We’ve all seen them by now, but do we all really use them? At Brindle, we go back and forth on chat features and implementing them on the websites we develop. With today’s AI technology and the further advancements of digital communication, a chat feature on a website can be extremely beneficial- not to mention well-liked, or well-used. The user can get a response to a simple question they may have about leasing, hours, location, products and more without having to pick up the phone or open an inbox. Hello, immediate customer satisfaction.
First of all, what is a chatbot?
A chatbot is a computer automated messaging system designed to simulate conversations with people as soon they visit your site or social media. The conversation is generally customizable based on what the user responds to a series of pre-generated questions. If the robot can’t get it right, they’ll direct the consumer to a human on your team.
With so many chat feature options, we took the liberty of diving into several chatbots on the market to give you the good, bad, highs and lows of some of the products out there.
Their completely customizable mobile and desktop interfaces allow you to talk to multiple customers at one time without having to hire another tech support agent. Their application add-ons make it easy to implement across programs you maybe use like, MailChimp, social media, and more.
Give it a two-week free trial to see if you like the program first. LivePerson has limited branding options, but has great features like integrating with Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, your website and more. It also has visitor targeting, so it can track the users that are on your website at that moment and start up a conversation- a “Good morning, are you looking for anything specific?” kind of convo.
It’s one of the least expensive options out there and is probably great for a small business that doesn’t mind if it doesn’t match your website’s branding. (We’re a big fan of white labelers.) There are fewer integrations, but a 90-day free trial means you can test out the perks before jumping into a commitment.
ZenDesk’s after hours mode would be convenient if your business reaches multiple time zones- meaning it’ll be working even when you’re not. If you have a bigger digital budget, this program could be hugely beneficial to you. Their features are awesome, integrations are broad, but price tag is a little pretty.
The permission controls, reporting and analytics of Blue360 are what stood out to us. With Google Analytic integrations, social media tracking, and even response time reporting, Blue360 speaks to our digital goal-setting hearts. And permission controls!? One of our fav. ways to organize our business.
Built exclusively for apartment and resident sites, it’s something that can be totally beneficial for that industry. Question about leasing? Move in tomorrow. It makes all things leasing or residential seem like a breeze. Outside the property manager, apartment, leasing industry? You’ll want to look elsewhere for your chatbot.
BirdEye is new to the chatbot market – which could be a good or bad thing. Good: New features that other programs don’t offer. Bad: potential glitches or trial and errors. Good: Open to comments and suggestions on how to improve the platform.
What do you mean TidioChat is free for up to three users?! That’s a big plus for chat feature platforms as you typically have to pay per user. Integrations are great, ease of installation is even better.
Sure, they all have their pros and cons, but ultimately is a chat feature really going to hurt your business or website? Likely, no.
Chatbot pros:
- Immediate responses for consumers
- Often can match company branding
- Works when you’re not
- Analytic tools can help establish team and digital goals
- Has answers to questions your users may not know they even have.
Cons:
- Requires monitoring by staff member(s).
- Can be costly
Our top pick? TidioChat. Easy to implement, great customer support, & it does what it’s intended to do without breaking the bank.
Still unsure if a chat feature is right for you or your business? Get in touch with us to find out more about our thoughts on the add-on feature that everyone talks to, not about.
See how Brindle can help you and your website today- don’t worry, we’re not robots.