Chatbots: A New Tool for E-commerce Customer Satisfaction Chatbots- a must-do rather than just a possibility for your e-commerce business

Reaching new customers and communicating well with the existing ones have become the whole and sole purpose of every business. Having only a physical presence doesn't work at all. Creating an eCommerce website which allows a retail store to break-through the limitations a physical location is what matters these days!

Launching an e-commerce store has become a walk in the park, of course, the entire credit goes to all the turnkey solutions often called as eCommerce platforms. This has provided a great assistance to numerous entrepreneurs especially the ones who lacked in terms of technical knowledge. Gone are the days when the internet was only used for the purpose of searching for information or connecting with people; today products are frequently bought and sold via the same medium. However, running one isn't easy, and maybe that's the reason why one needs to cover everything single bit when it comes to running a well-rounded website. In the present scenario having an e-commerce website has become the need of the hour, do you know why?

• Offers wider customer reach

• Open 24/7

• Better conversion rates

• Easier to set-up

• Increased profitability

Above all, you can provide Excellency to your end customers through your e-commerce stores. Let me show you how!

Customers these days are looking for the easiest purchasing way and nothing can stop you from pleasing them unless and until you aren't ready to offer services whenever they need. No matter how intuitive your online store is, they will always require some kind of assistance to ask questions or talk about concerns before they'll enter in their credit card information. And if they don't find one, there's a chance you could be losing sales. Well, that doesn't mean that you need to have a full staff of support agents online 24/7. Have you ever come across the term Chatbots?

2018 is the year where one can find technology like artificial intelligence, machine learning is taking over the world. Speaking of AI, it is being used very creatively, in hitherto unheard of sectors especially e-commerce. According to Gartner, by 2020 over 80 % of all customer interactions will be handled by Artificial intelligence. As a result, companies like Alibaba, Rakuten, eBay, and Amazon have already started using AI in order to detect fake reviews, chatbots, product recommendations, managing big data, etc.

In case, if you aren't familiar with chatbots, it is basically a set of automated bots interacting with customers through a chat interface and provide an experience that's similar to speaking with a customer service agent via live chat. Although having the ability to provide on-demand responses for simple questions and inquiries, they can be used for several purposes too. But remember not all chatbots are the same. You can differentiate them on the basis of rule-based bots and machine learning bots.

• Rule-based bots- Being well-operated by a set of pre-set rules, these bots offer pre-written responses to customer questions.

• Machine learning bots- This type provides more human-like interactions. They look for certain phrases that signify intent and pull from context, previous interactions, and other resources to offer appropriate responses. In fact, it may also interest you to know that they "learn" from every exchange, so they become more effective at answering inquiries over time.

Online selling and e-commerce open a lot of possibilities for the sellers but at the same time, the fierce competition is making more and more difficult to manage. So in order to stay in the game, what you can do is make the most out of chatbots. Why you may ask? I'll give you five solid reasons.

Reason #1 Efficiency is improved- Yes, chatbots have the capacity to improve the efficiency of the entire team. Providing fast, helpful service to each of your customers is a top priority for most companies. But if you have ever faced your customer, I am sure you must have known that how frustrating it can be to spend time addressing the same simple questions over and over. And here comes chatbots to play! If built correctly, they can act as a self- service support tool. By the time chatbots offer a straightforward answer to your customers, your team can focus their time and effort on more complex issues that a bot can't solve.

Reason #2 Act more like a sales associate- In addition to addressing customer concerns, chatbots play a leading role by becoming a virtual sales associate. They can assist customers well by finding products that meet their styles and preferences. Once the customer chooses a category, the bot automatically reveals what features and qualities they should be looking for. Which means the shopper doesn't require scrolling all day long through pages. Instead, they can navigate well directly to the ones that meet their needs. As soon as they like the bot suggestion, the purchase can be made on an instant basis.

The future of chatbots seems very bright. In short, chatbots give a helping hand to business operations, saving a great amount of your time and effort in managing your online store.

Reason #3 Let the shoppers say- Every e-commerce store requires incorporating a service strategy an appropriate one. So in order to make sure that your approach is pretty much in line just understand what your customer needs. Because even if you come up with one of the most advanced or expensive platform things won't work unless and until it doesn't offer what is required by the end user.

According to several sources, 42% of consumers prefer live chat as a customer support channel. So basically if you are on the fence about incorporating chatbots, there's no need to let this stop you. Chat-based support is something which offers a clear opportunity to improve your customer service.

Reason #4 Measure Bots Analytics- Much like the website, it isn't enough to build and launch a chatbot. After all, buyers won't interact with your bot until they don't find it useful. So in order to make sure that bot is actually benefiting your buyers and driving sales, you need to consider analytics. This can be achieved by either using analytic tools or you can tie your bot to an outside bot analytics.

Reason #5 Interactive Automation- Unlike traditional methods, chatbots are not just quick but they give a more personalized touch to each of your valuable customers. In fact, the AI-powered bots are meant to make your users feel as they are chatting with a human behind the screen. More importantly, they have the potential to send the information out and hold humanly conversations- increasing overall customer engagement with your business.

The fun ride has just begun!

Gone are the days when talking to robotic, cold and impersonal sounds was a compulsion. Although being a new addition to the customer-centric industry, Chatbots have made many brands more human and approachable to buyers. All you need to do is try being upfront especially for technology like AI, bots as it is here to stay for the long run. Lastly, try figuring out which chat platforms your buyers use most frequently, and track your bot analytics to understand how the technology can better serve your customers.