WhatsApp chatbot ultimate guide: best practices

The WhatsApp chatbot is a trend that is here to stay. Probably, it will replace most business communication channels, such as the call center, mobile apps, and even websites. Thus, businesses need to take advantage of AI intelligence. In addition, WhatsApp chatbots will help firms provide the best customer service. It will help them facilitate agents' workload as well.

WhatsApp chatbots and messages are the new disciplines. But businesses don't know about it yet. Plus, companies must create effective chatbots that help them make the best of their customer conversations. Therefore, we created this material which includes chatbots' best practices. We even added illustrated examples to make it clear. This guide contains tips and tricks to help you build a powerful and engaging chatbot.

Conversations Starters and Closers

Any human conversation starts with certain etiquette. It starts with greetings first. Then, self-identification and the setting. Finally, we got the purpose of the discussion.

Here is a list of what a customer expects precisely from your chatbot. It always needs to:

1. Welcome your customer. Use a compelling message to make sure the first interaction with your chatbot is memorable. If possible, customize the welcome message by using their first name or customer ID.
2. Ask the new customers about the language of communication they prefer. Let them choose in which language they want to contact your company.
3. Identify yourself. Add the business name and the chatbot name.
4. Ask the customer to identify themselves. This step will have an impact on the chatbot's flow.
5. Propose your help with the list of services that the bot can deliver.

As humans, it is easy to figure out when a conversation comes to an end. But for chatbots, things need to be formal. So this is what your chatbot needs to perform:

Closing Statement

When the chatbot has responded to all the customer queries, it asks them if they need further support. Otherwise, the session will be considered closed.

Satisfaction Survey

You can assess customers' satisfaction when it comes to chatbot conversations and service. The chatbot can share an automatic question with the customer. Then, the customer can rate your service quality from 1 to 5. 1 is the lowest rate while five is the highest.

Chatbot Conversation Flow

A chatbot conversation flow or a conversation diagram represents the process/ list of steps you want the customer needs to go through to complete their goal.

While designing your conversation flow, it is essential that you have in mind the following:

The Three-Clicks Rule

It can come from the web. In a nutshell, users will get frustrated and suit your website if they can't find what they are looking for in three clicks. When applying this rule to the chatbot world, the customer shouldn't need to make more than three inputs after the greetings to get his goal done.

Flow Customization Per Segment

You may identify two or more customer database elements with different needs. For example, you can segment to VIP customers Vs. Mass customers. Or, you can have segments of Existing account holders Vs. New leads. Therefore, it would be relevant to have two additional flows that will allow every customer segment.

Main Menu

The main menu is a central part of the Chabot. Generally, it displays the main services/pieces of information that a chatbot can provide. This part should not always be exhaustive. But, it should always contain 80% of the services that the customers are searching.

A Way Back

If the customer makes a wrong decision, they must change their selection. Then, they will need to come back to the main menu. Your customer may change their minds. They may want to see more information or make adjustments to their order. Thus, it would help you to have a menu button available at each stage of the discussion. Then, your customer will find an easy way back when he decides.

Chatbot Interface

At the earliest stages, chatbots were visually primitive. So, customers had to input their choices manually. But, the emergence of quick replies buttons along with the list buttons changes things. We're now talking about conversational Apps where the customer can entertain most of the conversation with the Business by simply pressing buttons.

WhatsApp features are a must-have for your WhatsApp chatbot. The features will help you upgrade the customer's interface. List messages and buttons facilitated the process for both the customer and the company. Therefore, chatbots that manually input information from customers are part of history now.

List messages can present a menu of up to 10 options. So they are simple and easy to use. WhatsApp buttons represent quick access to information. Therefore, both features help businesses connect with their customers. They provide each client with a unique and valuable experience. List messages and buttons represent a great way to guide customers through the interaction with your chatbot. They help customers achieve their goals without the need to write a single word.

Chatbot Conversation Content

When it comes to instant messaging, replies should be short. Poorly written chatbots send bulk texts. Long text paragraphs mean an overload of information. But honest conversations don't work this way. So chatbot replies should generally be brief and cut to the chase.

The script of your chatbot conversation is valuable. That's why we recommend that you spend enough time on this activity. So, try to choose the correct wording to satisfy the customer's needs.

The state of the art of conversation design listed five major guidelines:

• Quantity: Provide just enough information. Don't give more or less information than required.
• Quality: Content is truthful. So always keep in mind that quality is more important.
• Relation: Communication should be compliant. Therefore, you need to be aware of the context. So, avoid generic answers and use a contextual copy for your chatbot.
• Manner: Be brief and present the information in a logical order.
• Politeness: Don't overwhelm the counterparty. Always offer the option to end the conversation.

Practical Chatbot Best Practices

Knowing what theoretical practices you should apply to your WhatsApp chatbot is excellent. But how to use these practices in real time? In practice, we recommend the following best points:

Create a Bot Persona

Be transparent with your customers. Inform them that they are interacting with a chatbot. So, giving a name to your chatbot is relevant. It helps your customers figure out whether they're talking to an actual human or interacting with a chatbot.

Tone

Your WhatsApp chatbot is similar to another piece of content. So, it would be best if you were compliant with your brand tone of voice. For example, decide whether your chatbot should use formal or informal language. Should it make jokes or keep the chat professional? Make sure to define the voice and tone based on your target audience.

Use Multimedia

The main content for chatbots is text. But, it is worth mentioning that Multimedia allows higher customer engagement. Even an animated gif can make a difference. So, use a small amount of text and embed catchy visuals instead. For example, you can add some smileys. They will make your chatbot sound more human and fun. Remember that the aim is to keep the customer engaged and to convince them to continue the conversation.

Bonus Best Practices

No one minds some extra tips and tricks for sure. When it comes to building a chatbot for your business, it is important to pay attention to every single detail. So, here are a few bonus tips that will help you build a perfect chatbot.

Opt-in Collection

If you plan to run marketing campaigns later on WhatsApp, getting an active opt-in subscription is mandatory. Collecting the customer opt-in automatically through your chatbot would be exciting in this case.

Human Handover

61% of respondents said that they accept chatbots to answer their questions as long as the answers are correct. At the same time, 2% prefer chatbots to live agents. But, of course, the chatbot will never respond to all the customer inquiries. So, the smooth handover of the conversation to the agent is a crucial part of your chatbot. Thus, make sure that you have an easy handover path.

Kartly.io platform allows great synchronization between chatbot automation and agent console.

Conclusion

These best practices are practical and easy to apply. But, it would help if you hire real experts in customer conversation. In addition,  if you have an agile mindset, that will allow you to enhance and improve your chatbot continuously.

If you are reading this blog, then you are probably looking forward to building your chatbot. Moreover, you are probably looking for the right platform to help implement the best chatbot that will help your business grow.

Kartly.io will help you build the right chatbot for your firm. We will help you create a chatbot that can handle customer queries efficiently, qualify leads, and grow your sales. You can start now and schedule a free demo with us to help you learn how we help businesses engage with their customers like they never had before.

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