By We now live in a world that is digitally hyperconnected. The rise of smartphones and advanced technological infrastructure allows people to access the internet at all times, which is good news for marketers.
Marketers understand that many consumers live online, and every touchpoint that they can meet the consumers are integral to lead them down the funnel. Consumers increasingly expect personalized content and services with timely responses from companies, which creates a challenge for marketers because their time and energy are demanded from all different directions.
Which leads are qualified and will most likely end up converting? Which leads are hesitant and will most likely end up abandoning the conversation? Knowing where to put scarce resources like time and effort and understanding which leads will potentially provide the most value is imperative in building an efficient and effective lead qualification process. A few important tools that you can implement to build a better process are chatbots and email bots.
What are Chatbots and Email bots?
Chatbots are conversational AI assistants that allow you to automate responses in real-time conversations. Response time is important in capturing leads in their inquiries, and chatbots can pass information to leads that would normally require a sales rep to answer. Chatbots are helpful for sales reps because many new inquiries from leads involve repetitive and similar questions, which takes time to answer for reps and takes away time from their other responsibilities. Chatbots allow companies to automate as much of the conversation as possible, and when the queries are more complex, the chatbot directs them to sales reps who can give leads appropriate responses and take over the conversation.
Email bots also take over tasks that used to be addressed by sales reps. Email bots are able to respond quickly to incoming email leads and engage with them to see if they should be moved along to a sales rep. They allow sales reps to spend their precious time on sales calls or sophisticated questions that deserve nuanced answers. One of their strong features is their ability to schedule appointments for sales reps. Qualified leads can choose a time of the week that fits the sales rep’s schedule, which will notify the sales rep and allow them to prepare without having to schedule meetings manually.
What Are The Benefits of Chatbots and Email Bots?
Response Time and Availability
In our modern, speedy economy, rapid responses can be the difference that gives companies a competitive advantage over their competitors. Sales reps may not be able to answer inquiries in a speedy response due to them having conflicting schedules, or taking lunch breaks or vacations. Chatbots and emailbots provide speedy responses at any given time of the day. They can also handle high volumes of inquiries, which an average sales rep may not be able to do. Studies have also shown that 7% of companies responded within the first five minutes after receiving an email or form submission. Another study has shown that companies that respond within the first hour after contact are almost 7 times more likely to have important conversations with decision makers.
If this is the industry standard, most leads will expect the same speedy service from your company as well.
Increased Touchpoints With Leads
Initiating conversations with leads is only the beginning of the process. Continuing the conversation is arguably the most important part, as studies show that 80% of sales require at least 5 follow-ups to close. Following up can be difficult for sales reps, who have to keep these reminders top of mind while engaging with new inquiries. Persistent follow-ups can be automated by chatbots and email bots, allowing for sales reps to step in when leads are more interested in converting. Take a look at some of the things companies can automate:
- Reschedule meetings for no shows
- Reinitiate abandoned conversations
- Nurture leads with personalized, persistent conversations
- Provide reminders for meeting updates and changes
Improve Your Lead Quality With Automation
If you’re looking for a way to save the time and energy of sales reps, improve overall lead quality, and help provide meaningful engagements with potential customers, consider utilizing automated chatbots and emailbots.
Exceed can help provide your company with improved communication and lead qualification with AI chatbots and email bots. Integrating both of these automated assistants will allow your sales reps to solely focus on activities that provide value and increase likelihood of conversion.
Automated chatbots and emailbots allow your company to:
- Capture and engage with all inquiries in a speedy manner
- Ensure leads are receiving follow-ups and reminders
- Schedule meetings for sales reps and reschedule for abandoned meetings
- Connect truly qualified leads from uncertain and curious inquiries
Automated conversation assistants like chatbots and email bots will allow you to build more efficient lead qualification processes and help your company grow your clientele and your revenue.
