Automation can transform your online presence, streamline operations, and enhance user experience. But—and this is a big but—there are times when you need to keep the human touch intact.
It’s easy these days to get lost in the magic of automation, but it’s critical to remember that there’s always a human being surfing your website, not a robot.
You can use automation for many things, but if you forget the human element, you’ll damage your reputation and set yourself up for at least some missed opportunities, if not bad reviews.
The Magic of Autoresponders: Set It and (Almost) Forget It
Let’s start with one of the most powerful uses of automation: autoresponders. You know those emails that pop into your inbox right after you fill out a form? They’re a great little hack—they prove to your customers and potential customers that you’ve received their form entry or email and that you’re going to get back to them.
It also sets expectations—you can include your hours of operation and how long it typically takes for you to get back to them. This by itself can save you and your customers a lot of time and headaches.
It’s also a brand-building opportunity. You can put your logo and color scheme into the email and write your own content in your brand voice to make it feel authentically like you. This gives potential customers a taste of who you are while (hopefully) putting a smile on their faces.
Moving Entries to Your CRM
Automating the process of moving form entries directly into your CRM is another perfect use of this technology. It saves time, reduces errors, and ensures that no lead falls through the cracks.
However, the magic stops there. While automation can handle the initial data transfer, it’s crucial to have a human follow up on those entries. Most people these days still want to speak to a real person at some point in the sales process, even if they think they don’t.
By having someone follow up personally, you show them that someone is paying attention and is serious about getting them the best service possible. This ensures leads aren’t turning stale or changing their minds when that autoresponder email turns out to be inaccurate.
Automating Appointment Setting: Convenience at Its Best
If you’re not using a tool like Calendly for appointment setting, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to streamline your scheduling process.
Integrating an appointment-setting tool with your website allows visitors to book time with you without the annoying back-and-forth of email exchanges. This is especially useful for consultations, demos, or any service-based interactions.
It also makes those appointments more likely to get scheduled in the first place—some people just won’t put up with a million emails trying to find the right time to meet.
Here’s the kicker: while automation takes care of the scheduling, you need to make sure you show up to those appointments. There’s no faster way to lose credibility than by missing a meeting.
Set reminders, sync your calendar, and be present. Automation gets them in the door, but it’s your human touch that seals the deal.
Chatbots: Your 24/7 Digital Assistants
Chatbots are another fantastic automation tool that can enhance the user experience by providing instant responses and assistance.
A well-trained chatbot can help users book calls, schedule appointments, or find information quickly. It’s like having a 24/7 customer service rep that never sleeps.
However, it’s critical to work through the decision tree yourself and train the chatbot thoroughly. Make sure it’s providing accurate information and not leading users into frustrating loops.
Always ensure there’s an option for users to connect with a real person (or send an email to one if there’s no one available). This hybrid approach combines the efficiency of automation with the empathy of human interaction, keeping your customers satisfied and loyal.
Use ChatGPT for Content Creation… Carefully
We all know that Google and other search engines love high-quality content, and we all also know that writing high-quality content is a huge time-sink. Tools like ChatGPT can be a game-changer for generating ideas and drafting content quickly, but they’re far from perfect.
While using ChatGPT to create content can save time and spark creativity, these tools still have trouble with even basic things, like getting the facts right. There’s even a term for it—hallucinations.
To super simplify it, using the same chat over and over can basically degrade the bot, and it can start making things up, but it can do this even on the first try. That’s why it’s so important to edit the content yourself. You want to make sure anything you publish is accurate at the very least.
However, there are other potential issues that bot-written content comes with. They’re not that great at putting in keywords like a human would. They can really miss the mark when it comes to brand voice, and sometimes they’re just plain boring.
If nothing else, you need to add that human touch that makes your content resonate. Think of ChatGPT as your brilliant assistant—great for getting the ball rolling, but it still needs your expertise to shine.
While automation can assist in many areas, creative tasks often benefit from human ingenuity. Design work, strategic planning, and high-level decision-making are areas where human creativity and critical thinking excel. Use automation to support these processes, not replace them.
Get a Problem Solver Website with Automation Baked In
We help our clients by building beautiful websites with crisp, to-the-point content that’s clear and impactful. We use The Problem Solver Method to ensure every website has the best chance of driving business objectives forward.
As part of that, we can include automations that make your life (and your customers’ lives) easier for an additional fee.
If you’re ready to transform your website into a marketing powerhouse that drives results, we can help.
Learn more about exactly how you can get a Problem Solver Website.