Last week, we released our intelligent bot, Answer Bot, which helps you provide instant resolutions to customers by automating answers to their common questions.
One of the unique things about Answer Bot is that not only does it provide specific answers rather than just article suggestions, but those answers can also include apps to power the actions needed to resolve their questions. This makes complete self serve possible even for questions that needed human intervention before.
We introduced the ability to send apps in the Messenger back in April and our customers – and their customers – have since used apps thousands of times inside the Messenger to get things done.
Whether adding apps to the Messenger home screen, sending them within conversations or using them in Custom Bot flows, apps make taking actions like checking order status, scheduling demos, taking payments and much more right there in the conversation much easier and faster.
Now, you can discover the power of apps and Answer Bot together to accelerate resolutions and free up your team for more meaningful tasks. Here’s 5 ideas to get you started:
1. Embed an article for longer explanations
A simple but very effective way of helping customers with what they need is to embed an article within the response Answer Bot sends. No one wants to read lengthy chunks of text in a chat conversation, so it’s best to keep your answers concise, then embed an article for longer explanations such as a step-by-step tutorial. With the Article Inserter app, customers can read the article you choose right there in the Messenger, so they can stay in the conversation in case they have follow up questions. Check out the Article Inserter App here.
2. Let prospects request or schedule a demo
Get more qualified leads by making it super easy for prospects to set up time with your sales team with the Get a demo app. When a visitor asks about pricing or wants to schedule a call, Answer Bot can send the app to collect their details, saving your reps a step and making it quicker to qualify the lead and schedule a demo. You could even skip straight to scheduling by allowing prospects to book a slot on your calendar using the Google Calendar app. Check out the Get a demo app and the Google Calendar Meetings app.
3. Give customers their order status without having to wait
When customers have questions about where their order is, if it has been shipped or when it should arrive, rather than have them wait while a support rep spends time looking up their order and responding, Answer Bot can respond instantly with the Shopify app. That way, customers can check the status of their order immediately so they can get on with their day, and your team has one less conversation to answer. Check out the Shopify app here.
4. Collect feature requests and automatically route to your product team
Chat makes it much easier for customers to share their product feedback, issues and feature requests with you, but keeping track of all those requests can be tricky. That’s where the Coda app comes in. When a customer writes in to request a feature, Answer Bot can respond with a short message thanking them for their feedback and allowing them to provide more details via the Coda app. That feature request will then go straight into your Coda doc for easy tracking and analysis. You could even set up specific Answer Bot answers for each of the features you find are regularly requested. Check out the Coda app here.
5. Build your own app for the actions your customers need
The great thing about an open platform like Intercom is that it can be fully customized to your specific needs. If you have a particular workflow that’s unique to you and your customers, you can build your own custom app to use with Answer Bot. For example, if your customers seem especially forgetful when it comes to their passwords, you could build a password reset app that Answer Bot can send them next time they forget – that way, they can reset their password right there without you having to do anything at all. Or, if you use your own billing system, you could build an app that lets customers change their subscription themselves in a couple of clicks.
Apps for the Messenger are easy and quick to build – we’ve had customers build them in just a few hours – and will save you tons of time in the long run. You can check out our docs on building apps here.
To get started with these apps, head to the Intercom App Store or learn more in our docs. Or learn more about using Answer Bot effectively with these guides.
Comments