The buzz about chatbots is everywhere. Companies are developing applications to automate and simplify their business interactions with customers. But, there are some common mistakes made while building these bots on WhatsApp as well. I will discuss the most typical mistakes that companies make while developing the application logic, interface design and copywriting of their bots. After hours of work and thousands of lines of code, it’s important to make sure that your final product is not going to disappoint you in any way. In this article, I’ll explain why some common tasks are easily done wrong and how the right design choices might help you reach your desired end result.
Not having specific objectives
Chatbots can be great tools for a whole range of purposes – from customer service to marketing automation to simply answering FAQs. But they’re only really useful if you have specific objectives in mind.
And the way you design your chatbot should be based on these objectives, as not every chatbot is suited to every purpose and different chatbots require different strategies.
Not testing your chatbot before it goes live
You need to make sure that your bot is fully operational and ready for use before you launch it, or it could frustrate customers and damage your reputation.
You also need to check that all the links work properly, that the bot understands what customers are saying and responds correctly, and that the tone of voice is suitable for your brand.
Trying to automate too much
This is a very common mistake. People think that the more they automate, the better. The more they can make their chatbot do, the better. This is not true. In fact, we can look at some of the biggest brands in the world, and they’re not exactly trying to automate everything with their chatbots. They’re trying to automate certain elements, but when you try to automate everything with your chatbot, you’re just going to end up confusing your customers and having them not engage with your chatbot at all. So try not to automate too much.
Not carrying over the customer’s previous information
If you don’t carry over the customer’s previous information from one message to another, they will have to go through the same process again and again each time they get in touch with you. This is a waste of time for both parties!
Forcing people into a funnel without thinking about their context
This is a mistake that many businesses make when using marketing automation tools like HubSpot or Infusionsoft: They force people into a funnel without taking context into account first.
Not using keywords for navigation
Just like any other chatbot, WhatsApp bots need to have their own navigation system based on keywords so users can easily navigate between different sections of content.
No follow-up action
There is no point in creating a WhatsApp chatbot if it only has a single-use case, such as answering FAQs. The power of a WhatsApp bot lies in its ability to engage with your customers, which means that you must plan for follow-up actions within the bot. This can be anything from getting additional user input to collecting contact details and personalizing the customer journey based on customer preferences.
Not using the full potential of existing platforms
Marketers often spend months building their chatbots in-house or with a developer. Afterward, they discover that the solution they built only partly meets their needs or has limited features. Building a chatbot can take time because of WhatsApp’s restrictions on what developers can do on the platform and limitations when it comes to integrating data sources and customer relationship management (CRM) systems. However, you shouldn’t have to start over every time you want to add new functionality. There are already many ready-to-use platforms available where you can create WhatsApp bots in minutes.
Pushing for conversion too soon
One of the biggest mistakes a business can make is to push for conversion too soon.
Asking someone to buy your product, subscribe to your service or sign up for your newsletter within seconds of meeting them is like asking someone to marry you on the first date. It’s just not going to happen.
It takes time before people are ready to convert, and it’s important that you don’t rush them into doing so. Instead, you need to build a relationship with them. You need to nurture and guide them through the sales funnel before they will be willing to take the plunge.
To do this you should:
Provide useful content that helps nurture leads through their buyer’s journey. This could be entertaining content such as quizzes, or it could be educational content such as blog posts and how-to guides.
Promote products or services at the right time, rather than pushing them onto people who aren’t ready for them yet.
Forgetting about GDPR
GDPR is an EU regulation that requires companies to give users certain rights when they collect personal data. If a company collects personal data without giving these rights, they will face a large fine.
For example, under GDPR, a website visitor has the right to see and download their personal data that is collected by a website. They also have the right to request their personal data be deleted. So if you collect information from your visitors and add them to your email list without giving them these rights, you will be in trouble with your local data protection authority.
Forgetting about data privacy
The biggest mistake businesses can make with a chatbot is forgetting that it collects information from its users. Data privacy is more important than ever, with regulatory bodies like GDPR in Europe and CCPA in California making it a legal requirement for companies to collect only the data they need, and keep it safe. Chatbots need to be transparent about what they collect and how they use it.
Not having a strategy
Chatbots should be part of an overall business strategy, not just a means of reducing costs or improving efficiency, although these should be objectives. A good chatbot strategy starts by considering your customers’ needs and how you can best meet them through automation while still providing the level of service your customers expect.
Sending the same message to everyone
One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is sending the same message to every customer. The whole point of using chatbots is to have personalized conversations. If you send generic messages, customers will feel like just another number and not like a valued customer
Not guiding conversations
Your customers will expect your chatbot to guide them through conversations based on their responses and provide relevant information as needed, according to what they want to know at that particular moment in time.
Conclusion
Chatbots have been getting a lot of attention lately, and companies are trying to tailor their needs to make the most out of this new technology. But with so many chatbot solutions available for WhatsApp, it can be confusing for users trying to pick the best option for their needs. In this article, we’ve looked at a few of the most common WhatsApp bot mistakes that you should try to avoid when creating your own chatbot.