Many online businesses still rely heavily on email marketing. While it still absolutely has a place in the sales funnel for most businesses it is a key touchpoint in keeping your business front of mind. You want your customers to think of you when they are looking to make a purchase. It does have its challenges and drawbacks.

            Today everyone’s inbox is flooded with emails and offers. Catching your prospects at the appropriate moment during the buying cycle is not always easy. By using a chatbot like Manychat.com, can really boost customer engagement and increase the likelihood that a customer will buy your product or service. The rise in online messaging services over the last few years has seen a shift in buyers behaviours. Their preferences are moving towards online messaging and social media interaction, and less face-to-face and phone-based enquiries. Today, 74% of people prefer to use chatbots when looking for simple answers to queries.

            On the back of this, AI-powered chatbots have become powerful tools for businesses across the globe. While many people still view them as a good interface for answering service based FAQ's, they are also a great sales tool when utilized effectively. If you are a business owner selling goods online and through social media channels, chatbots can give you an edge over the competition. This is because they are responding to product queries and generating leads all the time. According to IBM, chatbots are able to answer over 80% of customers' queries. Interacting and providing answers in real-time has big advantages. Receiving real-time answers also increases the likelihood of a customer buying from you instead of shopping around.

             One of the main advantages of using an AI Chatbot is to answer the most common questions about products and services on offer. In addition, they can offer a level of aftermarket support. Chatbots have been proven to increase engagement, boost reputation, and lead to more satisfied customers. Because their needs are being immediately met, rather than having to wait for a person to answer their question, which could be days if over a weekend. The other obvious benefit of a chatbot is that it frees up employee’s and business owners' time to run the business more effectively. All while the chatbot answers customers' most common queries.

            Customers who are interacting with a business on social media are likely to be making a buying decision at that moment. This is where answering questions to close the sale becomes essential to prevent them from checking out the competition.

            Chatbots attached to messaging services, including Facebook are also big business. There are 1.4 billion people using instant messaging services, and they are happy to deal with Chatbots. In 2018, Facebook Messenger reported it surpassed the 300,000 bot marker, and this number is still accelerating. If you're not yet on board with using an AI Chatbot for your business, it's time to reconsider. Bots are more intelligent and responsive than ever before. Simply having a digital presence will no longer be enough in the near future. Customers want interactive, instant answers to their questions 24/7. Bots are most certainly part of the future of successful online businesses.