Organizations tend to generate leads in one of the following two ways – inbound or outbound. The conventional mode of generating leads is often referred to as the outbound verticals. In this, companies directly reach out to their target demography with the help of their sales, retail, franchise or distribution channels.
The inbound route is an indirect method in which clients are induced to reach back to the company. This includes market & BTL communications. It also includes web portals or insightful blogging that creates value & utility for the end consumer.
Integrated AI chatbots are an inbound lead generation channel. By raising the intrigue & curiosity in persons-of-interest, it helps to generate leads by converting interested parties into paying customers.
The challenges
Whether you are a flourishing conglomerate or a fledgling start-up, the challenges encountered when devising business strategies to drive lead traffic are often similar, if not identical –
Personnel and Training: Man-power, by far, is the defining factor that dictates the business models of most corporations. The amount of personnel required to run a lead generation channel often makes or breaks an idea at the drawing board. Furthermore, the amount of training hours required to assure an acceptable standard of quality also plays a crucial role in the decision-making process.
KPI Monitoring: Once management deems a certain channel feasible, it is then up to the people in charge of operations to establish said activity. Every aspect of the process has to be tabulated. Also, the key performance indicators have to be constantly monitored for posterity.
CAPEX: Getting the infrastructure in place is crucial to the execution of any lead generation activity. Without a platform that operates with panache, no sales operation will ever bear fruit.
Integration: Merely getting the platform to work does not guarantee success. Any new process has to be compatible with the existent operational cycle. After all, changes are always made to make the status quo more efficient.
Why & how chatbots provide the perfect solution
Automated chatbots rise to the challenges that plague lead generation channels in an unparalleled way –
Cost reducing, self-learning algorithms: For one, they drastically reduce personnel strength & commensurate costs. By eliminating the human element, the probability of manual error is lowered by a factor of zero. They are essentially sophisticated learning algorithms, training themselves on the job.
A treasure trove of marketing data: Chatbot platforms are designed to generate massive loads of data. This includes detailed profiles of the visitors, the scope of the queries raised, etc. All this information is well tabulated through pre-defined reports or MIS. They can be readily accessed with ease on the back-end.
Effortless compatibility: Most cutting-edge chatbots seamlessly integrate with globally recognized enterprise systems. These include HubSpot, Oracle, SAP & Salesforce. This ease of compatibility has allowed the further proliferation of the technology. It is a major contributing reason behind the immense popularity of the innovation.
Today chatbots are shaking up the world at large. They can be applied to any facet of business operations. Disrupting the landscape of the modern business world, they are forcing entire industries to reinvent themselves.
Needless to say, chatbot technology is enjoying an unprecedented level of applications. According to HubSpot, a large number of companies now prefer reaching out to their end consumers through such platforms as Facebook Messenger, etc. By utilizing such out-of-the-box engagement tools as surveys, quizzes or polls, organizations can generate a tremendous amount of lead traffic from these platforms.
If you are interested in availing our industry-leading enterprise lead engagement products & services, please get in touch with us today.
