Anyone who has followed me over the last couple of years likely knows that I have been preaching about the arrival of chatbots. While I had initially expected them to take off in 2017, it seems that this crucial piece of technology has been slow to take over the market. With many businesses using chatbot technology on Facebook, the extended use they provide still hasn’t gone mainstream. However, there is a silver lining and chatbots can still fulfill their destiny; just not as soon as I had initially expected.
According to the most recent data available, Marketing Land reported that retail sales from chatbots will nearly double annually, reaching $112 billion by 2023. That’s a pretty good forecast for the future of automation technology to improve the sales process and provide ongoing customer support. However, one of the biggest reasons chatbots haven’t taken off yet is because most consumers aren’t comfortable attempting to communicate their concerns to an AI-powered assistant.
As more of the leading retail brands continue to invest in chatbots, there’s a good chance that more consumers will become more comfortable with them simply by having the opportunity to utilize them. Not only does this help streamline the process for consumers, but it also limits the amount of capital that needs to go into dedicated employees. While this may seem like a bad thing initially, those funds can be used to increase the workforce in other areas.
If you are interested in adding chatbots to your arsenal of customer-facing tools, now is the perfect time to get started. By getting in on the ground floor your business could be an innovator in your own industry and spark the change needed to make this technology more common and beneficial. By using chatbots you can retain a consistent message at all times for common problems and, in turn, improve sales and customer retention. As part of Team Maennche, I am constantly looking for ways to implement new technologies that I think are beneficial for businesses of all sizes that actively want to grow. Chatbots have been a fascination of mine for several years because of the versatility they can provide for multiple different levels of digital marketing. If you are ready to embrace this and other modern technologies, I can help. For a working example, try out the Facebook Messenger chatbot on our website. Don’t worry, it knows to connect me if needed!