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10 Unique Chatbot Ideas for Businesses in 2024


Aayushi
By Aayushi | Last Updated on August 14th, 2024 5:33 am

Want to keep your customers coming back and purchase from you? Building an effective customer support system is the way to achieve that and chatbots can help you accelerate the process with utmost efficiency. Incorporating a chatbot built using software like Appy Pie’s Chatbot Builder, that aligns with business goals, brand values and customer needs and preferences is crucial, however the right chatbot ideas don’t always strike even the best of us. But there’s no need to worry as this guide covers 10 unique chatbot ideas for businesses which will help you select the right one for your business and scale up your operations. Let’s dive in.

What is a Chatbot?

A chatbot is an AI-powered tool which engages in human-like conversations with website or application visitors to assist them resolve their queries in a prompt manner. Simply put, a chatbot is a computer program that interacts with users and improves their experience to a great extent. Chatbots make use of complex language models and technologies like natural language processing, machine learning and artificial intelligence to automate tasks and carry them out seamlessly in no time.

Chatbots can streamline workflows efficiently through prompt response generation, handling customer queries, performing detailed and accurate information search, booking appointments and carrying out a multitude of other tasks on behalf of a business, which gives businesses a great opportunity to focus on expanding product lines and improving existing business strategies.

10 Unique Chatbot Ideas for Businesses

Chatbots can vary in sizes, colors, structure, and most importantly in the purpose they serve. There are numerous types of chatbots available ranging from customer support chatbots to lead generation bots to survey chatbots and many more. Here are 10 unique chatbot ideas for businesses in 2024:

  1. Lead Generation Chatbot
  2. The traditional system of collecting user information, sending marketing emails and using pop-ups to generate leads is gradually losing its effectiveness as people have become more conscious in sharing personal information and don’t like to receive numerous emails. However, with chatbots, the lead generation process has become much more smooth and effective.

    Lead generation chatbots are bots that can turn website visitors into potential leads and eventually actual customers for the business by engaging in conversations with them and promoting the company’s products and services to spark their interest in making a purchase. These bots also collect user information in the process and help identify the preferences, needs and interests of the visitors to easily cater them and convert them into customers.

  3. Customer Service Chatbot
  4. Customers nowadays, don’t just expect quality products and services from businesses, but also a seamless and quick customer service system that can assist them anytime they want. A customer service chatbot meets this expectation for the customers by providing 24/7 chat assistance, promptly answering queries, recommending products and self service tools as well as reducing customer wait time.

    Additionally, a customer service chatbot can provide businesses with time to focus on more complex tasks by automating routine activities, thus giving them the opportunity to scale up operations. With the help of these chatbots, user data can be gathered more effectively and marketing strategies can be planned in a better manner.

  5. Appointment Bot
  6. Booking appointments, scheduling meetings, maintaining work calendars etc., can get too exhausting and repetitive, especially when much more important tasks are lined up in front of the business. That’s where an appointment bot can be utilized. With traditional phone-based booking losing its efficiency, an appointment chatbot is a great option to streamline such routine tasks.

    Appointment chatbots are available 24/7 and provide customers with easy accessibility and convenience in booking appointments or scheduling meetings. Customer wait time is reduced and their satisfaction increases with prompt booking confirmations, thereby improving the overall experience and brand image.

  7. After Sales Service Chatbot
  8. The process of providing a good customer experience does not end when a sale is closed, it continues well after that in the form of after-sales service. This includes following up with customers after they have made a purchase to check if they’re satisfied with the product or service, to collect their constructive feedback and provide them any further assistance they require.

    An after sales service chatbot helps manage complaints in a prompt manner, answer user questions post sales and collect customer feedback efficiently to make improvements in the system accordingly and optimize customer experience at large.

  9. Survey Customer Feedback Chatbot
  10. Obtaining valuable customer feedback is the key to make or break a business. Companies can provide customers with the best quality products and services with spectacular features but would not be able to retain customers if they’re not satisfied with it. Thus, once a purchase is made, obtaining the customers’ views related to purchase experience, product quality and durability as well as efficiency of service is crucial.

    A survey customer feedback chatbot provides a more interactive and user-friendly experience to customers as compared to phone or email-based surveys. It collects user information effectively and helps businesses gain real-time insights and track trends in customer preferences, needs and interests to tailor-make strategies to serve them better.

  11. E-Commerce Chatbot
  12. It’s obvious that an online e-commerce store experience will never be the same as shopping at a physical store for any customer. However, it can be replicated to some extent with the help of an e-commerce chatbot. This type of a chatbot provides the website visitors with a real-time experience through asking them questions, marketing products as well as guiding them throughout, just like a human salesperson does.

    An e-commerce chatbot helps businesses generate more leads and boost their sales through provision of 24/7 quick support, effective promotion of products and services and optimizing customer experience at every step of their buying journey.

  13. Social Media Chatbot
  14. If the goal is to stay connected with the target audience, provide them regular updates and easy access to important information, a social media chatbot is the best option. These chatbots can be integrated into social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook Messenger etc. to assist the target audience- existing as well as new potential leads, present on those channels and spark their interest in buying from the company through effective promotional strategies.

    Another type of social media chatbots known as omnichannel chatbots can be deployed into various platforms for an integrated communication experience across all channels without any interruption, conversation breaks or loss of context. Using omnichannel chatbots, customers can jump from one platform to another to continue a conversation with the bot without the need to repeat themselves. This provides the benefit of meeting customers wherever they are active and most comfortable.

    Also Read: How to Make an Omnichannel Chatbot?

  15. FAQ Chatbot
  16. Out of all customer queries that a customer support team has to attend to on a daily basis, most are repetitive and frequently asked questions. Answering the same query again and again can be exhausting and frustrating. A business can make the whole process easier by incorporating a FAQ chatbot into the customer support strategy, which takes on the task to accurately respond to frequently asked questions in a prompt manner.

    FAQ chatbots provide businesses relief from responding to the same queries every day by automating responses and attending to customers right when they seek help. FAQ chatbots can also be made more efficient by adding elements like buttons to provide convenience to users in just selecting a button if they have a question that’s commonly asked by others.

  17. Educational Chatbot
  18. Think of educational chatbots as virtual assistants which help streamline the process of teaching as well as learning by providing easy access to learning material, sending important examination reminders, evaluating papers, creating progress reports, handling admission processes and other administrative tasks with utmost efficiency. Educational chatbots are mostly used by ed-tech companies and private tutors.

    An educational chatbot provides benefits to both teachers as well as students by acting as a virtual assistant and a virtual tutor respectively. It helps collect student data and feedback effectively thereby providing valuable information to the teacher to tweak teaching methods and update learning materials accordingly.

    Also Read: Benefits of Chatbot in the Educational Sector

  19. Customer Support Chatbot
  20. Customers tend to have multiple queries and inquiries before, during and after making a purchase with a company. These queries need to be resolved at the earliest possible time to reduce customer wait time and frustration and improve their experience. A customer support chatbot handles this with perfection. It understands, analyses and responds to customer queries with accuracy in no time.

    A customer support chatbot is appropriate for a business that has to handle numerous repetitive customer queries and complaints on a daily basis. Incorporating this chatbot frees up time for the business and provides cost efficiency by eradicating the need to maintain a large customer support team.

Conclusion

If you are new to chatbots, or just want to update your existing customer communication processes, the above mentioned 10 unique chatbot ideas can help you get started. Make sure to select the right type of chatbot that suits your business and personalize it according to the brand values, business goals and customer needs and preferences. Remember, the right chatbot, if built correctly and used efficiently, can do wonders for your business!

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