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Turtlebin - Chatbots are increasingly being used by online sellers. However, a recent survey found that only 15% of MSMEs in Indonesia are already using chatbots due to lack of technical skills and fears of high costs. Well, one of the free chatbot providers is Pancake.
Technology platform Pancake announced that the free chatbot BotCake is now even more complete thanks to the addition of the Live Video Selling feature, integration of delivery services with JNE & SiCepat, and importing customer lists from other bot platforms with just one click. These features enhance existing order creation & lead management capabilities using AI, and are available free of charge to all Pancake Core customers.
With the addition of this feature, Pancake aims to be the most convenient, affordable and efficient way for MSMEs to improve their business using AI and automation. Data from research firm Juniper shows that by using AI+chatbots, retail, banking and healthcare industry players can save up to US$6 billion in total costs annually, and these cost savings will increase to US$11 billion by 2023. Why is that? Because chatbots can reduce the interaction time required between a business and its customers, while increasing customer satisfaction, thereby increasing business efficiency.
In addition to business efficiency, the advantage of BotCake is the support for an unlimited number of subscribers for Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook, which can reach thousands to millions of subscribers at once. Small and medium businesses in Indonesia can scale their sales with just a few easy steps to implement BotCake.
The Role of AI to Help Indonesia's MSME Growth
Currently, MSMEs account for more than 60% of Indonesia's GDP. It is very important that MSMEs can take advantage of digital technology to develop their businesses, which in turn can help develop the Indonesian economy. In the recent MSME expo, the export & import division of the Ministry of Trade also emphasized that the key to the competitiveness of Indonesian MSMEs is how businesses are able to communicate their products and services well, and have a more proactive mindset.
From a technology standpoint, effective communication and a more proactive mindset mean not only being quick to answer customer questions, but also using smarter ways of interacting. From reaching back and re-targeting existing customers, to classifying and personalizing messages for each customer group, and much more.
The Absorption Rate of AI & Automation of MSMEs in Indonesia
Based on a survey conducted by Pancake to MSMEs in Indonesia, although all businesses have digital marketing or sales channels such as on Facebook, Instagram and WA, and more than 65% of respondents have heard or know about AI and automation technology, only 15% of businesses have used chatbots. For companies that haven't used chatbots, their main concerns are: not having the technical knowledge to operate them (40%), not knowing how to implement them (30%), and worrying about the costs (30%).
All (100%) businesses that have used chatbots agree that this technology can increase customer response speed, and more than 50% say that chatbot technology can significantly reduce manual work.
“Although MSMEs in Indonesia have heard about AI from the news, it turns out that most have not implemented it in business due to limited budgets and lack of technical skills. Even though in reality, this technology can be implemented easily and without big costs,” said Aditya Gupta, Director and Co-Founder of Pancake.
“Besides being available for free, BotCake does not require coding or high technical knowledge to build smart bots to respond to customer inquiries. Anyone with a computer and access to the internet can start using bots for marketing and customer service for their business on Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook."
