We took a look at automation last week and how it can help us with our marketing. That was just an introduction; this week and next week, we’ll consider a couple of areas where automation can be implemented in your marketing.

Automation can be a great help but whenever we employ them in an outward facing role, we must consider how our supporters or clients might react to being engaged by and interacting with a non-human.

When we go onto a company’s website, we are more and more often met by a chatbot in the bottom right hand corner offering to help us. For some this can be mildly frustrating but for others this is the robots taking over and the end of our world!

Chatbots are a virtual assistant which are designed to help visitors navigate the website and locate the information they need. This should give a more streamlined experience.

Reasons to use a chatbot

1. Instant customer engagement – Chatbots provide immediate responses to enquiries. This means that potential clients or donors get the information they need without having to spend too long hunting for it and possibly leaving.
2. 24/7 availability – Chatbots aren’t constrained to your opening or working hours. They offer support at all times so that so that your organisation can accommodate people with diverse schedules or in different time zones.
3. Cost-efficiency – They are perfect for handling routine tasks, reducing the workload on human staff. This means you can allocate your resources more effectively.
4. Personalisation: Chatbots offer personalised recommendations, enhancing user experiences and increasing the chances of conversion or engagement. They are a bit more like speaking to a person.
5. Scalable – They will be able to handle numerous conversations simultaneously. This means that you have the capacity to increase your marketing without becoming overwhelmed.

Other considerations

Like most things, it is worth being aware of the potential issues of using chatbots. These may not put you off using them but awareness means that you can counter the worst effects.

1. It’s not a real person – No matter how advanced your chatbot is, it can’t interact like a human being. This can be really frustrating for the user especially if they are struggling to find what they are looking for. Don’t underestimate human resistance to speaking to robots instead of humans.
2. Limitations – It can be tempting to think that the chatbot will do everything but there will be a limit to its language capabilities which means it won’t understand every question that is asked of it.
3. Lack of empathy – While the chatbot is designed to respond to instructions, it’s not able to express empathy. This might be especially hard if the user is sharing sensitive or emotionally charged details.

Conclusion

Chatbots can bridge the gap between organisations and their supporters or customers. They can enhance engagement, streamline processes, and, above all, save your organisation precious time and resources. They have the potential to make interactions smoother and more efficient, empowering you to achieve your business or charity goals.

If you are looking to automate your work by introducing a chatbot, get in touch with Aubrey to discuss how automation can help you. Just don’t forget that if you rely on strong customer/ supporter relationships, chatbots will never replace human to human conversation – nor should they.