Ah, automation! Who doesn’t love the ability to put a process on autopilot so it frees up time to spend with coaching clients or marketing tasks? One of the best and easiest tools to automate your customer service is by using a Facebook Messenger bot.
When you first start reading about bots, it sounds like a chapter from a science fiction novel. Bots (also referred to as chatbots) are a form of Artificial Intelligence that can carry on a conversation with your customer or prospect while you’re busy with other things. They can help answer customer service questions, they can place orders for products, they can even book coaching sessions, all online without you physically emailing or speaking to them.
Now, don’t get complacent letting your chatbot take care of ALL your customer service. You should still have a virtual assistant trained to answer important questions because some people don’t like to use technology and prefer speaking to a live person. Or the bot may not have the answer to a particular question. To satisfy those people, always have your phone number or email within the bot messages in case they prefer those options. Otherwise, you run the risk of losing that prospect forever.
Why Should I Automate?
Automating your customer service is really a win-win for both you and your prospect. From the prospect’s viewpoint, they receive instant gratification and instant answers to their questions. You will also write your bot messages in your own voice, so they will feel as if they are actually speaking with you (or at least a human) instead of a strange robot.
For you, the win is answering their questions and leading them down your funnel while you focus on marketing, coaching, or creating a signature product. Think about how many customer questions you’ve answered during the last week. If you have a library of products on the market, I’m guessing you get questions every day. Instead of answering the same questions multiple times a day, your bot can do it more quickly and can handle multiple people at once.
Quick Customer Service Equals Rock Star Status
Think about your own customer service experiences as a consumer. When the experience is good, you’re elated; when it’s bad, you’re fuming. One of the most common complaints about bad customer service is how long it took to get an answer or getting lost in a vicious voice mail circle. If you have a bad experience, what are you prone to do? Most complain very loudly on social media.
So instead of making your prospects wait a few hours to get their questions answered (because you don’t have a virtual assistant or because you’re busy with coaching clients), your chatbot can answer their questions for you. Instantaneous responses will make your prospects feel respected and they can make a quicker decision about which of your programs is best for them. If you make them wait for hours for a response, they may have found another product or coach while they were waiting. Quick customer service with a bot will likely get you great reviews and shout outs on social media.
