A chatbot, a computer program created in 2016 and that interacts with a customer as a human, is used by most customer services. This interaction can happen through the instant messaging interface or the voice assistant as in the case of Google Home. But is it still as effective? Why integrate a chatbot into your e-commerce?
E-commerce, a very competitive field
E-commerce is a very competitive field. Figures published by FEVAD (Fédération E-commerce et vente distance) on e-commerce also highlight the importance of the sector, which in 2019 weighed 100 billion euros in business.
The sector also exploded during the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting long months of confinement, as consumers had to adapt to the impossibility of going outside to make their purchases. Thus they have become accustomed to doing their shopping online. And contrary to what one might think, in 2022 the interaction between customers and the e-commerce site will be done by chatbots in more than 84% of cases.
All the Benefits of Chatbots for Ecommerce
Having a chatbot or conversational agent on your website offers many advantages, explaining its success with e-commerce companies.
Service Availability Guarantee
Consumers who decide to take action through a call-to-action on an e-commerce site win first by the quality of user experience and browsing experience on the site and first reception. But one of the deciding elements in their choice is availability. This is one of the advantages of a conversational agent, as it gives the customer a very short response time regardless of the time requested. A customer who gets information or answers to his questions very quickly is a loyal customer.
improve customer reception
As we said earlier, reception quality is one of the criteria that attracts a customer to an e-commerce site. Chatbots can be an undeniable asset on a platform, especially for visitors who do not yet know the structure of the site and who may feel a bit confused. As a good helper, he is the first to welcome them so that newcomers feel more comfortable. Then, based on their questions, it redirects them to the appropriate page, thus encouraging them to move forward in their research.
reduce customer service workload
Responding to customers is a time-consuming and energy-intensive activity. Thus the conversational assistant helps the customer support team to lighten their daily workload. This option is even more interesting with respect to night visits, because the next day, requests received during this period will not have to be processed. Let’s not forget that more than 60% of people who shop online do so in the evenings or weekends. It is therefore essential to have them at their disposal so that they are not tempted to visit sites that are more attentive to them.
Automate answers to the most frequently asked questions
To remain competitive, a business must take steps to cope with the increase in the number of people using e-commerce sites. In order for the service to be unlogged, some responses must be automated. Thus the chatbot can identify the most frequent requests and respond to them without any third party intervention. This will allow the company to use its human resources to solve problems requiring a more personalized approach and greater skill in specific areas. According to recent statistics, 74% of customers continue to put people in the first place in these scenarios.
Satisfy customers and reduce customer service management costs
The goal of an e-commerce business is to satisfy the customers. To do this, he must at all costs refrain from requesting them too much, especially if they are negative. In fact, more requests than customers are indicative of their dissatisfaction with the products offered or the services offered. Solution ? Chatbot. This reduces the frequency of contact between customers and customer service, thus reducing the associated management cost. This better cost management is essential for the proper functioning of the e-commerce site, the savings being invested in other items.
Process requests and receive supporting documents
If the company has a physical store, the customer can go there when he or she has a complaint or documents to submit. Pure players have to process everything online. It is therefore essential for them to be able to receive all documents in this way, whether they are supporting documents, such as invoices, purchase orders or photos.
This option is possible on some chatbots that have integrated customer management software (CRM or customer relationship management) and are intended for the automation of various administrative processes between different services or departments of a company. It does not require any third party intervention for reception, classification or edition of these documents. This will be based on the form that the client pre-filled.
Optimize reception for active messaging
The customer experience on an online sales site is not necessarily the same as in a physical store. In the latter, as they enter, a salesperson greets the customer with a smile, a hello and asks him questions about his needs or what he is looking for. However, it is essential that customers find this warmth in chatbots (though, bearing in mind that most customers prefer that the artificial intelligence and robotic side is not hidden).
Thus, when the customer arrives at the landing page and does not leave it immediately, the active messaging is triggered. The chatbot makes sure to guess the contact between the customer and the site. As soon as the prospect consults with the latter and stays there for a specific period of time, the conversational agent sends him notifications to encourage him to continue the discussion. This process establishes an atmosphere of trust between the company and the customer or future customer.
Establish a relationship of trust and sell more
Trust between customer and business is one of the main conversion factors. Customers are more interested in the products offered. He conducts related research and obtains information from the company. But for these different stages of the purchase, he would like to get clear, satisfactory and above all, immediate answers.
The purpose of a chatbot is not just to interact with the customer. He also helps her with personalized advice so that she can find the product that best meets her exact needs. Going forward, it can be directed to supplement products based on answers to increasingly sophisticated questions.
A person looking to purchase a vehicle engine, for example, will not hesitate to find the necessary accessories for its proper functioning, such as gaskets and cylinder head bolts, or seals, camshafts, on the same site. So she will be directed by the conversational agent to the part of the site where she can access them. This step-by-step support is a way for the company to build customer loyalty while driving additional sales.
Build a database to better understand customers and optimize offers
Chatbot is not only responsible for answering customers. It is also responsible for recording and analyzing their shopping habits, but also the types of requests they make. By developing a database of their purchasing behaviour, the company is much better able to meet their expectations, optimize their offers and improve their services. The chatbot can, to some extent, also guide the customer towards the offer that best matches his needs. By helping to orient themselves on the site, but also toward products tailored to their research, the conversational agent is a key asset in a company’s marketing strategy.
in short
Having a chatbot solves customer support bottlenecks and allows the team to handle requests that require human intervention due to their complexity. It is not only intended for the reception of the subscriber, it can also take care of some processes of transmission or receiving of documents. This is an important decision-making aid for customers who have difficulty finding an item they like or who are hesitant to buy one.
So having a chatbot is beneficial in many ways. It also allows you to receive feedback from customers and reduce the processing time of requests. The fact remains that for the company, the combination between intelligent conversational assistants and human customer support contributes to optimizing customer service performance and better retaining customers in the process.