Your info is required to proceed.

by

Why Forced Info Gathering Hurts Chatbot Success

For most business websites, a key goal is to turn visitors into customers. To do this, gathering visitor information is usually required to follow up with a sales conversation.

Many of the old chatbots not only ask for, but require contact information before even offering to help the visitor access the information they came for. This immediately sets a negative tone to the interaction, putting the business at arm’s length from the customer and creating a very clear negative first impression.

This is often interpreted by the visitor anywhere along the emotional spectrum, from being slightly annoyed to being highly offended. The business cannot possibly know to what degree this offends prospective customers, but a clear indicator may be the number of abandoned conversations.

So why not avoid it to begin with?

Time and Personal Info Have Value

Time and personal information are two of the most valuable assets humans possess. Yet most chatbot-powered websites “bully” visitors, forcing this info from them just to give some in return – maybe not even having the info the visitor came for.

And remember – this is AFTER a person has already decided to invest their precious time in checking out the company to begin with. If anyone “owes” someone, it’s the business that should be grateful, not automatically deserving of private visitor data before ever proving themselves.

Forced Info Gathering Hurts The Sales Process

Demanding personal data too soon damages the visitor experience. Minimally it creates an uneccessary and immediate friction that can be avoided. It clearly positions the chatbot as self-serving rather than helpful. This heavy-handed approach can sour visitor perceptions of the company as a whole with a negative first-impression going into a potential sales conversation later.

Build Trust First, Then Gather Info.

A better strategy is to build trust and rapport with website visitors first, before asking for contact details. This creates a friendlier, more consultative experience.

  • Answer questions and provide helpful information upfront to show value.
  • Ask for their info after you’ve freely shared what you can and trust is almost automatically given.
  • Frame requests as optional, not mandatory. Assuming you’re going to force a prospect into a sale is never good for business (or your reputation).

Being considerate in this way helps visitors be more willing to provide their details once they feel the interaction has helped them, not just helped the business.

New Bot Technology Enables Better Experiences

New artificial intelligence-powered, next-generation chatbots like the AIGuideBot use advanced technology to maximize this customer-centric approach with features like:

  • Data training for natural conversations and deeper understanding.
  • Context awareness to build relationships and show empathy.
  • Sentiment analysis to understand visitors needs and interests.

These capabilities allow our next-gen AIGuideBots to have real dialogues that build trust, not just demand data.

Smarter Bots, Better Results

With few if any exceptions, today’s bots and website owners should focus on building relationships first, gathering data second. This more accurately mimics what we all appreciate as a comfortable and trustworthy approach to human interactions.

That said, if a more aggressive sales approach has proven to work for you, the AIGuideBot can be more aggressive, too. That’s the beauty and flexibility of this developing technology – it’s adjustable and flexible.

We believe bots that converse naturally, provide value upfront, and politely request (don’t require) information later deliver and develop better visitor experiences. This human-centric approach leads to more effective sales conversations and customer satisfaction.

Prioritizing the visitor’s needs rather than the business’s needs right away is a winning website engagement strategy. And with new AI capabilities making more natural interactions possible, as utilized in the AIGuideBot, smart companies will ditch out-dated chatbot data bullying and embrace AIGuideBot trust-building to see better bottom line results.

See How it works for your business.