As a small bakery owner or manager, you often have your hands full, literally. Producing the best quality cakes, pastries and sweets are at the core of what you do. You make sure that every cake that walks out of the door with a customer is the best quality it can be and most people don’t realize what you do is a science.
Your customers come in or call from time to time to ask questions about your desserts. From inquiring about your gluten-free options, to scheduling a special product for their event, today’s customers expect every detail, with ample response.
In the middle of a conversation, you might remember you have a batch of brownies. Do you risk losing out on losing a potential loyal customer and politely step aside or let your perfect batch of brownies burn to a crisp just to satisfy the customer’s needs? It’s a catch 22 and without a large staff, sometimes you feel like you just can’t ever win.
More small business owners like you are turning to automated online assistants to balance the best customer experience possible. However, it’s important for you not to sacrifice the quality of products your customers have come to know you by. In fact, according to a recent study, over 90% of small businesses use technology to optimize communication practices for their business.
But what does this mean for your business? How can you find the best technology to meet your needs and where do you even start? Try to focus on the challenges you face as a business owner and then, adopt a technology that can best fit your needs.
Most customer service technologies today require a time-consuming and sometimes, headache-inducing setup process. Without any IT experience, it can take you up to weeks to program your chatbot with the “language” of your business. This can take you away from your business operations and costs can quickly add up— especially if you want to hire an expert to set up the technology for you.
Not only that, but once the technology itself is set up, customers might not respond to the technology in a way you originally thought they would. This is because sometimes, they can come off as cold and too robotic. Your customers want to feel like they are talking to an actual human being. Research shows that about 64% of customers in the US feel brands are too focused on automation to drive their businesses.
Traditional chatbots just don’t make the cut. While they can help customers answer simple and commonly asked questions, they leave room for improvement and can end up taking away more of your time and energy. Worst of all, these technologies inadvertently create a sub-par experience for your customers.
Every customer has different tastes and preferences in what they are looking for. This is why traditional chatbots with canned responses just don’t make the cut.
So, why is this meaningful for small businesses? For bakeries, in particular, owners can use an automated online assistant to collect orders, make recommendations and receive feedback from customers to ensure they are producing the best quality product. In the end, by using chatbot technology, you will not just produce the best quality baked goods, but sharpen your businesses to make more dough.
The result? A well-rounded experience that delights your customers from start to finish. You can get your day back and focus on getting your brownies out of the oven on time, and your customers won’t be left waiting for you to come back to the register.