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5 Things to Consider When Purchasing a Multi-Location Chatbot

 

Chatbots are a great addition to any localized marketing strategy. Not only do chatbots provide 24/7 support to your target audience, but they also take some of the workload off your marketing team. Rather than constantly answering frequently asked questions (FAQs) and providing information about your products and services, a chatbot can do it for you. With so many options available, though, it can seem overwhelming to find the chatbot solution that’s best suited for your multi-location business. This blog is here to help. We break down the top five things you should consider when purchasing a chatbot solution, which will improve your chatbot marketing strategy.

 

1. Deploy Chatbots Across Various Platforms 

 

When looking at various chatbot solutions, one of the first things you should consider is whether or not the chatbot can be deployed across multiple platforms. For instance, some chatbot solutions can only be used across your website, while other chatbot solutions are supported on Facebook Messenger, Google Business Messages, and SMS. As you would expect, the more places you can implement your chatbot solution, the better. Think about it. If you can reach your target audience through local search or social, where they’re likely already spending their time, why wouldn’t you? Each platform gives you access to a different audience base and has various messaging features. The more opportunities your business has to connect with a potential customer through chatbots, the more leads you’ll ultimately get. 

 

2. Enable Personalized and Localized Experiences 

 

As a multi-location business, localization is a huge plus when selecting a chatbot solution. Consumers crave a local connection, and your chatbot solution needs to provide this. There are some chatbot solutions available that provide dynamic text based on location. For instance, if a user is interacting with a chatbot in Austin, Texas, can the chatbot give the address and office hours for your business in Austin? Similarly, if you have an upcoming event at your San Diego location, your chatbot in that area should be able to promote that event. Localization is a great added benefit when looking at chatbots. 

 

Along with localization, personalization is critical as well. For instance, can your chatbot solution call a user by its name? Does it have the ability to personalize the potential customer’s experience based on what questions they want answered? These are questions to consider when looking at chatbot solutions. Finding a chatbot that can both personalize and localize the experience for users will make a big difference. If consumers feel like their needs are being met, they will be more likely to remember your business when it comes time to make a purchase. 

 

 

3. Collect Leads

 

Another important added feature of some chatbot solutions is their ability to collect leads. Finding a chatbot solution that allows you to insert CTAs is crucial. If not, think of all the potential leads your multi-location business could be missing out on. There are many creative ways your multi-location business can collect leads in a chatbot conversation without asking the user for their information outright. For instance, you can request a user’s name and email address at the beginning of a conversation if the chat gets disconnected. At a later time, sales can use this contact information to follow up with the leads. 

 

On the other hand, you can also add CTAs at the end of a conversation. If you’re in the restaurant industry, consider leaving a “Book a Reservation” CTA at the end of the dialogue. Providing users with the opportunity to book an appointment or including a similar CTA is a great way to collect more leads and is an added convenience for users. Rather than finding where they can make a reservation or book an appointment, the chatbot makes it easy. 

 

Your multi-location business can also collect leads through sophisticated chatbot solutions by providing a form or survey at the end of conversations. You can ask users to rate their experience or give feedback on the exchange. Not only is this an intelligent way to collect leads, but you can also get information about what is working and what isn’t in terms of your localized chatbot strategy. 

 

4. Complexity of Dialogues

 

We touched on this briefly earlier in the blog, but it’s essential to look at how complex the chatbot solution can be. The more complex and dynamic a chatbot can be, the better. As the conversation goes on, your chatbot solution should better understand the user’s needs and adjust the conversation accordingly. For instance, the conversations from a chatbot should be differentiated if a user is asking about business hours vs. if a user is asking about the business’s return policy. Finding a chatbot solution that can understand the context behind the conversation is key.

 

When it comes to complexity, chatbots should also be able to integrate qualifying questions into the conversation. For example, suppose your multi-location business only has locations on the West Coast. In that case, your chatbot should be able to include qualifying questions that vet out users who are looking to visit a business location on the east coast. This prevents the user from getting too far in the conversation before realizing there isn’t a business location nearby. It also ensures your business is only collecting relevant leads. 

 

5. Scale Across Business Locations 

 

While this should go without saying, the ability for your chatbot solution to be scaled across business locations is non-negotiable. As a multi-location business, you likely have local Facebook pages, GMB listings, and local landing pages for each of your business locations. If not, check out this blog on the importance of scaling your localized marketing efforts. Similar to finding a chatbot solution that can be used across multiple platforms, it’s also critical to find a solution that your multi-location business can implement across all business locations. This is another non-negotiable when choosing a chatbot solution for your multi-location business. 

 

 

Now that you have the information needed to select the best chatbot solution for your multi-location business, it’s time to get started. If you don’t know where to begin in terms of chatbot solutions, consider SOCi SmartBot. SOCi SmartBot is the first of its kind and the only chatbot solution explicitly built for multi-location marketers. This Facebook, Google, and SMS Messaging chatbot delivers localized, proactive responses to commonly asked questions and can drive call-to-actions, including calls, website clicks, appointment setting, purchases, and more!

 

Never miss a lead with SOCi SmartBot. For more insight into how SOCi can help your multi-location business crush its localized chatbot strategy and stand out from the competition, request a demo today! It’s time to take your localized marketing efforts to the next level, and your chatbot strategy is a great place to start.