March 16, 2023
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If you're an entrepreneur, you've probably heard about ChatGPT, the language learning chatbot that is revolutionizing online marketing.

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Although the core function of a chatbot is to mimic human conversation, ChatGPT is versatile.

For example, it can do things like write and debug computer programs, compose student essays, music, teleplays, and fairy tales; it can answer test questions, sometimes at a level above the average human test-taker; write poetry and song lyrics; emulate a Linux system; simulate an entire chat room; play games like tic-tac-toe; and simulate an ATM.

If a bot like ChatGPT can do all those things, you're probably wondering by now, how chatbots can help entrepreneurs like you grow your business? And you might want to know how you can learn more about them and get started.

If so, you're not alone in asking this question. It's what we will cover in this article. 

As consumers move away from traditional forms of communication, many experts expect chat-based communication methods to rise. Large organizations increasingly use chatbot-based virtual assistants to handle simple tasks, allowing human agents to focus on other responsibilities.

There's certainly lots of chatter going on when it comes to bots... but is this just a lot of hype or can chatbots actually work to help entrepreneurs accomplish more in less time while earning more passive income?

We'll answer a few key questions that will help you evaluate whether chatbots are a good fit for your business. You can also try out a chat bot that could be a game changer for your business. 

What are Chatbots?

A chatbot is a computer program that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP) to understand questions from customers (or entrepreneurs in the case of ChatGPT) and automate responses to them, simulating human conversation.

How ChatBots Can Help Entrepreneurs

Imagine implementing a tool that has the ability to increase your website’s conversion rate through an automated, smart chat that talks to your visitors, boosts their engagement and drives conversions. Do all this with no coding or design skills required. 

If you're a solopreneur (a one person operation), using chatbots can be a game changer for your business. Even if you have a team, there are routine tasks that can be delegated to a bot to save time and resources.

Consider the following benefits chat bots can bring to an online business, enabling them to: 

  • Sell more products in their eCommerce shop
  • Grow their subscriber list, increasing their audience
  • Generate more reviews and testimonials
  • Implement a robust customer service experience
  • Artificial intelligence tools are being used to not only chat, they can create images (that's right... your eyes are not deceiving you), generate idea lists, product descriptions, create eBooks, blog posts, outlines, poems and so much more. 

Here are some of the other ways bots can help entrepreneurs grow their business. 

Helps Entrepreneurs to Save Time. Chatbots can automate tasks performed frequently and at specific times. They give business owners and employees time to focus on more important tasks. They can answer basic questions, which means customers 

won't have to wait to receive responses to their questions. Bots can also route customers to information or live sales reps to receive phone consultations, quotes and more. 

Helps to Reduce Overhead. Adding chatbot assistants reduces overhead costs, because they don't need a salary or benefits. They don't need office space, or extra equipment to do an amazing job. They don't need a break or a lunch hour, working round the clock when live agents aren't available.

Easy to Implement... No Coding Required. Adding a chatbot to a service or sales department requires low or no coding. Many chatbot service providers allow developers to build conversational user interfaces for third-party business applications. There are also chat solutions that offer templates that can be customized according to the business owner's needs. 

Collects Sales Data from Potential Customers. Chatbots can engage with new visitors to your blog, eCommerce shop or social media channel by asking questions that will start a simple conversation.

The information collected by chatbots can give you additional insight into your customers. For example, your conversion data can tell you whether people visiting your site are a good fit for your business. And the data can also be stored and analyzed to monitors trends. 

Provides an Enhanced User Experience. With well written scripts, bots can provide a better user experience and obtain more information than responses obtained from a standard opt in page.

Once the conversation has started, chatbots can establish two way communication and do things like allow users to opt in (collecting names, email addresses and/or phone numbers) so that you can send them regular broadcasts. 

They Help Entrepreneurs Sell More Products. When you think of how chatbots can help entrepreneurs, consider that they have the ability to sell products, collect payments right on the platform, and direct users to your shop to place an order. Other marketing tasks include sending discounts, promo codes and flash deals to an exclusive list of subscribers.  

They can also schedule appointments that will allow you to have a conversation with potential customers.  These conversations can allow you to answer questions and close more sales.  

See a Chat Bot Demonstration

Click the image below to see a chat bot in action! Copying and pasting a snippet of code on your blog or website is all that's needed to start using this chat bot today. 

If you can see how this would benefit your online business, sign up to learn more. You can also continue through the chat to make a purchase and receive an exclusive discount for watching the demonstration. 

Click the image to see a live chat bot demonstration. This works if you have a website, blog or social media account.

Simple vs. Complex ChatBots

Chatbots have varying levels of complexity, being either stateless or stateful.

Stateless chatbots approach each conversation as if it is interacting with a new user. In contrast, stateful chatbots can review past interactions and frame new responses in context.

How ChatBots Are Developed

Developers build modern chatbots on AI technologies, including deep learning, NLP and machine learning (ML) algorithms.

These chatbots require massive amounts of data. The more an end user interacts with the bot, the better its voice recognition predicts appropriate responses.

Chatbot use is on the rise in business and consumer markets. As chatbots improve, consumers have less to quarrel about while interacting with them. Between advanced technology and a societal transition to more passive, text-based communication, chatbots help fill a niche that phone calls used to fill.

Types of Chatbots

As chatbots are still a relatively new business technology, debate surrounds how many different types of chatbots exist and what the industry should call them.

Some common types of chatbots include the following:

Scripted or quick reply chatbots. As the most basic chatbots, they act as a hierarchical decision tree. These bots interact with users through predefined questions that progress until the chatbot answers the user's question.Similar to this bot is the menu-based chatbot that requires users to make selections from a predefined list, or menu, to provide the bot with a deeper understanding of what the customer needs.

Keyword recognition-based chatbots. These chatbots are a bit more complex; they attempt to listen to what the user types and respond accordingly using keywords from customer responses. This bot combines customizable keywords and AI to respond appropriately. Unfortunately, these chatbots struggle with repetitive keyword use or redundant questions.

Hybrid chatbots. These chatbots combine elements of menu-based and keyword recognition-based bots. Users can choose to have their questions answered directly or use the chatbot's menu to make selections if keyword recognition is ineffective.

Contextual chatbots. These chatbots are more complex than others and require a data-centric focus. They use AI and ML to remember user conversations and interactions, and use these memories to grow and improve over time. Instead of relying on keywords, these bots use what customers ask and how they ask it to provide answers and self-improve.

Voice-enabled chatbots. This type of chatbot is the future of this technology. Voice-enabled chatbots use spoken dialogue from users as input that prompts responses or creative tasks.

Developers can create these chatbots using text-to-speech and voice recognition APIs.

Challenges Associated with Chatbots

Most chatbots are unable to adapt their language to match that of humans, which means they will need to be trained on slang, industry jargon, and misspellings. Also keep in mind that emotions like empathy and sarcasm are often not understood by a bot.

Chatbots have to be trained. This means that customers that use these kinds of terms and emotions may end up in a dead end that limits the quick response you and your customers are looking for.

They were not created to provide complex answers. Chatbots were created to respond to simple questions that can be answered with facts. They have limited responses, so they’re not often able to answer multi-part questions or questions that require decisions.

Chatbots may provide incorrect answers. There may be times when your chatbot may provide an answer that is off target or incorrect. Deploying, configuring, and learning of the chatbot can take a while.

Chatbots are not a set it and forget it solution. They need constant revisions, maintenance, and optimization in terms of their knowledge base and the way they should communicate with customers. 

Chatbots are not a one size fits all solution. Additionally, there are areas where chatbots are a good fit, and others where they don't work as well. To get around some of the limitations, some companies have initiated a hybrid solution that involves chatbots and human interaction.

For example, with a hybrid solution, your chatbot might initiate a customer interaction to qualify a lead. Once that initial interaction gets to a certain point, if the customer is a good fit, they are referred to set an appointment to talk with a live agent.  A chatbot can also route customers to a live agent who then closes the deal. 

The primary goal when implementing a chatbot is that the bot ensures that customers a positive buying journey.  Your bot should enhance that process, and not limit or hinder your overall goals. 

There's nothing worse than having your customers respond to a bot that confuses them or leaves them hanging without resolving their issues. 

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Steps You Can Take to Implement Chatbots

makingitremotely.com

We think chatbots can help you engage with more potential customers, sifting through your visitors to ensure that you only talk to people who are a great fit for your business.

We use a customizable, done for you chatbot tool that's affordable, easy to use and implement.  

Here are a few things to consider when considering the best AI platform for your business.

  • What do you want to accomplish? What tasks do you want a chatbot to perform? How can having a chatbot help you reach your goals? This will help you decide which type of bot to implement (e.g., chatbot, voice assistant, workflow bot).
  • Choose a chatbot platform. Select a bot platform that best suits your business needs. Many bot platforms offer an easy-to-use interface, and some can even integrate with existing software applications.
  • Customize your bot. As mentioned earlier, no coding is required to implement AI chatbot technology. However the better you are at building a script that is engaging and effective when it comes to motivating potential customers to take action, the better.

    If you are a beginner, we recommend using a done for you solution that allows you to customize the scripts to suit your needs. When starting out, it's best to use a done for you, no-code platform to build your bot. This will allow you to try out chatbot solutions and learn more before you try to build your own bot from scratch.

    If you're advanced, you might want to build your bot from scratch or hire a developer. 
  • Train your bot. Once your bot is built, train it on your business processes, industry jargon, and customer needs.

    Prior to purchasing a chatbot solution, you will want to have a good idea of how your chatbot will interact with your customers.

    Think about the process you want your chatbot to handle. Is is a simple process that can be easily implemented? What will it say to your customers? What will it offer to motivate your customers to take action?

    Answering these questions and creating a training plan will help your chatbot understand and respond appropriately to user questions.
  • Consistently test your bot. Before deploying your bot, test it thoroughly to ensure it works correctly and meets your business objectives.

    Get help from your friends and family, involve beta testers or a small set of VIP customers to test your bot and provide feedback.
  • Launch your chatbot. Once your bot is ready, deploy it on your chosen platform. If you can't seamlessly integrate your bot with your existing marketing channels, what good is it? You want to find a platform that allows you to integrate the bot with platforms like your website, messaging platforms, social media channels, and mobile applications.
  • Monitor and optimize your bot. Continuously monitor your chatbot's performance and user feedback. Use analytics tools to track bot interactions, measure user satisfaction, and identify areas for improvement. Regularly optimize your bot to enhance its performance and user experience.

By following these steps, entrepreneurs can successfully implement bots in their business, saving time and resources, improving customer service, and driving sales growth.

Conclusion

Consider using chatbots to help grow your business. The tool we use will allow you to try it out with a money back guarantee. 

That means you will have 30 days from the date of purchase to decide if it fits your needs. If it doesn't, simply request a refund. 

Start with the Best "Done for You" ChatBot Solution for Beginners

Even if you're brand new to chatbots, learn how an affordable, done for you solution can help your business. 

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The Author: Marvelyn

Marvelyn Brown is the founder of Making It Remotely. a blogger and digital marketer focused on online sales and marketing, digital products, crafting and web design. When she's not working, you'll find her working on hobbies and crafts, having fun and relaxing with family and hanging out with friends.

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