Things to consider before hiring a chatbot development agency
A chatbot for your business is a great idea and since it is a serious investment, you have to be sure of how it will be developed. Getting the kind of bot that will enhance your business operations should be your ultimate goal. Therefore, your chatbot developer should add value to your business at the end of it all. You can do this differently: built the chatbot in-house or outsource the services from a chatbot development agency.
So, how do you arrive at the right decision of building your chatbot? This is an important question to ask before getting started with the process. A chatbot should make your work easier and effective and help you recoup your investment with increased business operations. To get the best chatbot development agency, here are important considerations to make:-
- Answer the question – Why do I need a chatbot?
The secret to getting value for this investment is by understanding why you need a chatbot in the first place. It means taking time to do an internal assessment of your business needs. A chatbot can be applied in different ways but you must be specific on why you need it.
Your chatbot will work perfectly if you identify its purpose and the strategy you want to apply. Here are tasks that may require investing in a chatbot:
- To answer frequently asked questions from customers
- To reach new prospects and contact leads in your marketing and sales efforts
- To provide more information about your brand by creating awareness
- To help employees become more productive by doing certain tasks on their own
- To conduct customer surveys
- To help in event registration and reminders
- For doing promos and sales
- To provide order tracking information
- For Ecommerce purposes
- To Help in recruitment and/or scheduling appointments
Part of the assessment also involves a look into the budgetary and time requirements to build the chatbot. This will be determined by the desired systems such as Databases, Email and CRM among others
- Weigh on In-house Development vs Hiring an Agency
There are two ways to develop your chatbot. Make it in-house or create it by hiring a chatbot development agency. Weigh the pros and cons of each and decide which path to take. In-house development gives you more control over what you are building especially on its use and functionality. This is a more confidential approach, giving you the ability to create something that works for your network.
Even with the advantages of in-house chatbot development, it is important to note that there is a lot of work that needs to be done. This is particularly when connecting your chatbot with databases and other systems. You may need an expert to integrate all that.
A bot built by a professional will be much better than one built by reading tutorials online. It is a tussle between time and budget. While in-house development saves on cost, the product sophistication and time needed to develop and train may be important aspects to explore.
- Work with Professional Agencies
There are several agencies offering chatbot development. However, it is important to work with agencies that understand specific client requirements. Professional agencies are preferred to individual developers. Some of the things to look at are your developer’s portfolio and their past achievements in this field.
Professional chatbot developers will show up for a meeting to discuss your requirements. They can then prepare a proposal to show if they understood your needs. Working with experienced developers will get you a quality chatbot and most importantly, save you the time needed to develop it.
Don’t go for generic chatbots. The design and functionality should be unique and customized to meet your demands. The ultimate goal is to have something that works for you and not another chatbot being used out there. Get a few chatbot development agencies to compare before picking your final choice.
Chatbot Development Solutions
Pick the best chatbot developer for a great user experience. Assess your scenario first to understand your needs and settle for the agency that has clearly understood your requirements. Make sure you have a clear idea of how much it will cost you to develop your chatbot. These aspects will guide you to hire a chatbot developer that fits your needs!