How Do You Create An Effective Chat Bot For Your Business

Chatbots have changed the way businesses operate. The AI technology on offer has taken the marketing world by storm, and businesses can now provide a better and more refined service than ever before.

There are many benefits of implementing a chatbot into your business. From boosting your sales to unprecedented heights to improving your customer relationships and substantially cutting operational costs, chatbots are a must-have tool for all 21st-century businesses.

A popular misconception is that creating a chatbot is a difficult task that requires a lot of programming know-how.

However, with many effective non-coding chat bot-building platforms, you can now build one for your business within minutes.

When creating a bot, it is essential to keep in mind your targets. As chatbots have a wide range of use cases, it is advisable to design yours with your goals in mind.

Here, we will look at how you can create a highly-effective chatbot for your business.

1. Define your Targets

The first step to creating an effective bot is defining why you need it. It should be a means to an end and not an end itself. 

Deciding on your chatbots objective also means you will not overload it with too many features that may likely set it up to fail. 

This also allows you to know the kind of chatbot to create – from decision-tree chatbots used to answer simple FAQs to AI-based bots that allow free text.

1. Use a Chatbot Building Platform

Using a bot-building platform is the easiest and fastest way to create a fully functioning and effective chatbot for your business.

There are many chatbot building platforms like Zebrabuzz that require no programming knowledge. 

You only need to sign up for free on the website and link your account to your Facebook page. Some of the features to note in a chatbot building platform include: 

• Ability to integrate with social media platforms like Facebook Messenger and Instagram.

• Recognise keyword variations.

• Offer features like abandoned cart recovery reminders, take orders directly from Facebook Messenger and integrate with major payment platforms, among others.

• Offer products to customers and close deals.

• Support several CMS platforms and many others.

1. Create Conversation Flow

When building an effective chatbot for your business, ensure you create a natural conversation flow. 

There is no point in creating a bot that bores your prospects out before they become conversions.

A conversational chatbot makes interactions between users and the chatbot lively. Also, create a conversational flow that matches your brand’s personality.

The right conversational flow will make your customers feel more comfortable speaking with a bot than a human. Ensure your bot aims for a positive experience and the conversation is result-oriented.

1. Consider Giving Your Bot a Unique Name

There is a sea of chatbots today, and a unique name for yours ensures it will not get lost in the growing crowd. 

It also facilitates a natural conversation between your chatbot and your business’ prospects or customers.

1. Test your Chatbot

Before putting your chatbot out there to be used, test it. As you are not coding your bot, your test will be to start a conversation and try to see how it responds. 

If you have added other features, try running commands that will initiate desired responses. A test will help you check for bugs and also to know the full capabilities of your chatbot. 

1. Integrate your Chatbot

When you have tested your chatbot and are satisfied with how it works, it’s time to integrate it.

Have you created a web chatbot for your website, a Facebook chatbot for your social media or both? Connect your chatbot to the platforms you want it to function on.

1. Approach Users with your Chatbot

Studies have shown how much improvements chatbots bring to a business, and approaching your customers with one makes it all the more effective.

A chatbot can make processes faster. 

For instance, they can move customers through the sales funnel quicker, answer questions, offer tailored and customised product offerings, among many other functions that give customers a seamless experience and boosts your conversion rate.

Therefore, approaching them with it will leave them with a positive experience and your business with improved sales.

1. Evaluate and Optimise your Chatbot Regularly

You may have created an effective chatbot for your business, but you have to evaluate and optimise it constantly to keep it that way.

Regularly check your bot’s performance and review tasks it has been unable to perform or the ones that have left customers unsatisfied and improve on them. 

Also, check for the latest updates in the chatbot marketing industry to ensure your bot stays ahead of the competition.

You can also choose to extend its functionalities and features by creating new and improved versions that match customer demands. This will help you create and maintain an effective chatbot for your business.