Not only do they NOT mind it, they actively promote it.

Facebook, Skype, Slack, Microsoft, Telegram, Apple, Kik, Google and sooo many other platforms are all actively doubling down on the development of their messaging software and the APIs that make chat bots possible.

When you read headlines about such incredibly huge open rates and click through rates it's easy to assume that it's all a big flash-in-the-pan, black hat, spam-a-licious new marketing hack.

This is NOT the case.

These monolithic companies know that messaging is where consumer's attention is right now, in DROVES.

Chat bots are actually CRITICAL to their business model because they all rely so heavily on your advertising revenue. They need new places and new ways to serve adverts to their users and it just so happens that messaging is the number one place to be right now.

Feels good to know that Facebook is on your side here, right?

No. We've actually discovered that customers PREFER chat bots instead of email, and in huge numbers too. BUT only if they are designed properly.

Generally, we see email click through rates of ~20%… But our chat bot click through rates are regularly 85% or more (that's INSANELY high for clicks!)

For starters, the messages that people receive are FAR shorter and easier to read than a 15 paragraph email.
Secondly, chat bots are FAR more engaging, interactive and fun! You can add buttons, gifs, emojis and more; all of which help to humanize your brand and your communication.

Thirdly, there's FAR less spam. Don't forget your playing in Facebook's back yard, and because they control the whole platform, they can control how people use it and ban those who abuse it. You literally cannot message anybody who hasn't asked to receive a message or who hasn't opted in.

Finally, it's very easy to unsubscribe from a Facebook Messenger chat bot. Have you ever unsubscribed from an email sender, only for your inbox to continue to fill up with their unwated rubbish? Not with Facebook Messenger.

We go to great lengths to stay up to date with best practices so that you can avoid feeling spammy and intrusive. We create bots that people LOVE and even SHARE with their friends. We only use short messages and we only advocate sending helpful, engaging content that customers actually want and have requested to receive. Spam is for jerks, and jerks we are not!

That’s okay, you don't need to start using Facebook.

The main thing is to understand that you are the minority and that the vast majority of people DO use Facebook these days.

In fact, Facebook Messenger currently has well over 1.2 BILLION *active* users (not downloads, not accounts people log into once a year to wish happy birthday to their mum… ACTIVE users)…

So if your average customer is a human with a phone, they're probably on Facebook Messenger.

Do you remember when email was a new thing. The rhetoric back then was “what's the point in email when I can just pick up the phone?” Now it's ubiquitous; pretty much everybody uses email on a daily basis.

But as with any new technology, those who got in early reaped the biggest rewards.

You might have heard a lot about Facebook Messenger chat bots recently. And if you haven't, you're almost certainly going to hear a lot about them over the coming few months.

With this in mind, you may be wondering whether it's just hype.

It is definitely NOT hype!!

There's plenty of solid reasons why chat bot usage is rising at a STAGGERING rate but the main one is that the people jumping onboard now and executing properly are already reaping huge rewards.

Hopefully if you've read this far down then we've clearly demonstrated the exciting capabilities and amazing benefits that chat bots present but if you need more proof, get in touch for a free consultation and let's talk 1-to-1 about how chat bots can help YOUR business to grow.

Until very recently, if you wanted to engage your customers on their phones and outside of social media or your website, had to get them to download your app.

With chat bots and their low barrier to entry, this is no longer so necessary.

There's no app to install and so there are no additional app updates.

Customers don't need to have enough free storage space on their phones… they don't even need a phone!

Over 1.2 billion people worldwide can now engage with your business right where they already are; on Facebook Messenger.

How long is a piece of string? This is a difficult question to answer because it varies depending on the business and the size of the project.

Generally we find the most straightforward chat bots take only about a day to implement but some of our biggest clients take a week or more.

In order to simplify things as much as possible we've created 4 packages suitable for almost every business.

To get some more clarity, schedule a free demo with us where we can discuss your needs in more detail and let you know which package we think is most suitable.

They're really not that complicated. Here's why:

The most complicated form of chat bots around right now use a smart combination of NLP (Natural Language Processing) and AI (Artificial Intelligence).

In the future, as these technologies develop, bots will be able to answer almost any question imaginable and provide any result… But we're just not there yet. There's a long way to go.

In fact, when it comes to AI, even the smartest million-dollar backed bots on the planet are still pretty dumb by human standards. But here's the good news:

You don't need any of that stuff! (Phew!!)

What YOU need is a “sequence” – a series of linear steps and commands to guide the user from a cold prospect to a warmed up lead.

Simply put, the bot calls on a human to take over. Anything your bot CAN'T do can be passed immediately on to a you a your team member to take over.

Inevitably, there will always be a question or comment that your bot doesn't know how to respond to. Artificial intelligence just isn't intelligent enough yet.

Bots are actually very intuitive for your customers to use but sometimes they can get confused and do something that the bot doesn't know how to respond to.

When this happens, you will receive a push notification on your phone and/or an email message alerting you that your presence is needed in the chat.

Yes, customers will know how to use chat bots, as long as they've been designed well enough.

A good chat bot is designed to be completely intuitive and easy for the consumer to engage with.

Yes. Humans should be answering pretty much all off-the-cuff questions and comments. BUT, this is NOT the job of a bot.

The bot's job is to INITIATE conversation and engage the consumer.

Once they're ready to speak to a human and ask more questions, your bot will pass them on to you, ready warmed up and pumped full of knowledge about your business!

We're pretty sure you won't mind a few extra warm-and-ready leads talking to your sales department, right?

We get it, somebody comes to your page, ready to get in touch and clicks “Send Message” – only to be greeted with a “Get Started” button.

There's nowhere to type a message. You'd think it might be confusing right?

Well not really. Once they click “Get Started”, your bot will immediately appear with a greeting message and informing them of the option to talk to a human if they need to.

Also, to make absolutely sure your customers are able to quickly get through to a human, we recommend adding the “talk to a human” option to your main menu and your “default reply” (the default response when a chat bot doesn't know how to respond)

We all understand the frustration of navigating those cumbersome telephone menus and being told that “your call is important to us”.

Let us be clear.. The job of a chat bot is NOT to replace human interaction.

They are designed to supplement it. If a customer ever needs to speak to a human, there are plenty of intuitive ways to get through to somebody very quickly and very easily.

No. It's not free, but it's actually quite cheap!

In order to have your own chat bot, it needs to be hosted on a “platform” (which is techie jargon for “somewhere to host all of the files and code” – the stuff that makes the magic happen).

There are tonnes of platforms available but they're generally very affordable.

As a rough guide, most platforms will charge in the region of $50 /month for a few thousand subscribers.

In order to save you on development fees and tech support costs, we also offer a range of monthly packages to suit your needs.

Once your chat bot is set up, it requires very little maintenance. It runs on autopilot.

However, that's not to say you won't need to do anything. Remember, your chat bot is going to be pumping out warm leads for you. You will still need to get onto Facebook Messenger and follow up with them to close the sale!

You do. Always. We cannot take it from you.

With our service, you will have a fully functioning bot.

If you would like us to aid in managing your bot, we also have ongoing management plans available. Please get in touch for more info.

Yes, we'll even show you how!

HOWEVER, we don't recommend that inexperienced creators make significant changes (anything other than image changes, copy changes or typo corrections etc).

If you would like to make a change following the set up of your bot, please get in touch and we'll be happy to help.

You don't. You can do this on your own. You can even use our bot as a guide to help you do it.

The benefit of working with us is that you get to benefit from thousands of hours of experience and wisdom, knowledge of best practices and strategies to help you get to your end goal quicker and more effectively.

We also stay on top of the constant changes with the Facebook terms of service and platform rules. This can help you avoid getting into hot water. Businesses that receive too many complaints or unsubscribes get banned by Facebook and it is famously difficult (often irreversible) to get your account back.

Yes, if they're not used properly. Those who abuse it will end up banned.

However, our approach is to maintain a helpful, friendly and educational experience in order to avoid the hard salesy approach.

Subscribers can stop receiving messages at any time by swiping left inside the FB Messenger app.

One of the most controversial moves Facebook has ever made was to detach the messaging experience from within Facebook and roll it into a completely separate app.

In retrospect, it was a VERY smart move. There are now over 1.2 BILLION active users every single month.

You simply cannot get to over a billion people without reaching users of all ages.

Messenger is more streamlined and exciting for younger users than the main Facebook app.