Should you Use WordPress Chatbots?

Whether we’re talking about companies, large brands, or individuals, a website is a great resource. It allows you to connect with possible customers, it’s a highly effective channel for communication and is the way we’re doing business in the modern age.

However, it’s not an easy task to run a website (even when you’re using WordPress)! There’s always something to upgrade and, if you want to stay relevant, you can never stop creating content. In addition, you must make sure to answer customer queries in real-time, even though they are more or less the same.

But modern technology managed to find a way to take care of customer support and allow site administrators and content creators to focus their creative powers on less redundant tasks. Enter the scene – chatbots.

What Exactly are Chatbots?

If you imagine C3PO or R2D2 answering calls and taking orders, you wouldn’t be very wrong.

Still, we’re not in the Star Wars universe (sadly). Chatbots in our world are automated solutions that can provide customers with replies to FAQ or other inquiries. These are mainly standard systems that use a pre-defined set of rules to offer automated replies and most customers can tell they’re not talking to a real person.

If you want to step it up a notch, there are AI-based chatbots that can sustain a human conversation, offer recommendations, help with various basic tasks, and perform a series of other tasks that are usually performed by people. These systems learn from users’ behavior and get better in time (you can learn more about how these systems work from an online data science course).

Regardless of the type of chatbot you choose to implement, you’ll have a system that keeps the conversation with the customers going. This increases customer satisfaction (which is a big plus for your business) and frees your time for more pressing tasks.

Do Chatbots Work on WordPress Sites?

The fun thing about WordPress is that you can find a plugin for almost anything.

So, yes, there are chatbot plugins available and some are quite good. Even more, you can choose a chatbot app that works best for your needs and expectations (they’re not all the same). Even more, you can choose between using a chatbot system in an existing messaging app (like Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp) or implementing one directly on the site.

A few great plugins that work with WordPress are IBM Watson, collect.chat, and Gobot. If you read their description, you’ll notice these plugins are focused on helping businesses generate more leads and maintain a friendly relationship with their viewers. They are all AI-based and learn using advanced machine learning and language processing technologies.

Pros & Cons

To us and many website owners, a chatbot has clear advantages.

First, it is available day and night and doesn’t ask for breaks. Also, it can handle several discussions simultaneously and treats every discussion with the same enthusiasm and friendliness. An intelligent chatbot is more efficient in providing quick answers and making recommendations while also sustaining quite complex conversations.

In fact, even a chatbot that works on pre-defined rules can provide a great customer experience when there’s no other solution.

On the other hand, some business owners worry about the public’s perception when they learn they’ve been chatting with a machine. There’s also the problem of various accents (with voice chatbots) and lingo.

Overall, when it comes to solving a simple issue as quickly as possible, people are willing to have a chat with a machine. Some even love the experience, especially if the exchange happens in writing. But, when it comes to more complex issues, people would rather speak to a person.

In conclusion, chatbots won’t solve your customer relationship problems. You still need to invest in support depth and make the shopping process as smooth as possible. Still, they can have a positive impact on your site management and brand awareness if they are used correctly.