There’s been a seismic shift in the way we communicate. Less than 5% of phone calls are answered and only 18% of emails are opened, but today’s consumer will reply to 98% of the text messages they receive. Today’s buyer wants real time experiences as they are shopping for their next home. So how do you make sure you can be there for them 24/7 with consistent and accurate information in their native language? Enter the ChatBot. During this post, we’ll define what a chatbots is, we’ll talk about the need for chatbots and the generation that is dominating this digital landscape.
A Virtual Assistant Powered By AI
In simplified terms, a bot is a computer program that automates tasks. Add in artificial intelligence and you have a smart bot that can comprehend complex requests and personalize responses to have meaningful conversations with users. Chatbots leverage channels like SMS, website chat windows, and social media messaging to receive and respond to messages. And now, bots are making the home-buying journey even easier for both the shopper and the builder.
Delivering Real Time Experiences
Gone are the days when people sat on the phone for 10 minutes waiting to speak to a customer service representative. Consumers expect immediacy, and leveraging that type of response is a crucial aspect to a company’s marketing strategy. In fact, over 80 percent of homebuyers admit that an immediate response is one of the most critical elements of their home purchasing decision. AI chatbots are meant to help humans create a great experience efficiently.
Catering To a New Generation of Homebuyers
Dubbed “digital natives”, this generation accounts for over a third of all current homebuyers – which means, they have come of age in a time when just about everything is accessed digitally. In fact, they don’t know a world without the internet or big digital companies like Netflix and Amazon. Gen Zs prefer brands that are able to engage them in real time. They hate a delayed response and are 60 percent more likely than the average consumer to hang up a phone if their call isn’t answered in 45 seconds (Source: GenZInsights). Going a stretch further, they’ll drop a brand if they experience poor online response times.
Introducing BuilderBot
For the past two years, BDX has partnered with AtlasRTX to develop a chatbots on leading new home website, NewHomeSource.com. Now, we’re leveraging our learnings and creating a bot for homebuilders to use on their own websites. Every BuilderBot is customized to represent each builder’s brand. BuilderBot engages with shoppers by asking and answering questions about the shopper’s needs, builder, communities, and home plans. The best part? BuilderBot works alongside your sales team, focusing on gathering lead information, collecting new home shopper preferences, and driving visits to the community.
Builders who leverage this technology will not only meet consumer demand, but they will enhance the entire customer journey. To find out more about creating a real-time experience utilizing chatbots, check out this live-stream video. Contact one of our Digital Marketing Consultants to find out how we can help you increase buyer engagement.
