What are Instagram Chatbots & Add AI to your Instagram Chatbot

Instagram is a crucial platform for many ecommerce brands.

Did you know that 61% of ecommerce brands use Instagram to boost their sales beyond their website?

But let's face it, responding to every direct message and comment manually can be exhausting. That's where Instagram chatbots come in handy. They help manage and respond to customer inquiries efficiently, ensuring no message goes unanswered.

In this blog, we'll dive into what Instagram chatbots are and how adding AI can make them even more effective, making your customer interactions smoother and more engaging.

What are Instagram Chatbots?

Instagram chatbots are tools that can automatically handle conversations with your followers on Instagram. Think of them as virtual assistants that can chat with your customers, send greeting messages, and respond to DMs in a conversational, human-like way.

These chatbots are available 24/7, ensuring that your customers always receive timely responses, no matter when they reach out.

Here’s how businesses can benefit from chatbots from Instagram:

• Instant Replies: Quickly answer common customer questions about products and services.
• Order Assistance: Help customers place orders directly through Instagram messages.
• Handling FAQs: Automatically respond to frequently asked questions, like shipping details and order tracking.
• Lead Collection: Gather contact information from potential customers for future follow-ups.
• Promotions: Share discount codes and special offers instantly.

These functionalities make Instagram chatbots invaluable for any business looking to enhance customer service and streamline interactions on the platform. By automating these tasks, chatbots free up your time and ensure consistent, prompt communication with your audience.

Moreover, Instagram chatbots can help boost engagement on your profile. For instance, you can set them to send quick replies to users who comment on your posts or react to your stories, keeping the conversation going and enhancing user interaction.

With Instagram chatbots, your business can provide better customer service, engage more effectively with followers, and improve overall efficiency in managing Instagram communications.

Why to use Instagram Chatbots?

Several reasons behind why you need Instagram Chatbots:

Broken shopping experience on Instagram

A broken shopping experience on Instagram occurs when customers face delays in getting responses to their queries, and broken caption links, unable to answer every DM leading to frustration and potential loss of sales.

Increasing Customer Acquisition Cost for IG ads

After the IOS policy changes, using Instagram ads has become more expensive, making it costly to acquire new customers. Instagram chatbots can help lower these costs by automating interactions and improving engagement efficiently.

Increasing human support costs

Human support costs can quickly add up as your customer base grows. Instagram chatbots help reduce these costs by automating responses to common inquiries.

How do Instagram chatbots work?

Many chatbots, including those used on Instagram, rely on conversation flow charts. These charts enable bots to engage with potential customers, whether by responding to inquiries or taking specific actions.

These chat flows are constructed using three key elements:

1. Triggers: Determine when the chatbot should activate.
2. Actions: Specify what tasks the chatbot should perform.
3. Nodes: Establish the conditions that prompt a particular action, following a basic "if this, then that" logic.

Automate your Collab queries using an Instagram chatbot

In this scenario, the leading cosmetic brand utilizing BIK receives over 700 collaboration requests daily via Instagram DM, posing a challenge to address each individually. To tackle this, a chatbot has been deployed with triggers set for specific keywords like "collaboration," "let's collab," or "Are you open for collaboration." This ensures swift attention to collaboration-related inquiries.

Additionally, the chatbot can prompt a series of questions to validate collaboration deals. For instance, it can inquire about the potential collaborator's follower count, request their name and email address, and gather other relevant details. This information is seamlessly transferred and compiled into an Excel sheet for easy management.

Types of Instagram Chatbots

Instagram chatbots come in various types, each serving different purposes. One type is the FAQ bot, designed to answer frequently asked questions and provide quick assistance to users.

For example, a fashion brand may use an FAQ bot to respond to inquiries about product availability and sizing. Another type is the engagement bot, which interacts with users to increase engagement and build relationships. For instance, a travel agency might deploy an engagement bot to initiate conversations with followers and share travel tips.

Lastly, the lead generation bot focuses on capturing leads and converting followers into customers. A real estate agency could employ a lead generation bot to qualify leads and schedule property viewings.

Here are the types of Instagram Chatbots:

Instagram DM Bot (Direct Message Bot)

How it Works: The Instagram chatbot DM automation responds to direct messages received on the platform. Using Bik.ai, the bot can analyze incoming messages and reply with pre-defined responses or customized messages based on specific keywords or triggers.

Use Case: A fashion brand uses a chatbot for Instagram DM to handle customer inquiries about product availability, sizes, and shipping details. The bot swiftly responds to messages, providing relevant information and directing customers to the brand's website for further assistance.

Instagram Comment Bot

• How it Works: The Instagram Comment Bot automation works by replying the users' comments on posts. Utilizing Bik.ai, the bot can like, reply to, or even delete comments based on predetermined criteria set by the brand.
• Use Case: A food blogger uses an Instagram Comment Bot to engage with followers who comment on their recipe posts. The bot likes positive comments, replies to questions about ingredients or cooking methods, and deletes spam or inappropriate comments to maintain a positive community environment.

Instagram Story Responder

• How it Works: The Instagram Story Responder automatically replies to messages sent in response to the brand's Instagram Stories. With Bik.ai, the bot can analyze incoming messages and provide personalized responses or direct users to relevant resources.
• Use Case: A fitness influencer uses an Instagram Story Responder to engage with followers who respond to their workout routine stories. The bot sends encouraging messages, answers fitness-related questions, and shares links to workout guides or nutritional tips.

Instagram Lead Capturing Chatbot

• How it Works: The Instagram Lead Capturing Chatbot collects leads from users who interact with the brand's Instagram content. Powered by Bik.ai, the bot engages users in conversations, qualifies leads based on predetermined criteria, and captures contact information for follow-up.
• Use Case: A real estate agency uses an Instagram Lead Capturing Chatbot to capture leads from users interested in buying or renting properties. The bot initiates conversations with users who comment on property listings, qualifies their interest level, and collects contact details for the agency's sales team to follow up.

End-to-End Instagram Checkout

• How it Works: The End-to-End Instagram Checkout streamlines the purchasing process directly within the Instagram app. Integrated with Bik.ai, the checkout process is seamless, allowing users to browse, select, and purchase products without leaving the platform.
• Use Case: A cosmetics brand implements End-to-End Instagram Checkout to enable customers to purchase products directly from their Instagram posts. Users can browse through the brand's latest makeup collections, select items they want to buy, and complete the purchase with a few taps, all within the Instagram app.

How to Add AI to your Instagram Chatbot?

Instagram AI is the future of ecommerce!

1. Integrating BIK with Your Shopify Store:

First, you'll need to integrate BIK, the best Instagram chatbot (Trusted by 500+ global brands) with your Shopify store. This step connects BIK's AI capabilities with your Shopify platform, enabling seamless integration of AI features into your store.

2. Creating a New Journey in the BIK Dashboard:

Once integrated, log in to your BIK dashboard. Navigate to the "Journeys" section and create a new journey. This is where you'll set up and manage your AI-powered interactions with customers.

3. Adding AI Features One by One:

In the journey creation process, select "BIK AI" as the framework for your interactions. From there, you can add Instagram AI chatbot features such as AI Classify, AI Reply, and AI Product Recommendation to your journey one by one.

Each feature enhances different aspects of your customer interactions, from categorizing inquiries to automating responses and providing personalized product recommendations.