Technology—especially digital technology—is in a constant “arms race” of new developments and breakthroughs that can change the way people live, and interact with each other. That is especially true when it comes to digital automation, where software takes over some of the mundane tasks that are traditionally handled by people, such as helping to find information and resources more effectively.

But there’s one new development that is allowing businesses to give more personal attention and service Phoenix area customers in more focused ways. Website chatbots are making serious inroads when it comes to customer service. We’re here to explain how, but first, the big question.

What’s a Chatbot?

A chatbot is a software designed to mimic the act of communicating with a person on the internet, in this case, primarily through real-time, chat software. Instant messaging software such as “Direct Messages” in Twitter, or Google Hangouts, or text messaging on phones and other devices are examples of this type of communication.

Website chatbots, however, take over this role for businesses in their online portals. Now, instead of waiting for an available customer service representative, customers can get an instant response and interact with a website chatbot. And there are four pretty big ways that this can help increase sales for businesses in Phoenix.

A New Instant Marketing Channel

One of the most useful things about website chatbots is that they’re not passive. A person coming to a website looking for a product may not be sure exactly which model to buy. A chatbot, however, can make recommendations based on user responses, thus cutting down on the amount of time a user has to spend doing a general search and then looking over each product.

In this way, especially with more sophisticated website chatbots, recommendations can be made based on user activity, thus narrowing the scope. It helps customers find what they want more quickly and can speed up the research, decision, and even purchasing process.

It Filters Out the Simple Stuff

You’ll always want a live, customer service representative on hand to deal with more complex questions or concerns. But what about the simple things? If you provide a service in Phoenix that requires fielding simple requests and questions, you probably have an FAQ section on your site that you hope more people will use, but they don’t always do that.

With a website chatbot, any Frequently Asked Questions that people might try to ask a live customer service rep can be fielded by chatbots instead. This way, people still get the focused, one-on-one interaction that they desire for their specific concern. However, you don’t have to waste resources or the time of your live staff, so they can spend more time on the complex, nuanced activities that require a lot more than just answering a simple question.

Get Useful Data

Another unsung, amazing feature about proper use and application of website chatbots is that this is one more venue for collecting good user data. You can discover a lot about what your users want or how they behave by using tracking software to monitor their habits on your website, the length of time they spend per page, what they’re clicking on, and what things they research.

However, the best information you can get comes directly from the users themselves. In the past, the only real way to get this data was through surveys. Now, however, chatbots can ask direct questions, like a survey. But unlike a survey, the bot can answer back, get more specific feedback, and “dig deeper” in the way a series of survey questions never could.

It’s the New Email

Email marketing is always going to have a place, and it’s not going to go away. However, chatbots take advantage of the ever popular platform of direct, personal, interactive messaging. Web chat has always been a popular form of communication, but until now, demands were too sophisticated for software to credibly take advantage of it. Despite that, messaging systems still take up a significant amount of usage, even over social media.

So software that can engage users on this more focused, interactive level can also garner more interest, engagement, and even sales when properly applied!

If you don’t use chatbots yet but are interested in doing so, get in touch with our digital Marketing experts in Phoenix to see how your business could benefit. Chatbots are growing, robust, extremely versatile sales and service tool for your business!