Living in 2018 means that everything is instant – you can book a trip in Croatia while flicking through Instagram in South Africa or order your latest food craving from the comfort of your bed.
Providing an instant service is just one of the perks that utilizing a live chat can have on your business.
Chatbots Defined and Their Benefits
Chatbots are designed to stimulate conversation with human users with the use of online programs. Chatbots can take the form of artificial intelligence applications or live chats with employees.
For example, chatbots can guide your potential customers through a sales funnels to make a purchase or booking, answer any questions and assist them with the final payment stages.
Think of it this way – it is 8pm, after hours, and a traveller is looking to book a hotel or enquire about extra services but can’t get through to a booking agent and will have to wait until the next morning or they might just move onto a different service – meaning you lost the sale.
With the use of chatbots, your service becomes 24/7!
With 80% of business planning to launch their chatbots by 2020, we list our top 8 reasons to start instant messaging for your hospitality business:
(Source: Value Walk)
1. Live Chats Boost Sales
As mentioned, live chats or chatbots are 24/7 – giving potential guests instant and helpful information. Live chat will also enhance your current guests’ experience by providing quick responses to any of their problems!
According to Comm100, live chats can increase the conversions by at least 20 percent while effectively generating new sales leads through communication. Because these potential customers have instant access to having their queries answered, it is no wonder that chatbots increase the likeliness of making a purchase by three times.
(Source: Comm100)
2. Time is Money
“Time is money and money is time”, has a phrase ever been more apt? The answer is no. If you’re operating within the hospitality industry, then you know and appreciate the use of efficient programs that save you time and money!
Reduce the time and costs involved with responding to customer enquiries through the use of chatbots and live chats. These platforms can go from serving one customer to a million in an instant, thus increasing your lead generation and potential sales. It is a lot cheaper than the more traditional telephonic services, and much more scalable.
In other words, chatbots allow you to spend less time and resources juggling customer enquiries but will boost your potential sales.
3. Take Your Customer Service to the Next Level
Look, I appreciate the value of branding and marketing, but nothing is quite as effective as a personalized service! Communicating with a company who listens to my needs and will respond accordingly to my pain points is a company that I will be using again.
The hospitality industry is no different. Think about it, how much happier was your customer knowing that you went that extra mile to set up their bedroom for a special engagement or provide them with a speedy service? Chatbots and live chat work in quite the same way – they allow you to provide personalized service at a large scale.
How do chatbots work? Well, chatbots are equipped to decode the natural language and different levels and they can understand the deeper human psychology. These are the tools that create an informed and personalized experience. Customers are then comforted by the human-like approach and are able to handle their queries seamlessly.
Try going the extra mile by listening to your customer’s needs and suggesting customized packages or tours!
4. Solve More Problems
With the power to multitask from one to one million in an instant, think of all the problems you can solve!
Afterall, 48% of customers would rather connect via chatbot than any other form of contact.
(Source: Value Walk)
Stay relevant by taking customer questions into consideration and how you can improve your services to assist with their pain points. Take note of the frequently asked questions, the types of customers, and what they need and incorporate this into your strategies in order to solve more problems efficiently.
5. Hospitality with Ease
This point links back to our whole “time is money, money is time” approach we’ve got going on.
Provide a seamless hospitality experience with the use of live chats and chatbots. Improve your user experience by offering an ease of services. Through chatbots, people are able to check in and out of your hotel with a few taps on their phone!
Gone are the days of processing extra documents and miscommunication!
6. Stay Ahead of the Game
An instant 2018 means that trends are forever changing, customer pain points are evolving and the struggle to stay ahead of your competitors is real.
Add a competitive edge to your company by highlighting your instant service!
Advertising that guests can check in and out through the use of your chatbots, book excursions or pay for their stay and receive an instant response.
7. Broaden Your Horizons
If you’re on the internet (it’s 2018, I hope you are!), you are already taking a step in the right direction to broaden your horizons.
However, the doesn’t necessarily mean that this will convert into sales or bookings. Potential customers may be deterred to make a booking or purchase if they haven’t used your site before. That’s where the beauty of the chatbot lies!
The great thing about the chatbot is that you can provide the same excellent service to an international customer as you would do for someone local. Your live chat feature will provide a sense of security to customers who are pondering about their purchase or booking if they are unfamiliar with your service.
Welcome your new international and local leads with comfort and ease through instant communication.
8. Gather Insights & Learn About Your Customer
Think of instant messaging as you would your receipts: proof of every impulsive decision you’ve made a history of your habits and preferences.
Chatbots can help you gather insight and knowledge on who your customer is and what their pain points are. Identifying and assisting these pain points will increase your customer loyalty and elevate your standing within the industry.
There is so much to benefit from when using the live chat feature for your business. Trust us and watch your bookings flourish!
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