Most businesses lack the capacity to provide 24/7 online customer support and sales assistance, let alone on their website. Fortunately, chatbots do not require sleep (or eat lunch). Any time of day or night, Facebook Messenger bots can answer consumer questions, track deliveries, provide product suggestions, and even finalize a deal. Facebook is the most popular social media site on the planet. If you already have a Facebook shop, you’ve taken the first step toward joining an ever-expanding online marketplace. If you don’t consider adding a Facebook Messenger chatbot to your team, you’ll be passing up on valuable sales opportunities. Learn how to utilize Facebook Messenger bots (also known as Facebook chatbots) for customer support and social commerce below. Create a streamlined experience for your customers and followers to differentiate yourself from the competition.

What exactly is a Facebook Messenger bot (also known as a Facebook chatbot)?

A chatbot is a piece of automated messaging software that talks with people using artificial intelligence. Facebook Messenger bots operate within Facebook Messenger and can communicate with some of the 1.3 billion individuals who use it each month. Chatbots are similar to virtual assistants. They can be taught to interpret questions, provide replies, and carry out tasks. They can offer a personalized online shopping experience and possibly generate revenue.

The Dos of Using Facebook Chatbots

Below is a list of things to do when using Facebook chatbots.

#1. Assign a personality and identity tag to your bot

Have you ever felt as if your communication with a company was forced and unnatural? You do not want your customers to have such an impression of you when they contact you.

How do you do that?

You can begin by giving your chatbot a name that will entice customers to initiate a discussion. It will also make customers feel closer to your brand. It is usually boring and monotonous to speak with a robot. This will not attract individuals; instead, it will create a negative experience. To guarantee that the chatbots project a personality that the user can easily relate to. Your chatbot is the emotion, and your chatbot provides the user with an experience.

#2. Keep Interactions Short

Deploying a chatbot, either on Facebook Messenger or elsewhere, to help you communicate and engage with your customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week is a great online marketing tactic, but make sure you don’t program your “office assistant” to participate in a lengthy conversation. Don’t expect people to pay close attention to your chatbot. They are easily distracted by the plethora of other apps on their phone. As a result, keep your interactions brief and reestablish the context of the conversation as needed.

#3. Make it clear to users that chatbots are not humans

Chatbots have advanced with the integration of AI systems that easily engage with humans; nevertheless, it is also essential to ensure that customers know they are speaking to bots rather than actual personnel. If the bot needs more time to execute a request, use the typing indication (three dots) to let your customer know that things are still going on behind their keypads. For example, anytime there is an artificial delay, display something like “is typing…” on your user’s screen.

#4. Move the conversation to a person before it becomes too irritating for the user

Allow human agents to easily take over a discussion from the bot when it has progressed beyond what the bot can successfully handle. You may not want to implement all of the above into your bot from the start. But, at the very least, give customers the opportunity to convert from a bot to a human. Analyze how your users engage with the bot to determine the best moment to add the other two functions.

#5: Be funny

Humor builds rapport. Almost everyone enjoys laughing. Non-offensive jokes can quickly build fondness and confidence in your brand. A clever joke can disarm tension, throw light on an unpleasant or stressful situation, and shared laughter is frequently the foundation of relationships. People do business with people they like, and if they smile and laugh at you every time they see you, they will associate you with joy. Who doesn’t like a good laugh every now and then? Your customers work hard, manage projects, attend appointments, care for their families, and deal with a variety of issues that arise on a daily basis. Even if only for a few seconds, humor is an excellent way to escape reality. Humor can be found everywhere around us, so why not with bots? Even if your bot is designed to solve a non-humorous business problem, once users realize they are talking with a bot, there will always be a few who want to be cheeky and start saying funny things to the bot. You don’t have to handle every possibility in the universe, but having funny responses to some funny comments from users can help your bot stand out.

The Don’ts of Using Facebook Chatbots

Below is a list of things not to do when using Facebook chatbots.

#1. Do Not Leave Users Unattended

If you leave a user hanging without responding, you are giving a bad customer experience that will eventually drive them away. As a result, ensure that your bot is always accessible to reply to anything at any moment.

#2. Avoid becoming monotonous.

Make sure your chatbot isn’t doing all of the talking. Create several variations of each encounter with different prompts and replies by mapping out each interaction. This will assist you in properly preparing your bot for a range of user responses.

#3. Never Mask Your Facebook Messenger Chatbot

Customers will trust you more if you are genuine and acknowledge that they are engaging with a chatbot.

Conclusion

Take Control of Your Social Inbox. Provide yourself with everything you need to conveniently handle all of your incoming messages from one place. Facebook Messenger chatbots are excellent tools for engaging with your audience and providing immediate assistance. However, do not consider them a replacement for your customer support team. Occasionally, scenarios that a chatbot cannot handle properly will emerge. As a result, provide your customers with the option of contacting your traditional support team as well.