helpful? Leave any comments or questions below!
