5 Ways a Chatbot can Transform your Retail Service

Gartner says that chatbots will be the primary contact method for a quarter of firms by 2027. Retail is one of the sectors that will benefit most because it’s an extremely cost-effective way to deliver customer service without compromising sales and your NPS. 

Chatbots are commonly used to answer the queries that top the list of frequently asked questions. This not only saves time for customers and shortens transaction times, but also frees up a business advisor’s time to help with more complex queries that can influence satisfaction scores and brand reputation. 

But there are five other ways LINK Mobility chatbots can help boost NPS and save your business time and money: 

• Order tracking. Delivery delays are one of the most frustrating parts of the sales journey for consumers. However, integrating a chatbot with your systems can help alleviate the pain and give customers control. Chatbots can be trained to recognise variations of ‘where’s my order?’ and look up delivery schedules. A date can either be provided or if there is a delay, the bot can handover to a person to investigate the case in more detail and manage any ill-will the customer feels towards the brand. 

• Virtual assistance. Sometimes people need help to narrow down their choices and trawling through a list of FAQs isn’t an attractive process. Chatbots can be trained to answer questions about anything from how to care for sofa fabric to understanding the differences between the processing power of a laptop. It’s especially useful for people who can’t get to a store or are researching a purchase out of working hours. 

• Gather feedback. Pop-ups that ask for ratings interrupt the web experience and are often considered intrusive by customers. Post-sales surveys are also easily dismissed. Chatbots provide a more friendly interface that can be personalised to the transaction the customer completed. This means the feedback gathered is relevant and more likely to accurately reflect the experience a customer had, helping to uncover weaknesses in the customer journey.  Additionally, a survey bot can be deployed on the web, by text and through social media channels. 

• Provide the human touch. If customers need more help, then chatbots can be trained to either hand over to an expert or be put through to an integrated booking system that will arrange an appointment for a more convenient time. Chatbots can also be distributed through social and mobile channels that allow your customers to respond at a time that is convenient to them 24/7.

• Preventing lost sales through automation. It’s possible to integrate bots into inventory management systems to maximise sales. If an item is out of stock online, customers can ask a chatbot when there will be more stock. The customer can then choose to reserve an item if the order can be fulfilled soon. Similarly, in-store, scanning a QR code near a rail of coats can open a chatbot which checks stock availability in the stockroom, another store, or a warehouse.

The greatest benefit of all is the ability to scale and personalise chatbots to your business needs helping you get a competitive advantage in sales and service. 

Come and have a chat with us at stand WL483 to discover how our chatbot technology can transform your service offering. 

LINK Mobility: a leading provider in messaging and chatbot technology for a truly modern omnichannel, customer-centric experience.

Web: www.linkmobility.com     Email: sales.uk@linkmobility.com        

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