Interested in website chatbots but are unsure where to begin? While they’re easy to use, the process to design and develop them is comprehensive. From conversation wireframes to adaptable messaging and diverse solutions needed, it can be challenging to navigate.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to integrate a chatbot for your website to ensure your business and its users maximize the full benefits of AI marketing.
Chatbot Best Practices for Websites: How to Build, Design, & Train Them for Optimal Performance
Although websites with chatbots are heavily automated, they still require human legwork for optimal performance. Below, we’ll break down how to design, develop, and train site chatbots for your users and why it’s necessary.
Design the Chatbot Interface
Your website chatbot needs to look as good as it performs. It not only ensures that it’s visually appealing and consistent with your brand, but that it also functions properly on all devices.
Some chatbot design best practices include:
- Set a chat-based system for a conversational format (activated messages, adaptable next-step buttons, uncluttered step-by-step instructions, etc.)
- Use a chatbot face based on your brand (avoid human faces so users know they’re speaking to chatbots)
- Add your company’s colors, font, and logo at the top (this helps keep brand consistency)
- Optimize the chatbot interface for mobile and desktop to ensure a user-friendly functionality (responsive layout design, page load speed, etc.)
Keep in mind that your web design team will test these steps pre- and post-launch to continuously optimize the chatbot interface.
Customize the Chatbot Tone, Conversation Flows, & Fallback Messaging
The most comprehensive process in AI chatbot integration for websites is how it’ll communicate with users. You’ll need to set the chatbot’s tone, create conversation flows, and provide fallback messaging based on a wide range of situations.
Some best practices for chatbot development communications include:
- Decide on the chatbot personality based on your brand with natural language (friendly, emojis, professional, technical, etc.)
- Input your buyer persona details so it understands your target audience (user demographics, their common questions/problems, how they often communicate, customer data profiles, etc.)
- Set common chatbot conversation flows to direct users to the best next step (lead-generation messages for sales-related questions, troubleshooting messages, FAQs, etc.)
- Provide conversation examples for appropriate fallback messaging (questions for chatbots to ask users for additional information if they don’t understand their message, entering prompts of different tones/phrases, adding action buttons to streamline navigation, etc.)
These key details help your web developers create chatbot wireframes so it doesn’t repeat the same message every time, brings personalized interactions, and encourages user engagement.
Create Pre-Set User Intent Support
Having your website chatbot understand why someone is using it is the first step to finding them the right solution. Based on your customer support history, you should know the most common reasons why they contact you. These will determine the pre-selected greeting options for what they need help with.
Some examples of user support intents for chatbots are:
- Help with new or existing orders (returns, product damage, delayed delivery, address updates, etc.)
- Sales-related questions on the products or services you offer (pricing, scheduling, orders, etc.)
- Troubleshooting assistance (software not updating or integrating properly, glitches, etc.)
- Something else (unrelated to the above options)
Creating these automated options will direct people to get the exact help they’re looking for because it’s designed based on their intent.
Save Individual Conversation Histories
One of the best practices in chatbuilding engaging conversations is its ability to save individual chat histories. AI is designed for machine learning, and the more that’s inputted, the more efficient it becomes in providing personalized solutions. This contextual awareness prevents your website chatbot from providing generic answers for a stronger user experience.
Integrate Omni-Channel Support Options
Sometimes users just want to speak with real people, even if your site’s chatbot is developed and designed thoroughly. One of the must-have features in a chatbot is the ability to provide multiple customer support options in different languages. It should offer a phone number, email, and social media contact information for anyone to reach your company for additional assistance.
Train & Test the Chatbot Thoroughly & Continuously
As mentioned above, website chatbots rely on continuous machine learning for optimal performance. Your web design and development teams should consistently test the chatbot pre- and post-launch for ongoing improvements. These may include potential functionality limitations, unrefined messaging, and mobile device layouts.
Leverage the Full Benefits of AI Chatbots for Your Website with Expert Builders
When built properly, chatbots for websites offer significant benefits for businesses. From increased lead generation to reduced costs from hiring fewer customer service staff and 24/7 support that your customers will appreciate, AI has become an integral part of your brand’s success.
However, it requires expert chatbot designers and builders to maximize these benefits.
At Reach Marketing Pro, we have extensive experience in chatbot design and development. Our full-service marketing agency can dive deep into your target audience’s needs with prompt training, integrate must-have features for your specific industry, and design it within your brand’s guidelines with ongoing optimization to ensure it continuously improves.
Learn more about our web design/development services or contact us for any chatbot-related questions today!
Website Chatbot FAQs:
What Are the Pros and Cons of Chatbot Use on Websites?
Some pros of chatbots for your website are:
- 24/7 customer support
- Workload support for customer service teams with cost savings
- Additional lead generation channels
Some cons of chatbots for your website are:
- Comprehensive design and development integration processes
- Limited understanding without ongoing machine learning prompts
- Potential user data privacy and security compliance issues without proper protocols
What Features Should a Chatbot Have?
The must-have features in a chatbot should include:
- Conversational language and chat-centric interface
- Saving individual chat histories for contextual awareness, personalized responses, and appropriate fallback messaging
- Adaptable CTA buttons for appropriate next steps
- Consistent branding in the tone and visual design
- CRM integration capabilities
- User data and privacy compliance
Which Information Should You Provide to AI Chatbots?
The information you should provide to AI chatbots includes:
- All common problems and questions your customers have
- Target audience demographics
- Common conversational workflows based on customer service, marketing, and sales departments