Smart Chatbot For Your Business – Why You Should Have One in 2021

Smart Chatbot For Your Business – Why You Should Have One in 2021

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Chatbots are certainly not something unheard of, nor are they from the distant future – instead, chatbots are here and more than half of the world population has already interacted with them in one way or another.

Users nowadays do not like to visit the FAQ page to skim through the entire page of details to look for their answers. Instead, they prefer to talk to the chatbot available on your website and get their query resolved. According to research, 35% of users actively engage with chatbots to get detailed information or seek resolution of their complaints.

Whether you own a small business or a large enterprise, it’s time to introduce chatbots. In this article we will learn what chatbots are, how they will benefit your business and list our two favorite platforms to build your very own chatbots. Keep reading!

Fact: Did you know that Chinese WeBots help with setting up flight tickets, doctor appointments, calling a cab and much more?

So, What is a Chatbot?

A chatbot is a software or a tool that talks or chats with the user in natural & conversational tone.

It is more or less like a virtual assistant that can help interact with your customers, answer their general queries, help them in recommending products and increase your sales. They can be integrated into messaging apps (including Facebook), websites and other applications, automating your customer-facing system.

Smart Vs Simple Chatbots

There are simple chatbots as well as smart chatbots. Simple ones work on the basis of predefined keywords and phrases; if your customer asks something out of the pre-written words, the bot won’t be able to respond effectively. However, the smart chatbots respond adequately to the customers while relying heavily on artificial intelligence. They also store and process the conversation data producing personalized and fruitful responses to the customers’ queries.

Benefits of Chatbots for Your Business

There can be numerous advantages of utilizing the technology that chatbots bring with them, a few are listed here:

• Save customer support costs – upto 30% proven.
• Available round the clock – literally 24/7.
• Help in collecting customer data for effective marketing & targeted branding.
• Instant support and zero waiting time for customers.
• Well-programmed chatbots eliminate errors.
• Convert your users into buyers by pitching the right products.
• Higher engagement rate with your customers.

How to Build a Chatbot?

There are two approaches; you can either build a chatbot from the scratch or utilize a chatbot builder platform. For the first option, a lot of time and financial investment is required. However, for the second option, you can pick a platform providing all required features and integrations as suited to your needs.

To build from scratch, you ought to have programming skills and sound technical knowledge. If that’s not the case, you may need to hire professional developers to do the job for you and create a highly customized chatbot tailored to your business needs.

On the other hand, you can opt for non-coding platforms widely available in the market. Some of the popular chatbot builders are Landbot, ManyChat, MobileMonkey and Chatfuel.

We will be discussing two chatbot building platforms: Landbot and ManyChat.

Landbot – Intuitive Conversational Chatbot Builder

If you are looking for creativity in handling your marketing campaign or launching your own WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger chatbot then Landbot is absolutely a perfect choice for you.

The best part of using Landbot is the hassle free no-code interface. You don’t need to be a person with high technical skills to use Landbot.

Features

Some of the features include:

• Create conversational landing pages.
• Designed specifically for marketers helping them with lead generation
• No coding experience required
• Developer mode available in case you like to customize
• Free plan also included
• Attractive and a user-friendly interface

Price Plans

Landbot starts from Sandbox till Business with sandbox being free. The free version is definitely limited but a good option if you would like to try out things. The prices mentioned are in Euros and charged in the same currency as well. Also, they offer a refund if the conditions are met as per their refund policy.

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If we try to look out for any cons, there are none except for single language support. Yes, Landbot is currently offering English language only. So, if your target audience isn’t English-friendly, then Landbot might not be the best decision for you.

ManyChat – Messenger Bot Marketing Made Easy

Facebook has an active user base of more than 2 billion and it is one of the most underutilized platforms for marketing & sales. It’s no longer used to get in touch with friends & family only, people watch videos, search for products, do shopping and visit business & brands Facebook pages. With ManyChat, you can set up a Facebook Messenger chatbot in less than 10 minutes.

ManyChat provides you a service to create your own chatbots on Facebook for a variety of business needs such as marketing, customer support, branding and more.

Features

Some of the features include:

• Easy user interface: the basic and flow builder
• Integration with popular tools like Zapier, MailChimp, HubSpot
• Auto-reply to comments posted on Facebook
• Dashboard with basic analytics
• Free and pro (paid) templates to choose from
• In-depth knowledge base and community support
• No-questions-asked refund policy within 30 days of purchase.

Price Plans

ManyChat also starts off with a free plan allowing you to engage with up to 1000 contacts. You can also opt for a recommended Pro plan for only $10 per month. You can also choose their Business plan to access all features in Pro as well as custom services.

The payment is made via all major cards including Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. You can try out their free plan to explore the basic features and then go for their paid Pro version.

Conclusion

When the global pandemic hit the planet in 2020, most of the businesses and workers went off-from-work confined to their homes. This caused a rise in demand of tools and success stories of smooth & uninterrupted business communication. Chatbots are certainly one of them, helping small to large businesses engaging effectively with their customers. No matter which tool you pick, Landbot or Manychat, the use of smart chatbots is sure to take your business to the next level.