So, you’ve finally done it. You took the plunge and installed a chatbot for your business. You’re excited because, finally, you’re going to reap the amazing benefits of having this intelligent software. Congratulations!
But wait… before you get too excited, let’s backtrack a little. Let’s make sure that your chatbot is going to deliver your digital marketing goals and one way to do that is by avoiding the common mistakes businesses are guilty of committing. I’m not saying that you’re already making these mistakes but checking out this list below can help you examine if your chatbot strategy is up to scratch.
Chatbot mistake #1. Your chatbot sounds too robotic
Just because your chatbot is, well, a robot doesn’t mean that it has to sound like one. Even in real life, nobody really wants to talk with someone who is cold and mechanical. That’s why it’s very important that your chatbot sounds like an engaging person rather than just a machine.
How do you do that? A great exercise is to name your chatbot and create a persona that reflects your brand’s voice and values. You can model your chatbot’s personality based on who your ideal customer service agent is. Your chatbot should not be too serious or academic so you won’t bore your customer.
Chatbot mistake #2. Your chatbot’s messages are too long
Let’s face it. One of the primary reasons why many customers would rather use a live chat window is because they do not have the time nor the patience to go through large blocks of text on your website. What this means is that they also won’t be eager to read a monologue from your chatbot.
Keep your chatbot’s dialogues short and precise. If the message is already taking up more than a third of the chat window, then it’s already too long. If the answer is lengthy, a tip is to narrow down their inquiry first so you can give a more specific answer. Your goal is to continue engaging with them until they are satisfied and not for them to leave mid-chat.
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Chatbot mistake #3. Your chatbot is not giving customers the right answer
Not all chatbots are created equal. Some bots are more intuitive than others so they can spot keywords and answer based on that. There are chatbots, however, that can be super frustrating because they keep replying with the wrong information.
The key to solving this problem is to test, test, and test. You have to exhaust all possible questions and inquiries that you might receive and make sure that you have an acceptable response ready. Check out Top Three Secrets Behind Impactful Troubleshooting Chatbot Conversation Flows prepared by our Conversation Design specialist.
If your chatbot does not have this capability and can only answer a few pre-determined questions, give the customer another option to find what they are looking for. You can either redirect them to an FAQ page or a better way is to connect them with a human rep and promise to get back to them as soon as you can. The message thread can go like this:
Chatbot mistake #4. You’re too persistent
Know when to back off. You’ve probably heard this before but this advice is very applicable when it comes to your chatbot. Keep in mind that the chatbot is there to help potential customers and not to push if they are not engaging with it any longer.
While there’s nothing wrong with sending a quick reminder when users are unresponsive, having a continuous stream of chat notifications while they may be concentrating on something else can be annoying. It’s also wise to avoid having your pop-up appear 1 second after the users get to your site. Give them some breathing room before the chatbot pops up.
Chatbot mistake #5. You’re not using it to market your products
Chatbots are not only there to service your customer service needs. They can be thoughtfully used for conversational marketing to boost your sales. Take advantage of your chatbot to promote your products and build relationships with your potential customers. However, you have to strike a good balance between being proactive without being too pushy, as mentioned in the earlier point.
Fixing Your Chatbot Mistakes
AI Chatbots are remarkable tools that can help ease your customer service and digital marketing efforts. Being aware of the common mistakes other companies make and putting an effort to prevent these from happening can help you maximize the benefits of your chatbot.
Let’s set up a chat to discuss some strategies to help you improve.
