According to well-known customer experience expert, Dan Gingiss, it is necessary to engage with your consumers on the platforms and channels on which they are active. WhatsApp tops the list of social media and other platforms with around 1.5 billion users in 180 countries of the world. This is the reason that nowadays businesses are using WhatsApp chatbots to reach across to their customers as it is the largest messaging platform with more than 450 daily users. Then again WhatsApp messages have an engagement rate of around 70% compared to 15% of email open rates.
WhatsApp business chatbots give businesses a way to connect with a bigger audience and give customers a better experience. By doing so, it enables firms to establish a rapport with clients and win their loyalty. Regardless of their size or annual revenue, all businesses can use WhatsApp Business. With ongoing communication, it enables businesses to connect with their clients, engage them, and keep them as clients.
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The benefits of using WhatsApp chatbot builders and tools
Reducing development time and cost
Of course there is the old time method of creating a chatbot with the help of coding languages. However, the way the market for chatbots is growing, many companies are offering chatbot builders and tools to business owners at reasonable costs. If you hire a programmer in order to build your chatbot from scratch then it will cost you a lot of money, not to mention time and effort. On the other hand the WhatsApp chatbot builders provide ready-made WhatsApp chatbots which can be installed easily and connected to WhatsApp API without any hassle.
This entire procedure can be undertaken by your staff members by collaboration with the Chatbot builders. The best part is that the companies dealing in chatbot building will guide you through the entire process and assist you while creating the chatbot and attaching it to the WhatsApp Business API. At the same time, you can first opt for a demo on the website of these companies and then pay for the exact chatbot that you want. From the basic chatbot that can answer FAQ type queries, to advanced bots with machine learning abilities and NLP. The entire process take very little time and is much more affordable than building a chatbot from scratch with the help of a coding language.
Improving customer engagement and experience
As we have discussed WhatsApp is the most popular chat messaging platform all over the world. This is the reason that if businesses use this platform to connect with their customers then it proves to provide them a better customer engagement factor compared to other social media platforms. With WhatsApp chatbots the customers can easily access your promotional messages or your answers to their queries. This enhances the customer engagement and the customers’ experience with your company.
Various studies have proved that more customers prefer to be contacted on their WhatsApp messaging tool. This is why when a business uses WhatsApp messaging app in combination with AI powered chatbots, it speaks volumes about your company’s empathy and understanding towards their ease of attaining the information or solutions to problems they have.
Increasing productivity and efficiency
As we have discussed some benefits of WhatsApp chatbots for business, needless to say these bots will also enhance the productivity of your company. This is because when you start using these AI powered WhatsApp chatbots then you no longer have to employ 24×7 manpower just to answer simple questions and queries. This is because the chatbots will automatically provide answers to the visitors by using the data pool they have been attached to. Then again, if the customer’s queries or concerns require more in depth activity, then the WhatsApp chatbots will convey this to the customer and schedule a call by a human agent from the concerned department. The best part of engaging customers with WhatsApp chatbot is that the human agents are spared the hassle of answer tedious repeatedly asked FAQs which enhances their efficiency and hence productivity.
Enhancing data collection and analysis
With the help of machine learning enables chatbots you can also collect data of customers like their profession, their special days and other things that can help your business in enhancing the customer engagement and experience. Data about your existing and target customers is a powerful tool in enhancing UX and profitability of your business.
Top 10 WhatsApp chatbots and tools
Tidio
For small and medium-sized organisations who wanted a live chat with integrated chatbots, Tidio is definitely one of the best chatbot builders. Tidio offers a simple and rapid chatbot editor for your company, whether you’re creating your first chatbot or simply need some new ones. It has a drag and drop editor along with a number of different triggers. The bot is completely customizable and has 37 ready to use templates for different purposes.
BotSpice
This is a new but fast growing chatbot provider which is known for their excellent customer service. There are a large number of templates which enable you to create the right kind of WhatsApp chatbot which suits your requirements. At the same time, the company itself has a well designed customer service modus operandi which is available 24X7.
Hubspot
Small to medium-sized organisations that want to increase lead generation and support their marketing staff can use this bot builder software. The HubSpot free CRM service includes the chatbot building tools. Your chatbot can be programmed to schedule appointments, respond to routine questions, and send an automated welcome message.
Chatfuel
For independent contractors, new businesses, and organisations that prioritise customer interactions on social media, Chatfuel is a superb bot-making tool. It is a Messenger chatbot builder that provides businesses with a central platform for including certain editing capabilities and other connectors (works exclusively with Facebook and Instagram). For your international customers, you can employ NLP (Natural Language Processing) to provide a better customer experience. Additionally, you have a variety of Messenger options.
Pandorabots
A nice option for small enterprises is Pandorabots. However, to fully understand its functions, you’ll need some free time. It is an open-source platform that allows users to create and deploy chatbots using artificial intelligence as a service. You can use its framework, which is based on AIML (Artificial Intelligence Markup Language), to develop conversational bots that converse with your customers.
ManyChat
For businesses with a strong social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, this bot-building software performs well. With the help of this chatbot creator, you can communicate and have conversations with your customers and subscribers on WhatsApp, Telegram, and Instagram. For your convenience, it also offers integration with SMS and email. This builder called ManyChat provides quick onboarding and excellent teaching information for all skill levels. Additionally, it has a drag-and-drop editor with a structured and flexible interface for building your chatbot.
ChatBot
Medium-sized to large enterprises that require an easy way to communicate with their audience might consider ChatBot. You can utilise templates in this chatbot builder to get started with the bots. A bot can also be created from scratch by selecting the many tasks you wish it to carry out. One of the chatbot firms is Chatbot, which offers a fast learning course straight away. You may automate crucial operations for your business, including welcoming clients and gathering their information, by dragging and dropping components into the appropriate positions.
Wati
This bot-building software works well for B2C companies who provide customer service, provide alerts, and engage in WhatsApp discussion. This WhatsApp chatbot generator offers a wide selection of chatbot templates. Additionally, you can build a bot from scratch, but not during the free trial. The colours and appearance of your chatbot won’t change, but you can change the text.
Outgrow
For those that wish to engage with and learn more about their audience, Outgrow is a fantastic marketing tool. However, if you’re looking for a chatbot for customer service, this might not be your best option. One of the chatbot developers that offers a wonderful onboarding experience is this one. You are presented with two straightforward questions at the outset, followed by a video on each step of creating your chatbot.
TARS
Large firms that wish to automate website chats without involving a human can use this chatbot builder. The marketing team’s workflow is aided by TARS, which also enhances conversion funnels. Prospect greetings and lead generation are both processes that can be automated. To offer the relevant information, you may also incorporate our chatbot maker into your landing pages. Just enough information is provided so that you can ask for the user’s contact information and develop relationships without overwhelming your visitors.
Factors to consider while choosing chatbot builder or tool
Business objectives and use cases
The main factor to consider while choosing a WhatsApp chatbot builder is your objective for which you are creating the bot. This aspect is different not just for different industries, but also different companies within an industry. As we have discussed above, most of the top 10 chatbot builders have bots with various functionalities and all of them can be used with WhatsApp. Hence you need to understand your customer base and their psyche, and what are the basic requirements that the chatbot needs to fulfill.
Customer behavior and preferences
As discussed the choice of a bot and hence a bot builder or tool depends largely on the psyche of your customer base. The good part is that most of the consumers of today are used to automation in different industries on different levels. Hence most customers are happy to use chatbots that make their task of attaining information from you quite easy.
Integration with existing systems and tools
Almost all the good chatbot builders and tools provide solutions that can be easily integrated with your existing systems and tools. This is important because it will prove to be very expensive if you have to change any part of your systems. Hence you should look for a builder or tools that allow you to create a WhatsApp chatbot that can be integrated not just with WhatsApp but also your website and other software that you are using.
Security and data privacy
There is a major rise in white collar crimes across the world and more so in advanced counties. This is why you need to make sure that your customers’ personal and financial information is not leaked to any third party. When you are purchasing the services of a chatbot builder, your major concern should be the accessibility of data by an unauthorized entity. You will need to make sure that no one outside the concerned department of your business is able to access the data provided by customers on the automated chatbots that you are using on different levels.
Customer support and training
In some cases you may need to provide a tutorial to your customers so that they become comfortable with the WhatsApp chatbot. This can be done with the help of a video on your website and by sending a link to it on the WhatsApp messaging app. This will ensure that if your customers are not tech savvy they can become used to the chatbot with the help of the tutorial.
Conclusion
Hence it can be said that WhatsApp chatbot builders and tools should be customizable and should provide your customers the experience that they want. The different chatbot builders provide different features and all of them can be integrated with WhatsApp. This is why make a thorough study of the players in this arena and choose the right company that allows you the maximum benefits and ease of use. By using chatbots on WhatsApp you can enhance your employee productivity and make your business more profitable.