Without a doubt, the number of mobile messaging users is on the rise. The end of the year will see 78% of smartphone users to message, and the growth will only increase. It is predicted that the rate will increase by 24% by 2021. Businesses have quickly recognized the trend and have embraced messaging as a marketing tactic. It is a new, efficient way of connecting, and digital marketing is not far behind to adopt it.
Customers have recognized that messaging is more convenient to resolve problems with businesses via email or call. A survey conducted across 15 markets reported people are more likely to rate messaging of businesses as “excellent” or “very good.” Businesses can connect with customers with personalization through messaging, saving money and time through automation.
Digital marketing in automation has impacted businesses in a profound way. It has changed the way customer service and marketing are managed. Many businesses are struggling to make out a messaging strategy to match their objectives. Businesses must choose at which point to integrate automation into messaging and how much to leave to human agents.
No matter the marketing channel, it’s essential to prioritize the problems to be solved for your business and your customers. If you are contacting via messages – for instance, a chatbox – chances are people will reach through the live chat. What are the questions being asked? How frequently are they asking?
For example, an online medical store can be asked questions such as hours of operation, hours of delivery, prescription needs. Frequent questions can be automated. There are tools to make messaging easier by identifying similar questions and providing the same automatic response. “Do you deliver at 8 p.m.? What are the hours of delivery?” will give the same answer.
Brands big and small can incorporate automation to respond to customers instantly. Automation is great when having to immediately reply to simple questions, filling forms, or booking appointments. There are times when a human touch is required to handle complex or personalized inquiries. Many businesses include a hybrid approach using automation (artificial intelligence) and customer representatives.
The brand KLM used AI support across social channels really well. The AI was able to answer over 60,000 questions through training. When representatives were asked a question, AI gave answers. The system learns through the representative’s response and becomes smarter. Through automation of customer service, the efficiency of the representatives grew dramatically.
Facebook Messenger has the handover protocol feature transitioning from automation to live replies back and forth. While your customers are receiving the fastest and personalized responses, there are complex tech handoffs occurring to make the conversation seamless.
Businesses must make their decisions to use digital marketing in automation and live representatives in the circumstances concerning your customers. Before choosing a messaging strategy, analyze where messaging can help their business. It is in the perfect mix of automation and human customer support where your customer’s needs will meet in every exchange.
