Customer expectations are increasingly high: they want immediate responses, consistent experiences across all channels and personalized communications. Customer engagement chatbots – solutions based on artificial intelligence and conversational AI – are transforming the way brands interact with customers and prospects. In this scenario, the chatbot becomes a key tool to increase loyalty, gather insights and optimize every stage of the customer journey.
Updated on June 17th 2025
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Table of contents
The new frontier of user experience with Customer Engagement Chatbots
According to McKinsey, AI-enabled customer service is now the fastest and most effective way to offer personalized and proactive experiences, which are essential for increasing customer engagement. In a context where customers use multiple channels (over 75%) and expect consistent and immediate services, Customer engagement chatbots allow companies to anticipate users’ needs and resolve requests before they are even expressed.
The approach suggested by McKinsey is based on a gradual transformation, in five levels of maturity, which leads companies to manage over 95% of interactions via digital and self-service channels. Advanced chatbots, integrated into API-driven technology stacks and supported by predictive analytics, not only reduce costs (up to -50% of the cost-to-serve), but significantly improve customer satisfaction and cross-selling.
Why Use a Customer Engagement Chatbot in Marketing?
Better Customer Insights
AI-powered chatbots store key information about user behavior, preferences, and history.
According to Salesforce (2024), 73% of customers expect companies to understand their unique needs.
Chatbots allow you to collect real-time data to improve personalization and segmentation.
Consistent Omnichannel Experience
Customers expect the same quality of service across every channel. According to Deloitte, 75% of users use more than three channels to interact with a brand.
Customer engagement chatbots can be integrated on:
Website
Mobile App
Social media (Instagram, Facebook Messenger)
Messaging App (WhatsApp, Telegram)
Smart speaker
Instant Responses 24/7
Users want quick answers: Gartner reports that 85% of customers expect a response in less than 10 minutes.
Chatbots are active 24/7 and guarantee continuous assistance. In case of complex problems, they perform a handover to the operator or collect data for a callback.
Personalized Conversations
Personalization is one of the most important assets of modern marketing.
Chatbots can remember:
Customer name
Previous orders
Purchasing preferences
According to McKinsey, personalization can increase sales by 10-15%.
Promotion and Lead Generation
During conversations, chatbots can:
Send tailored offers
Propose upselling or cross-selling
Invite to register for events, newsletters or demos
Integration with CRMs allows you to transform dialogue into measurable conversions.
Advanced Assistance and Self-Service
Chatbots offer a self-service support path, reducing the load on contact centers.
They solve FAQs, track orders, manage reservations or complaints.
If necessary, they transfer the chat to a human operator (live agent).
Customer Engagement Chatbots Use Cases
Thanks to integration with the main digital channels and advanced features based on artificial intelligence, these virtual assistants help improve the user experience, optimize processes and increase loyalty.
E-commerce
In the online retail sector, chatbots help brands stand out by offering a highly personalized and timely experience:
- Product recommendations based on browsing behavior, purchase history and expressed preferences.
- After-sales assistance, such as order status updates, return requests, complaint management.
- Proactive promotions, with personalized offers based on customer profile or abandoned cart.
- Multilingual support to reach an international audience effectively.
Expected result: increased conversion rate and reduced cart abandonment.
Customer Engagement Chatbot in Tourism and Travel
Travelers require immediate and personalized assistance at every stage of their journey. Chatbots are ideal for:
- Automated check-ins, departure reminders and sending useful documents (boarding passes, vouchers).
- Real-time updates on delays, boarding gates or weather conditions.
- Tailored suggestions for activities, restaurants, excursions or personalized itineraries based on the destination.
- Assistance during the stay, also via WhatsApp or mobile app.
Expected result: improved customer experience and traveler loyalty.
Banks and Insurance
In an increasingly digital and regulated context, customer engagement chatbots are essential for offering:
- Automatic simulations of mortgages, loans or policies, with comparison between offers.
- Assisted onboarding, with step-by-step guidance for opening accounts, registering new users or sending documentation.
- Verification of documents and data collection for compliance with KYC/AML regulations.
- Claims management or requests for information on coverage and contractual conditions.
Expected result: reduction of the load on contact centers and improvement of operational efficiency.
Utilities and Public Services
Chatbots for customer engagement in the energy & utilities sector help simplify communication with the customer and prevent critical issues:
- Bill management: sending reminders of deadlines, explanation of items on the invoice, requesting installments.
- Reporting faults or interruptions: with automatic localization and resolution times.
- Booking of technical interventions, such as installations or maintenance.
- Environmental or public utility communications, also in broadcast mode.
Expected result: greater user satisfaction and containment of assistance costs.
Healthcare and Health Services
In the healthcare sector, chatbots are becoming real digital assistants for patients and operators:
- Booking visits and managing appointments, with automatic reminders and the possibility of rescheduling.
- Virtual triage, with guided questions to direct patients towards the most suitable service or decide the urgency of the case.
- Access to reports and clinical documentation, in a secure and GDPR-compliant mode.
- Administrative support, such as insurance coverage verification, ticket management, information on hours and locations.
Expected result: greater efficiency in medical centers and reduction of waiting times for patients.
Education and Training
Schools and academic institutions use chatbots to improve dialogue with students, parents and teachers:
- Personalized guidance for degree courses, masters or training courses.
- Support during registration, with documentation assistance and reporting of deadlines.
- Automatic notifications on exam dates, publication of grades, events or extracurricular activities.
- Management of FAQs for international students, housing, scholarships, Erasmus.
Expected result: improved student experience and reduction of administrative burdens for staff.
GDO (Large-Scale Retail Trade)
In physical retail, chatbots are establishing themselves as tools to improve the shopping experience and build customer loyalty:
- In-store product localization, with interactive maps or voice messages.
- Personalized promotions, sent via app, WhatsApp or email based on purchasing habits.
- Management of loyalty cards, points balance, exclusive benefits.
- After-sales support, with order tracking, management of returns or complaints.
Expected result: increased traffic in stores and an increase in the average receipt.
With the evolution of NLP (Natural Language Processing) technologies and integration with business systems such as CRM, ERP and mobile apps, Customer engagement chatbots are consolidating as strategic allies in every sector.
How to implement Customer Engagement Chatbots in 5 steps
Here are the 5 fundamental steps for an effective implementation:
- Define business objectives
First of all, clarify what you want to achieve: improve customer service? Increase conversions? Automate post-sales support? Defining objectives will help you choose the right features and channels.
- Map touchpoints and the customer journey
Identify the main points of contact with the customer (website, e-commerce, app, social, WhatsApp) and design conversational flows based on the needs of users in the different phases (acquisition, assistance, loyalty).
- Choose the right technology
Rely on a reliable and scalable platform. Solutions like crafter.ai allow you to implement conversational chatbots with pre-trained models and integration with CRM, ERP and marketing automation tools.
- Personalize the tone of voice and content
The chatbot must reflect the brand identity. Take care of the user experience with consistent messages, dynamic content and natural language. Also provide handover options to human operators, where necessary.
- Monitor, test and optimize
Once online, analyze metrics (engagement, conversion rate, escalation to operators) to improve flows. Test new messages, add features and update the chatbot based on user feedback.
Conclusions
Customer engagement chatbots are now an essential tool for those who want to offer a fluid, personalized and engaging user experience. Integrating them into a conversational marketing strategy means transforming every touchpoint into an opportunity to get to know, serve and retain the customer.
Faqs about Customer Engagement Chatbots
With pre-configured solutions like crafter.ai, implementation can take a few days, depending on the level of integration desired.
Yes, if configured correctly. They must inform the user of data collection and obtain consent where necessary.
Yes. Modern chatbots offer omnichannel experiences: the conversation can start on Facebook and continue via WhatsApp without losing context.
Updated on June 17th 2025
