At first, Facebook’s Messenger was used mainly to facilitate users’ direct communication with family and friends. Noticing how fast people adhered to having conversations on Messenger, Facebook saw a potential opportunity to use it for business. They then started thinking about ways to turn Messenger into an effective customer service platform. With this change, businesses have acquired the possibility to communicate directly with customers by connecting their fan page to Messenger.
This sort of communication helps customers build trust and feel more comfortable with your business. Matter of fact, 77% of consumers agree that they are more likely to buy from a brand they follow and engage with on social media.
Of course, you can have a dedicated team to reply to customers in real-time. However, having a Facebook Messenger Chatbot can be easier and just as efficient. Discover how why businesses should invest in Facebook Messenger Chatbots and how this channel can help to boost your results!
Facebook Messenger Chatbots, What Are They?
A chatbot is an automated messaging tool that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to chat with people. To learn more about chatbots in general and how do they work, we suggest checking out this article.
Often, the team responsible for managing a Facebook fan page ends up also taking over the communication over Messenger. However, there is a gap between social media teams and customer service teams. The promptitude to handle customer requests is not the same. Consequently, this can lead to longer response times, which in turn causes a terrible customer experience.
Hence, the importance of adopting, for example, an omnichannel strategy. In this way, it is possible to carry out training to create a unified communication between all the company’s channels.
Moreover, it is recommended to combine other customer service channels, such as live chat and email, with a Facebook Messenger Chatbot, as it enlarges the possibilities and enables the support department to be somehow present for customers 24/7.
Why Businesses Should Adopt Facebook Messenger Chatbots?
Some businesses rather create their own platform where customers can shop and also require assistance from the customer service department. However, we must notice that creating a Facebook Messenger chatbot is cheaper than creating a whole dedicated mobile app.
Moreover, if you create a unique business app, there are fewer chances that consumers will use your app. Consider how you manage your personal apps. You spend more time on Social Media, right? Personalized apps tend to go into oblivion at a certain point.
Secondly, it is less competitive. In Q1 2019, Facebook announced over seven million active advertisers using the platform, whereas there are only 300,000 active business bots on Messenger.
In other words, you can get an edge over the competition by introducing a bot for your business!
Best Practices
Want to make the most of a Facebook Messenger chatbot and use it to improve customer engagement and increase conversions?
Here are some tips that can help you create your own Messenger bot and use it to grow your business:
- Personalize conversations. Avoid long sentences and, if that applies to the way your business communicates, use GIFs and Emojis.
- Always have a “live” option available to handle requests that your bot can’t respond to properly.
- Keep evolving your Messenger bot by identifying its strengths and weaknesses. For that, all you need to do is check your data regularly, submit a few tests from time to time, and use this information to identify areas of improvement.
Do you have any questions or want to learn more about how to provide an outstanding customer experience using Facebook Messenger Chatbots? Feel free to reach out!
