Chatbots have been around for quite some time now and they really are great. From automated bots with their own personalities to something as simple as a message bubble telling you that there’s someone there for moral support while you scroll. These digital genies have changed the way we scroll online. 

In my mind, lockdown was that “gentle” kick in the butt many of us needed. Not ready to embrace the digital domain fully? Well, now you have to! It’s been interesting and to be honest, a chatbot was the furthest thing from my mind when the rumours of potential lockdowns and economic collapse started. But as a company, Fetola prides itself on our human connection. We are great at talking to entrepreneurs and the people we work with. How were we going to do that while locked in our homes? Catherine Wijnberg, Fetola CEO and all-round badass, was determined that we wouldn’t lose our connection to people. The solution – a chatbot! 

And so, my journey in the search of a Fetola friendly chatbot began. I am not an IT genius, a web developer or a UX Designer, but I knew what I wanted from a chatbot: it had to easy for me and the Fetola team to use, it needed to make my life easier, and the most important need was that it was easy for other people to interact with.   

1. GOOGLE THAT 

I started where any novice would – Google. I searched for a free chatbot that would give me the solutions I was looking for. A few hours later and a couple of Google searches and I thought I had found my chatbot. I was wrong.  

PureChat was the first chatbot I downloaded and tested on the Catalyst site. It looked so shiny and impressive and I felt incredibly proud of my discovery. Look ma, look what I did!  

2. TRIAL AND ERROR

My fancy chatbot was not as jacked up as I thought it was. It was not user friendly and for someone to ask a simple question, they needed to jump through a few digital hoops, cough up some personal information and then wait patiently for my response. My first customer? Our very own Catherine Wijnberg who has still not received a response from me. Why? Because finding her question and responding took me even longer than it took her to ask it. Epic fail.  

 3. GOOGLE SEARCH 2.0 

Back to the drawing board I went. Fetola’s website is built with WordPress and Catalyst Magazine is built with Squarespace and I needed to find a chatbot that would integrate easily with both platforms. I decided that our Fetola site was where I should start as it gets the most traffic. Trial by fire. That’s how we roll! 

I found Tidio on my second Google search journey and I was pleasantly surprised. It was easy to use, easy to install and there are endless tutorials, videos and helpful chatbots along the way. Installing the chatbot, optimising it, and making sure that it was Fetolarised was fun and simple. I was now chatting with people who were visiting Fetola’s site.  

 4. VICTORY DANCE TIME 

Tidio had been installed on both websites. Our package had been upgraded. I was chatting away like a teenager on the best internet connection. But seriously, I was chatting to so many people on Fetola’s site. These were people that had important questions. People whose questions probably went unanswered BC (before chatbots).   

The real value of something as simple as a chatbot hadn’t hit me until I saw the sheer volume of questions coming through. For a small business owner, that’s new business, new orders, and a new avenue of communication. That’s invaluable! 

Tidio has an app that can be installed on your phone, so you don’t even need to be in front of your laptop or desktop. Jirrrrrre Matrix! 

JUST A FEW TIPS AND TRICKS YOU CAN USE:  

• Write down what you want out of your chatbot 

• Google search and Google search some more 

• Test different bots until you are happy 

• Even if that means uninstalling and installing a new one! 

• Plug and play 

• Engage with your customers and fans 

There is no perfect solution to finding the perfect chatbot for your website if you are doing it on your own. Hiring an IT genius, web developer or a UX Designer is expensive and as small business owners that’s not always a viable option. Trust yourself or your team to make the right decision for what works for your business. It’s a time-consuming process, but a rewarding one.