Digital marketing strategies come and go. There are always new and interesting ways to connect with customers.

Some platforms and opportunities only exist for a few years before becoming obsolete. Others withstand the test of time, lasting for a long time, and become industry standard.

But one aspect of marketing, and business functionality in general, will never go out of style: automation. A business chatbot makes it possible to automate a personalized connection with your customers or potential customers.

It allows conversations with your business to multiply, without having to multiply your support or sales team, or your payroll. While a chatbot for business may not be quite as effective as a real human, they can do a pretty darn good job if they are set up correctly.

Wondering how to choose a chatbot for your company? Or what the different uses and types of chatbots for business are available? That’s exactly what we answer below. 

Benefits of Marketing Automation

Time is our most valuable resource, both in our personal lives and in our business.

Time is money. It takes time to answer every single customer question. It takes time to recommend products or services. It takes time to nurture leads and guide customers through the sales process.

But much of this can be automated. Rather than hiring more people to fill many of these basic functions of your business, you can spend much less money on software that automates it for you.

While there are many aspects of your business that can’t or shouldn’t be automated, since customers don’t want to only work with robots, there is plenty you can automate.

This saves time, which saves you money. It can also work to make you more money.

What Is a Business Chatbot?

A business chatbot is basically an automated instant messaging system that you program. When someone starts chatting with your chatbot, it responds back to the customer, answering questions, guiding them to resources or products, and solving problems.

You can program a chatbot to say and do almost anything. They take time to set up, as you will need to program every word they can possibly say. You can create many different pathways as well. 

If a customer says they are experiencing an issue, they can be directed down your problem-solving chatbot pathway. For someone looking to purchase, they can go through your sales chatbot pathway, and so forth.

Different Types of Chatbots

There are many different types of chatbots available for your business. You can create them to do virtually anything. 

You can set up a customer support chatbot, able to diagnose and solve some of the more common issues your customers face. You can set up an assistant chatbot, able to have a conversation and answer questions, much like Siri on Apple devices.

You can also set up sales chatbots, transactional chatbots, and lead generation or information gathering bots.

Want to check out some different business chatbot reviews? Take a look at this chatbot platform comparison to see which platform is right for your business.

No Limits With a Business Chatbot

A business chatbot is created by you. You can program them to walk your customers through any process you can imagine. 

As a result, there’s no limit to what they can do. But they work best when a customer with a complex issue or question can still communicate with a real human when necessary.

Looking for additional marketing tips and tricks to grow your business? Be sure to check out the rest of our blog today.