Chatbot in Marketing Automation – Is It Worth Investing in It?
Multichannel marketing automation – as the name suggests – means using different communication channels at the same time to reach the customer. Usually it’s the email (which by the way remains the cheapest and the most effective channel), SMS messages and web push notifications. Online stores that have their own mobile application are also using mobile push notifications. Some of them, however, go a step further and also employ the chatbot.
What opportunities and benefits does using this channel bring? Is it profitable for online stores to invest in their own automated chat? Keep reading to find out!
What Does a Chatbot Allow for in Marketing Automation?
The most popular feature of a chatbot in an online store is the ability to predefine automatic responses to typical customer inquiries. Indeed, practice shows that most of them are repeated and very predictable. By using a chatbot, you will shorten the waiting time for a response, thus reducing the risk that the customer will lose interest in your offer and go elsewhere. At the same time, the chatbot will relieve your employees from answering the most trivial questions – they will be able to concentrate on the more complex needs of your customers. This will be additionally facilitated by the customer queuing option, which allows you to select those who require reaction in the first place.
Another useful feature of a chatbot in an online store are triggers, i.e. messages sent to a user depending his/her behavior. They allow you to initiate a conversation, e.g. about the return policy, when a user clicks on such a link in your online store menu. This gives them the impression of speaking to a real person and improves the overall customer experience.
The third main feature of chatbots for online stores is its own CMS for managing automated communication, including access to the entire history of a conversation with a specific customer. Using it will allow you not to miss any detail and fully understand the context of a user’s problem. What is more, you’ll also get access to full traffic analytics, which collects data on the client’s time of entry to the chat, exit time, length of the conversation, etc. Thanks to this, you will learn how your potential clients behave so that you can adjust your communication accordingly.
What Are the Benefits of Using a Chatbot in Marketing Automation?
There are many benefits of using a chatbot in eCommerce stores. Here are the three most important ones:
- You will collect additional data about the behavior and preferences of your potential customers, making it easier for you to acquire and keep them.
- You will automate customers’ purchasing path, significantly relieving your sales department.
- You will get a synergy effect thanks to the combination of activities in different channels – e.g. you can send effective incentives via web push or e-mail to a client recognized and engaged by a chatbot.
Instead of a Summary
As you can see, implementing a chat into your marketing automation opens up rich opportunities of acquiring and retaining customers. Remember that their motivation to make a purchase decreases over time, so the faster you react to their coming and the better you use their attention and commitment, the better shopping experience you will create. And that will help you sell more.
