Depending on the organization and its needs, chatbots can be powered via artificial intelligence, with the innovation making huge waves in galvanizing customer service. Global research and consulting firm, Gartner notes in a study that by 2020, about 85% of consumer interaction will be handled by a nonhuman, with chatbots being at the forefront of this change. Chatbots have several benefits that go beyond just answering customer inquiry — they can be used to collect information, complete business tasks, and reduce overhead costs.
A chatbot does two things — businesses do not need to waste time answering questions, and customers who are inquiring will have the answers to their inquiries in seconds. It also helps businesses save money since it does not need to outsource certain aspects of the customer experience.
As more small businesses and larger organization ask developers and IT professionals to create a chatbot, there will be an increase of unique chatbots that will augment the customer experience. When leveraged correctly, a chatbot will help reach more people with meaningful interactions.
Here is how developers and business owners can leverage chatbots, taking advantage of their unique benefit in ensuring organizational productivity and efficiency.
Leveraging Usage of Chatbots in Travel Industry
1. Using a chatbot to increase Facebook page views
If you use Facebook pages as part of your marketing campaign, you will find that chatbots can improve engagement. The Facebook algorithm enables messenger to automatic open every time someone visit. This is done automatically if you are driving significant traffic.
In your settings you can enable a greeting to invite people to converse, exposing your online readers to an intuitive chatbot that will field questions and inquiries for you. So, whether you are using the chatbot to initiate conversation or to answer questions, that person will be added to your sales funnel — without any sort of intervention from your part. Facebook’s chatbot can gather email addresses and phone numbers attached to the inquirer’s Facebook account. Suddenly your chatbot has transformed into a type of live email capture software.
2. 24/7 customer service
One of the unique benefits is that the chatbot will deploy at a moment’s notice – regardless of region or time. This is ideal for travel agencies and marketers since they will most likely deal with customers in different time zones.
3. Personalization
An important aspect of the customer experience is personalization, an aspect that makes customers feel appreciated and valued. A chatbot that is used in an e-commerce store, for example, can help differentiate your platform from competitors who don’t deploy chatbots as soon as the customer lands on their web properties. Airlines tend to have a monopoly in the travel industry, but there are smaller players who can benefit from engaging interactions with the help of chatbots. Cruises, travel agencies, and lodging programs can ensure that travelers have a way of connecting with pertinent information on a whim’s notice.
4. Engage with people who leave comments
Facebook’s chatbot will initiate with anyone who comments on your Facebook business pages. This can be leveraged to give unique readers different offers. For example, if someone comments on a Facebook Live session, then the chatbot can say something akin to thanking them for their view or their like, and if they comment, they will be sent some sort of free report or coupon.
5. Customer Retention
It’s always going to be an excellent customer service experience. As more people become familiar with chatbots and their functionality, they will slowly become the norm in the customer service experience. They can help businesses to keep current customers instead of going through the expense of obtaining new.
With the help of chatbots, airline agencies can satisfy a customer’s need for instant service delivery. The chatbot can also empower businesses and ensure that travelers stay abreast with the trajectory of their travels.
