I’m not a huge fan of messenger bots, I think it’s far better to really talk to people…but if you are really far too busy to reply personally why not set up ‘auto reply’ or get a VA?
In this digital world we all seem to be available at all hours & some consumers are starting to expect a 24 hour service! It’s impossible to be available all the time & probably not good for your image either.
We all have busy lives, meetings to attend, clients to talk to, work to do & we need time off. What we do need is some sort of answerphone message. Then, when someone sends you a message to your Facebook page, you can let them know that their message is important to you & you will get back to them as soon as you can.
So here’s how to set it up:
Be friendly & give an indication of when you will be able to reply personally. e.g. I wrote… “Thank you for your message, I will get back to you shortly. There may be a delay due to time difference though, depending on where in the world you are, as I am in the UK.”
If your status is set to ‘away’ the message won’t be sent & instant messages aren’t included in your page’s response rate or response time stats.
What do you think? Bots or no bots?