Using Bots for Your Small Business

Bot technology has been around for a while, but have you had a chance to use it for your small business? Bots will help you create better communication with your customer.  How can you use bots for your small business - even if you're a small team or a solo-preneur.
What is a bot?  
A bot is an automatic responder essentially that you use on your website. The bot appears in the corner of your small business website and is meant to be responsive.  Being responsive means that the bot is having its own conversation or is beginning a conversation between you and the visitor on you website.
A bot is meant to give a whole complete conversation, to lead someone through a sequence. Or it can start them on a sequence that they can finish with a human.
No matter which type of website manager you use for your small business - Wix, WordPress, Shopify, Weebly - a lot of them are integrating and making it easier for you to put a Facebook bot on your website.
Issues with bots
The biggest issue is that most small business owners don't change the sequence from messenger on their Facebook page to messenger on their website.  You can actually customize this experience.  Make sure the experience people are having is useful to both you and your customer.
The second issue that small business owners are doing with bots on their website is they're not attending to the bot. The point of a bot is that it is a sequence that will answer a question and give a solution.  And, and you can do that if you have an idea of what the customer's experience is.
A bot is meant to help the user get to their answer in a way that is interactive, instead of having them have to hunt on your website.
Another issue that happens is not following through.  You have a bot on your website, you have a sequence on your website, but then you, as the small business owner need to complete the sequence.  Facebook messenger is only one type of messenger to use. It is user-friendly and will train you to better communicate with customers.
Bots can help create communication
Bots will help you create better communication with your customer.  You need to know what the customer wants to know and what that sequence will look like.  And then give them a call to action to resolve their problem with you.
It's meant for you to have a conversation even if you're not available to have that conversation. For small business owners and solopreneurs, it's quite possibly one of the best things that's ever happened.  However, when you're not using it properly, it essentially leaves anyone who is engaged with your business with a poor taste in their mouth.  We have to make sure we are doing our part to make the bot absolutely beneficial to our small business.﻿﻿