5 Chatbot Conversation Tips to Drive Customer Engagement
Written by Fara Rosenzweig
August 22, 2019
Customer engagement is important: Fully engaged customers spend much more than actively disengaged customers. But with the help of your Messenger bot, there are several specific things you can do to improve your customer engagement rates.
Use these five tips and examples to craft chatbot conversations with customer engagement in mind to see an increase in your agency’s profits.
Be Obvious It’s A Chatbot
If a customer thinks they’re talking to a real person and the chatbot hits a snag, they’ll probably feel annoyed and betrayed. Be transparent upfront, making sure your message clearly explains that the communication on the other side of the computer is a bot. This is a place where you can have a little fun:
Hi there! I’m the personal bot for ABC Restaurant, a delicious Atlanta cafe. What would you like to know?
Below that initial message, you can offer choices such as “View menu” or “See hours.” What’s important, though, is to make sure you’re upfront with your customers. People appreciate honesty, and they’re more likely to stick around and chat longer if you’re transparent they are talking to a bot from the start.
Pay Attention to Trends
Keep an eye on the conversations your bot is having, and note any trends you see. Is there one question cropping up over and over that your bot can’t answer? If so, you’ll need to adjust your flow to compensate for that question — if your chatbot can’t answer your customers’ questions, they’re obviously not going to stay around and engage with it for long.
Ask Questions
There’s a reason online quizzes, such as the many quizzes offered by Buzzfeed, are so popular. People like to answer questions about themselves, and by having your bot ask your customers these questions, you get a double win: better customer engagement and a chance to learn valuable information about your customers.
For instance, if you own a pet store, you might want to program your bot to ask questions such as, “What type of pet do you own? How old is your pet? Does your pet have any of the following health problems?” From there, you’ll be able to further customize interactions and offer specific products or services that your customer would likely enjoy.
Make Recommendations
Based off of the information they’ve learned through asking questions, bots can make product or service recommendations. That message may look something like this:
Since you indicated you want to tone up and build muscle, we think our Full Body Blast workout class would be a great fit for you.
Customers will appreciate the personalized, tailored recommendations. Even better, give them a direct link to purchase or sign up for your product or service:
This class happens on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 7:00 P.M. Click here to register or give us a call at 123-456-7890 to talk further about the classes we offer.
Making the customer experience as convenient and easy as possible will help improve customer engagement.
Provide Options
Provide plenty of options so your chatbot won’t be stumped if a customer asks a question you haven’t thought of — and come back later to update your bot’s message to account for any common questions. You’ll also want to include an option for the customer to send an email or somehow contact a real person because some things just need a human touch.
With these tips, you’ll create conversations that will drive more customer engagement than ever, and with this engagement comes an increase in sales. Get ready to watch your business thrive.