In today’s world, we’re all connected. It’s easier to find information and buy from anywhere.

Customers are firmly in the driving seat when it comes to making a buying decision. Today, on the web, the customer is king.

They buy solutions and outcomes, not products, and judge firms on whether you are able to meet their needs in a way they find satisfying.

In other words, it is their perceptions and experiences that matter.

“Customers complete nearly 60% of a typical purchasing decision—researching solutions, ranking options, setting requirements, benchmarking pricing— before having a conversation with a supplier.”


-– The End of Solution Sales, Brent Adamson, Harvard Business Review

Despite this, many websites fail to help customers get the information they need.

Personally, I find it frustrating when I’m visiting a website and can’t find what I’m looking for.

According to research carried out by digital marketers MyCleverAgency, I’m not alone.

Using a bot is the perfect way to give visitors quick answers to questions.

Even better, it works 24/7.

With traffic coming in from all over the world, your office hours won’t always match up with the times your customers need help.

So when you’re not there – say out of office, at nights, or at home over the weekend – a bot can keep talking to your visitors.

Using multiple choice questions can help visitors quickly get to the right place. And when they do engage, their answers will give you valuable insight into their needs and motivations.

Picking from pre-defined choices is easier for your visitors, because it takes less time and effort than writing an email or making a phone call.

The answers to those questions don’t have to be just text. You can link to helpful content you’ve already produced (you might think, “gosh, we have a whole page about that.”). Or you can add resources like images or YouTube videos and answer the question there and then.

Tip: Add links to helpful content

Bots will scale as your business does. Big seasonal rush? No problem. Automation will mean that you can answer those questions without needing extra help.

The business impact of helping visitors is that it will increase the flow through your funnel.

“The source of must funnel problems is vendor-centric funnel design…you are hoping your customers will do something they are not motivated to.”

-– Software marketing expert and investor, David Skok

By helping visitors get the information you need, you avoid frustration. Even better, you help them understand how their life will be better in the future. And by doing that, they will be motivated to take the next step in their buying journey.

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