Should small businesses use chatbots?

on page and off page seo Preston
16
Apr

Here at Pumpkin Web Design we are Preston’s leading web design and web marketing professionals. We provide a wide range of website solutions and SEO services across Preston and the North West, from Southport to Wigan, and even Manchester, and we work with a wide range of companies and  businesses, in a variety of sectors. As a result, we have produced this guide to everything small businesses should know about chatbots.

What are chatbots?

Chatbots are a text based service that can interact with your potential customers or clients without human involvement. These use AI to understand common questions, or answer queries based on a set list of inputs. The chatbot cannot expand on what it has been programmed to respond, so its important to understand what your users are looking for, and set up content to resolve this for them, without leaving them frustrated.

How can small businesses use chatbots?

Small businesses can use chatbots effectively in a number of different ways, including:

  • For social media messaging- when people reach out to your company through social media, a prompt response is key. Chatbots can provide this 24/7 answering any straight forward questions that your potential customers or clients might have.
  • On your website- many companies, large and small, are using chatbots on the website to provide immediate assistance. This is not to be confused with live chat which allows customers to talk to an employee directly through messages.

What are the considerations when using chatbots?

There are a number of considerations to take into account when using chatbots for your company or business. These considerations include:

  • Transparency- its important that your potential customers or clients know that they are talking to a chatbot and not a real person to prevent confusion and frustration.
  • Popup boxes– using popups on your website effectively can be a challenge, and using another one for a chatbot can negatively impact the user experience, especially if this pop up uses a message tone when it appears. This can block the content of the page, and be a key reason for an increased bounce rate.
  • Answers- you will need to know which simple questions your website users are likely to ask, and program responses to these. If your website users can’t get the answers they need, they are more likely to leave your website.

Why should small businesses use chatbots?

Small businesses should consider using chatbots for a number of reasons, including:

  • Improving the user experience- getting straight forward answers to simple questions is a great way to improve the user experience on your website and keep your potential customers and clients happy.
  • Immediate response- a chatbot can provide an immediate response. this means that your potential customers and clients ill not look elsewhere while waiting for a response, and are more likely to put their trust in your company instead.
  • Meeting user expectations- with chatbots being used by companies across a wide range of industries, implementing your own is a great way to meet user expectations and present a professional image of your business.

For more information or advice about using chatbots on your website, get in touch with the experts today, here at Pumpkin Web Design.

Pumpkin Web Design Ltd is a small and highly results driven digital agency working for like minded clients in Preston, Chorley, Southport, Blackburn, Burnley, Morecambe,Wigan, Manchester, London, Warrington, Blackpool, Lancaster, Leyland, Lytham St Annes, Bolton, Chester and the UK. Our services include web design, SEO, content marketing, video production, brand design and much more.