FAQ Chatbot

An FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) chatbot is a bot aimed at answering common questions. This chatbot uses natural language processing to understand customers’ inquiries and provides answers from a predefined knowledge base based on clients’ questions. With its help, businesses can ensure instant support related to common queries without customer support agents’ involvement.

In the video below, Alex unveils 3 ways to elevate customer satisfaction with chatbots. Check it out!

In this article, we’ll unveil the pros and types of FAQ chatbots and show how to create this type of bot. We’ll also provide you with a step-by-step guide on building a FAQ chatbot for free with SendPulse and review some excellent examples.

Why should you use FAQ chatbots?

FAQ chatbot is a tool used in various industries for multiple purposes. There are several positive points for you to consider when thinking about a chatbot.

• Seamless 24/7 customer service. With FAQ chatbots, you can provide instant responses without human intervention. 24/7 support allows you to reduce response time and improve customer satisfaction. Chatbots are especially helpful for international businesses with customers all around the world. Clients no longer need to wait for the working hours of customer support agents. They can directly start the interaction with a chatbot from various time zones and receive answers without waiting.
• Consistent responses. Chatbots ensure consistency across your company’s departments. They provide answers from a predefined knowledge base, making human error impossible. The responses are accurate without the possibility of several answers for the same query.
• Reduced costs. By automating routine questions, you can reduce the costs spent on a customer support team. FAQ chatbots enable you to cut down the workload on your customer support agents. They take all repetitive questions, allowing your agents to focus on more serious and complex tasks.
• Personalization. You can set up chatbots for multiple purposes and business needs. Bots help provide personalized recommendations based on client's needs, preferences, problems, and interaction history.
• Reduced human error. After incorporating chatbots, you can prevent human error when managing frequently asked questions. While customer support agents can provide inconsistent or various answers to the same questions, chatbots can’t do it. They are connected to a predefined knowledge base and are taught to deliver accurate responses.

Now let’s explore some more advantages of incorporating chatbots into your business.

Benefits of FAQ Chatbots

FAQ chatbots bring various pros to companies. We’ll explore them in detail in this section.

• Multichannel accessibility. Chatbots enable you to provide a seamless experience with your brand because of their ability to be deployed across multiple marketing channels. You can add a FAQ bot to your WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Telegram, or site. This way, customers can contact you through the most convenient channel. It results in consistent and accessible support.
• Lead generation. Chatbot is a perfect tool for lead generation. With its help, you can capture prospects’ contact information such as email, phone, or name. This data is crucial for further contact with leads. You can share these contact details with your sales and marketing teams for further interactions.
• Efficiency. Chatbots enable your customer support team to manage large amounts of questions automatically. They can do it simultaneously without any possibility of human error. As a result, the workload on your agents is reduced, making it possible for them to handle complex inquiries first. Moreover, bots allow you to decrease your costs on customer support since fewer agents are required.
• Data collection. With chatbots, you can gather customer insights without human intervention. They help collect common questions, customer preferences, and behavior. When users contact your chatbot for the first time, the bot can also ask for a name, contact details, and company name. As a result, you have the leads’ contact details and clearly understand their needs, problems, and preferences.
• Multiple languages support. One more advantage of chatbots is their ability to switch from one language to another. So you can reply to customers’ inquiries in different languages, making it more convenient for clients. They no longer need to translate their questions into English to get a response. As a result, your support team can work with international audiences and assist them on autopilot.
• Positive user experience. With chatbots, you can ensure an engaging and interactive experience for your audience. The answers they provide are natural and human-like. The interaction between a bot and a customer is always friendly and intuitive. Moreover, you can add a button that redirects customers to human agents. This way, clients can share their more complex issues and get solutions in real time.

Now that you know the advantages of FAQ chatbots, let’s explore the types of bots you can consider for your business. After reviewing the next section, you’ll identify chatbots that perfectly suit your industry and business goals.

Types of FAQ Chatbots

You can use different types of FAQ chatbots for your business depending on your industry, queries, and customer needs. Let’s explore the bot types you can encounter most often.

• Rule-based FAQ chatbots. These chatbots operate based on a predefined scenario. Bots are connected to a special knowledge base containing predefined responses. Rule-based chatbots are perfect for handling common questions. However, if you want to manage context-based queries, it’s better to consider natural language processing bots.
• Natural language processing (NLP) FAQ chatbots. This type of chatbot can understand the customer's language and context. Their language is clear, natural, and human-like. When users communicate with these chatbots, they receive responses similar to human agents. Since chatbots use machine learning algorithms, they can provide more relevant answers based on the context of the query. This makes natural processing chatbots appropriate for managing various queries regardless of phrases and inputs.
• Hybrid FAQ chatbots. These chatbots are a combination of rule-based and NLP bots. They rely on predefined answers when handling common questions and use natural language processing when managing more complex context-based queries. This allows hybrid chatbots to manage different types of questions, starting with the basic ones and ending with complex questions that require a full understanding of the context.
• Self-service chatbots. Such bots enable customers to search for appropriate answers by themselves. Customer support agents don’t participate in the process. The chatbot allows users to ask their questions and receive responses available in the knowledge base.

Now that you know the most common types of chatbots, it’s time to proceed to creating an FAQ chatbot. In the next section, we’ll explain how to design a professional bot for your company.

How to create a FAQ chatbot?

When developing a FAQ chatbot, there’s a list of steps to make it effective. We’ve provided detailed instructions on how to do it, so let’s dive in.

1. Identify your goals. First, think of the objectives you strive to reach when implementing a chatbot. Determine FAQs it should answer and responses it should provide. You need to clearly understand the advantages it will bring to your clients and your business.
2. Make a list of FAQs. The second step involves creating a list of common questions your customers often ask. These answers will become the basis of your knowledge base. Later, you’ll improve it with more answers and information about your product.
3. Select a chatbot builder. Once you identify your key goals and make a list of FAQs, you need to decide which platform suits you the most. Services differ based on the types of chatbots they provide. Moreover, when choosing a platform, keep in mind your technical expertise. Since some services might require you to know the code, you need to pay attention to this fact (if you don’t have such knowledge). Platforms like SendPulse enable you to design chatbots without programming skills by using its drag-and-drop editor.
4. Identify a trigger. To launch a chatbot, you need a trigger. A trigger is an action that signals a bot to start a conversation with a user. There are different types of triggers you can use for your chatbot. Some are actions that customers perform on websites, some are clicks on the bot, and chatbots start the conversation proactively. The main thing you should do is to decide which chatbot you need for your product and site.
5. Add FAQ to your chatbot. To make your bot answer customers’ queries right, you need to teach it how to do it. Create a database of FAQs and show your chatbot how to deal with specific clients’ questions.
6. Connect answers. Finally, when creating a chatbot flow, add your answers. Connect questions with appropriate answers so that your chatbot works properly.

Now that you know how to create a chatbot, we’ll show you how to do it with SendPulse.

How to build a FAQ chatbot for free with SendPulse?

When it comes to chatbot builders, there’s a great choice of options. However, selecting an appropriate platform requires you to identify your technical skills first. In this section, we’ll unveil a service with an intuitive interface and no coding skills needed for a chatbot setup.

SendPulse is a multipurpose marketing solution that empowers clients with a chatbot builder. Its drag-and-drop editor helps you create a chatbot flow within minutes without any knowledge of the code. You can create a bot for Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and Telegram, and add a live chat to your website.

The platform allows you to create a multichannel subscription widget and turn visitors into clients. The widget can be modified based on your requirements (brand style, brand personality, and other aspects).

With SendPulse, you can provide assistance and accept payments through your chatbot. The service supports the most common payment systems, so you can easily ensure online payments by adding special buttons. Further, we’ll provide you with a guide on building a FAQ chatbot for free with SendPulse.

Step 1. Connect your Facebook Messenger to the bot

Let’s create a Facebook Messenger chatbot. First, log in to your SendPulse account or register. Then, go to the “Chatbots” tab and click “Manage bots.” Afterward, you can choose a channel you want to connect your chatbot to. This time, we’ll connect to Facebook Messenger. Log in to your Facebook account and follow the instructions provided.

If you want to add a chatbot to other messengers, social media, or websites, choose the required channel on the “Manage bots” page.

Step 2. Greet your customers

After adding the triggers, you need to create a greeting message that will be connected to specific triggers. Once clients type words like “hi,” “hello,” “good day,” etc, they’ll receive your welcome message. Go ahead and add FAQ buttons so that clients can instantly choose the topic they want to discuss. Add quick FAQ buttons and provide fast responses.

Step 3. Connect answers

After adding a welcome message with FAQ buttons, you need to develop the flow. Connect all FAQ buttons to fast answers so that customers can receive the necessary information. Drag and drop all the needed elements to create your perfect chatbot flow. Save and test the flow to ensure that everything works correctly without typos or errors.

Now that you know how to set up a chatbot in SendPulse for free, it’s time to check out some excellent examples and get inspired.

Examples of FAQ Chatbots

There are many examples of FAQ chatbots, but not all effectively manage customer inquiries. We’ll provide several examples of excellent work and seamless experience for clients. Let’s dive in.

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines, one of the largest mainline carriers in the world, uses a chatbot to provide answers to customers’ FAQs. You can find its chatbot on the homepage of its website and instantly type your inquiry. The chatbot lists the common topics so potential clients can choose one from the list. They’ll find baggage allowance, lost baggage handling, miles&smiles, FAQs, and more. The bot’s language sounds friendly, natural, and alive. If users need answers to other questions, they simply need to type the inquiry without clicking one of the ready buttons.

Kindly

Kindly strives to help its potential customers with ready buttons. Users can book a demo, request pricing, or find out more about the service. Besides this information, prospects can always type their questions and get responses. The platform will reply to all common queries.

Sephora

Sephora, a chain of beauty stores, allows customers to contact its chatbot on Facebook Messenger to receive answers to their FAQs. The company helps to find the nearest stores, manage returns and exchanges, get favorite products, etc. The chatbot is easy to use so clients can find the necessary information fast.

Congrats, now you know what an FAQ chatbot is and why it’s essential for businesses. Hope that you will grab some inspiration from the examples above and set up an effective chatbot with SendPulse for free.

References:

1. This article defines the term and unveils the types of FAQ chatbots.
2. In this article, you’ll find FAQ chatbot use cases.

Last Updated: 08.02.2024