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We're in the age of artificial intelligence and companies with great customer service know it. What's their no-so-secret secret? Bots with Conversational AI.
While there are many uses in different industries, now it’s time to talk about AI bots for e-commerce.
What you should know about chatbots
It's common to use “chatbot” or “bots” to talk about software that interacts with multiple people on different digital channels.
But the bot’s core (i.e. the technology used to develop it) is what makes the difference between one that's simple and one that can actually improve customer service.
The ones with conversational artificial intelligence stand out for their natural language, ability to understand inquiry intents and efficiency when answering questions.
That’s why we’ll specifically talk here about how this type of solution not only offers modern service but also speeds up online sales processes and boosts customer service.
Related article: What are we talking about when we talk about Conversational AI?
5 steps to multiply your e-commerce sales
1. Always be available for customers
Asking a question and knowing you’ll get an answer is the first step in all communication. And although it sounds simple, it’s not always put into practice.
If there's a question about an order or an issue with delivery, for example, people have to contact the company and know there’s going to be someone ready to help them right away.
That’s why, apart from natural and innovative interaction, conversational AI bots offer the solution customers are looking for right away and on their preferred channel.
WhatsApp, web, mobile app, Facebook Messenger, Instagram: a smart bot will operate 24/7 to answer your customers’ questions and make their time count. That way, satisfaction levels will be higher and they won't choose another vendor for their next purchase.
2. Convert your visitors into leads
Every visit to your website is a potential customer and a conversational bot is a lead-generating machine.
Take Lucy, a potential customer interested in purchasing a new laptop. She visits her favorite e-commerce website and decides to talk to the bot to find the best option faster.
The bot, besides giving the right answer, asks for certain info such as name and e-mail. Through a connection to the company’s CRM, the virtual assistant sends the data automatically.
This way, you can add Lucy to your sales flow and send her notifications specifically based on her interests.
3. Make your products and services stand out
For e-commerce, the website is a window to the world. A conversational AI bot has a lot of resources that help increase visibility of your products and services, promote them and encourage a purchase without adding outside tools.
For example, you can add complements to the bot’s answers so the content is more appealing, interesting and informative when interacting with customers.
Carousels are a great choice to showcase different service plans, cellphone options, and basically any other product you offer.
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You can also add videos, cobrowsing to direct the visitor to the right section based on their inquiry, an embedded page, gifs, buttons, etc.
On the other hand, some solutions also offer the chance to create ads and upload them to your website, all for free. These are good for calling visitor attention to a deal, or a specific product or service you want to highlight.
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For example, on Aivo's platform, we call these ads “triggers”. Our customers can set them up for their entire site or a particular landing.
They can design an image based on their needs, choose when it will be activated and pick the location on the page. Then they have to associate a question from the bot to the trigger so when a visitor clicks on it, the virtual assistant starts the interaction with that particular content.
4. Manage the shopping cart and close sales on WhatsApp
While usually e-commerce stores let customers conveniently pay within the website, or they're directly linked to a payment platform, a lot of others still don’t have this capability for whatever reason.
For these, there’s another option: Managing the shopping cart from WhatsApp and transferring the session to an online agent to close the sale.
How would the flow work?
Remember Lucy, who was interested in a new laptop?
After the first interaction with the virtual assistant, she started a new conversation with the company, this time over WhatsApp. Before deciding on a computer, she had some questions about delivery times.
After the bot answered her question, Lucy was ready to buy. So the virtual assistant asked her to share her location in order to offer suggestions about stores near her. It found three locations, Lucy chose one and the bot sent her a link to explore the computers available at that store.
Lucy added her chosen laptop, a printer, a keyboard and a mouse to her shopping cart. When it was time to go forward with the order, the e-commerce had a button for customers to continue the process on WhatsApp.
The conversational bot immediately sent an asynchronous message to Jimena over WhatsApp with the shopping cart details. She confirmed the order and was transferred to Jack, a live chat agent, for check-out.
This is how the e-commerce was able to speed up and resolve the entire sales process with the help of the automated solution.
5. Serve your customers whenever
E-commerce is not just about new customers. It’s important that you keep working on post-sales service so everyone who already trusts your products or services continues choosing your brand.
With artificial intelligence and technical capabilities, conversational bots can help your customers track an order, send a WhatsApp notification if there's a delay, open a channel for claims and returns, and even proactively call to remind them of a payment or confirm a new order.
Are you ready for the bot era?
You’ve already seen how much conversational bots can do for online stores. If you’d like to know how artificial intelligence can help your e-commerce, you can schedule a meeting with our sales team to learn more.
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