When it comes to marketing, you only have one chance to make a great first impression with customers. That’s why the initial message that your chatbot sends to users, also known as a welcome message, is so important. Now, here’s how to make the most of this key aspect of any bot.
What is the welcome message and why it is important?
The welcome message is your robot’s response to anyone texting your page using messenger. It generally includes a warm greeting, a little bit of background information that will guide the user or the customer, as well as some options for sharing and continuing the conversation.
Think of it as your website home page: The first place to the potential customers land when they want to know more about your brand and what it offers.
If you’re familiar with or already have experience with chatbots, you might know that Facebook has a welcome feature on the messenger. While this option works, the functionality is even more powerful if you design your own welcome message as you would like it with an SocialMate platform. The welcome message on the messenger allows only plain text replies that are free from any multimedia, which is meaning you cannot send media, buttons, images, videos or other content. While SocialMate lets you create a rich welcome message with all what you wish, making your message even more appealing.
What should an effective welcome message contain?
Although it should be brief, your active ChatBot welcome message should include four elements:
1. personal greeting
What really distinguishes the welcome message is the personalization, in the sense that the customer feels that you are speaking to them personally and in his or her name. You can automatically bring customers data such as their first names or their last names using SocialMate platform. For example, your message on Chat can be “Hello {{first name}}”. SocialMate platform can bring you the name of your customers that they use on Facebook and place it in parentheses automatically. That way, everyone who texts you will feel that you are talking to him or her personally.
2. Introduction
It’s wise to let users know who they’re interacting with, and the welcome message is a great place to do it. A robot can share its name and the fact that it’s a robot in one brief sentence. For example, you might say: “I am John, the personal shopping robot of XYZ Jeans.
3. A summary of what you can help or provide
Give users an idea of what to expect from the interaction. Answer the question on their mind: “What can you offer me?” Tell them immediately, and let it be simple. For example, if you’re a phone store, you might say, “Hi, I’m John … I’m here to help you find the best cell phone at the lowest price.” Then you offer it your goods.
4. Attractive question
Finally, make it easier for the user to reply and continue the conversation. The simplest way to do this is to ask a question, and to encourage a response by showing the appropriate buttons to answer that question. Some examples include: reserve a table in a restaurant, register a website or claim a coupon for a discount.
Additional tips for designing the best welcome message
When creating a welcome message for your chat bot, also consider these important tips:When creating a welcome message for your chat bot, also consider these important tips:
1. Use emoticon
Although it isn’t suitable for all audiences (such as deluxe or high-end brands), expressive symbols are a great way to present visual signals and divide text blocks. It conveys a friendly and welcoming tone that can help comfort users – especially if they are new to robot software.
2. Keep it simple
Get the most out of interactivity while your robot software gets the customer’s attention. Make sure you only share the easy-to-read short sentences that get to the point. Aim to have a beneficial effect on users with your robot content as early as possible.
3. Make your message short
Ideally, your welcome message should not exceed two or three short sentences. It should fit into a single text block, with each sentence separated by a blank space for visual clarity.
4. Allow time to read
If you decided to create a longer welcome message, make sure you allow sufficient time to read. Robot programs are supposed to talk in a pattern similar to humans, so you have to leave time between messages for the client to read. Sending too much at once would seem abnormal and overwhelming. Give each line enough time so the client can read it properly.
You can start building your Chat Bot today
With our Socialmate platform, you can start building your first Boot Screen simply and easily, without any special skills or software knowledge. You can start by looking at Docs from here that will take you step-by-step until you succeed at the Boot Chat work that’s right for you!
