Chatbot

Chatbots, or messenger bots, are software that responds to messages sent on social media, websites and more. Chatbots follow pre-set conversation trees to answer customer questions. By searching for keywords in user messages, they present the most relevant answer for the situation.

AI-powered chatbots go further, using natural language processing to understand what someone means and reply in a conversational way.

When deployed strategically, chatbots transform your customer engagement and service strategy. On social media, SMS and other messaging platforms, a messenger bot gives you another way to connect with your audience and maintain a consistent conversation.

Pourquoi utilise-t-on les chatbots ?

Messenger bots resolve distinct pain points for both companies and their customers.

According to Salesforce’s “State of the Connected Customer” report, 61% of customers prefer to use self-service options for simple issues rather than contact customer support. The same report found that customers expect immediate engagement, with 83% saying they expect to interact with someone right when they contact a company.

According to Salesforce’s State of the AI-Connected Customer (7th Edition) report, 61% of customers believe advancements in AI make it even more important for companies to be trustworthy. Regarding customer support interactions, 72% of customers say it is important to know if they are communicating with an AI agent, while 50% are comfortable with AI being used to resolve their issues faster.

Today’s consumers demand better service from brands and companies. Chatbots streamline conversations by connecting with your audience at a time and in a place that suits them. For instance, your client doesn’t have to wait until they catch you on the phone to ask a routine question. They access the answers they need through a social media chatbot instead.

Avantages des chatbots

An increasing number of companies are leveraging chatbots to scale their marketing strategy.

Electric utility company Southern California Edison improved customer service for over 15 million people using Sprout’s bot builder. The result: exceptional customer experiences and happier customers, with one in six issues now solved via chatbot.

Grâce aux chatbots, les entreprises peuvent :

Create better customer experiences by allowing audiences to connect through the channel that suits them (e.g., social media or SMS).
Offrir à leur audience une assistance dès qu'ils en ont besoin, 24 h/24 et 7 j/7
Free your team from repetitive questions so they can focus on high-impact strategy.
Créer une expérience fluide sur plusieurs canaux

Chatbots : premiers pas

Getting started with chatbots doesn’t have to be a heavy lift. Solutions like the Sprout Social bot builder streamline your workflow from day one. Before building your bot, ensure you:

Define your use case and goals: Decide what you want to accomplish with a messenger bot. For instance, do you need to resolve more customer issues, promote products or generate additional leads?
Decide which platforms you’re going to use: You can use Instagram DMs, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, your website or X (formerly Twitter) DMs.
Map customer journeys: Figure out what kind of moments guide your customers towards a purchase. Once you know your audience, start to build out your content strategy accordingly.
Give your bot a personality: Customers don’t expect your messenger bot to sound human, but it should have a character that resonates with your brand.

For a step-by-step strategy, read our comprehensive guide to chatbot marketing.

Surmonter les limites posées par les chatbots

While chatbots accelerate your marketing and customer service strategies, they don’t replace human connection. Chatbots automate basic tasks, freeing your team to focus on high-impact, creative work. But they’re not set-it-and-forget-it tools. Continuously refine your chatbot copy and track platform success to optimize your outcomes.

Even with customer service chatbots, you still need to invest in human service. Human agents tackle the nuanced problems your messenger bot routes to them. The best chatbot strategies combine the convenience of the bot with the intuition of the human.