Chat Options for your Website: Chatbot vs. Live Person
An overview based on your companies’ budget, accessibility & needs
Chatbots
You are busy, your funds are tight, you want to capture more leads or stand out from your competitor, you need to be able to qualify your leads or allow customers to get faster responses, etc. – all these reasons are signifying that a chatbot might be the way to go for you and your business. “In fact, 57% of businesses agree that chatbots deliver large ROI (return on investment) with minimal effort. Furthermore, 56% of businesses claim that chatbots are driving disruption in their industry” (Accenture 2020).
“Chatbots will continue to be an important part of digital marketing in 2021. This AI-based technology uses instant messaging to chat in real-time, day or night, with your customers or site visitors. Surveys show that: Chatbots will power 85% of customer service by 2020 and the top benefits of chatbots are 24-hour service (64%), instant responses to inquiries (55%), and answers to simple questions (55%)” The ability to use live or automated web chat on various marketing channels, all from one unified inbox, can be a complete game changer for your business.
For these types of industries, we recommend chatbots:
- Retail
- Healthcare
- Real Estate
- Marketing
- Travel
- Hospitality
- Almost any Small Business
Live Person Chats
We all know what it feels like to need answers fast, yet be consistently routed through automated recordings, prompts, or bots. “The top reason why customers prefer live chat is that it lets them get their questions answered immediately”. With live chat, you give customers a way to reach a live person in the exact moment that they need help. This goes hand in hand with customer satisfaction. You also have someone on your team and working with you to address customer concerns and inquiries in a more unique and detailed way that’s client specific.
Did you know “over 85% of businesses will offer live chat support by 2022”? Live chats can truly benefit the customer relationship and facilitate a great working rapport. That rapport and knowledge gained from the customer discussions using the chat, taps into: better data, informed project or product decisions, and can create a big edge over the competition.
For these types of industries, we recommend live chats:
- Legal
- E-Commerce
- Real Estate
- Healthcare
- Service Based (Electrician, Plumber, Etc.)
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each chat option:
- Available 24/7
- More Affordable
- Best for simple tasks
- Less prone to errors
- Available during set times
- Can be expensive
- More Customizable and unique to the customers’ needs
- Customers may prefer talking to a live person
Bot vs. Live Person
Chat flows can be installed on your PLUSH designed website. You just need to choose the best option for you and this entire guide as well as the recommendations below, may help.
Here are some automated chatbot companies we recommend:
- Facebook Messenger (most budget friendly)
- Podium
- Mobile Monkey
Here are some Live Person chat companies we recommend:
Online Article References:
-https://www.singlegrain.com/digital-marketing/digital-marketing-trends-2021/
-https://www.helpscout.com/helpu/live-chat-improves-customer-service/
-https://www.softwareadvice.com/resources/live-chat-statistics/
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