What is AI Lead Generation?

Generating leads effectively is central to the growth strategy of any business, yet it requires countless hours to craft personalized outreach strategies and nurture potential customers. The traditional approach to lead generation involves going through databases and qualifying leads one by one manually, provoking time inefficiencies and high operational expenses. 

However, the advancements in the field of artificial intelligence enable a new era of lead generation. The recent research by McKinsey & Company highlighted that utilizing AI for lead generation results in a 20% average increase in sales productivity, and 84% of businesses that involve AI technologies in their sales process agree on the competitive advantage that comes with it [1].

To enable innovative and efficient lead generation process, EVE.Calls developed an AI-powered conversational bot that not only streamlines manual tasks but allows for lead nurturing through meaningful, human-like dialogues that resonate with potential customers. Moreover, such AI-powered conversational bots can be integrated with your existing customer relationship management (CRM) system to sift through extensive datasets, classify leads, and define target segments. 

In this article, we will explore the specific steps that need to be taken to incorporate voice bots into your AI lead generation process.

AI Voice Bots: Main Capabilities

Cold Calls for Lead Generation

AI voice bots can serve as sales assistants by conducting cold calls to generate leads due to being programmed with scripts containing numerous replicas, allowing them to adapt the conversation based on customer responses. AI voice bots not only present initial offers about goods or services to the customers but also skillfully respond to customer objections, employing at least three consecutive attempts to reassure hesitant customers. Furthermore, the 24/7 availability of AI voice bots provides an opportunity to reach customers in various geographical locations with differing time zones. 

Warm Calls for Customer Retention

AI voice bots can also engage existing customers through warm calls, reinforcing customer relationships by identifying the opportunities for upselling and cross-selling, using historical purchase data and customer preferences to tailor their pitches. For example, in the financial services industry, AI voice bots are used to contact businesses that the capital providers have previously funded, to check if they require any additional financing and to maintain regular communication by reminding them of the value proposition they offer [2]. 

Follow-Ups and Appointment Confirmations

To improve the chances of finalizing a deal, it is often necessary to make several follow-up calls to persuade customers to purchase a product or service. AI voice bots play a valuable role in this process by automating follow-up calls and ensuring consistent communication with potential customers. They also provide timely reminders for appointment confirmations, reducing the occurrence of no-shows. Moreover, they have the capability to intelligently reschedule appointments based on customer responses, which enhances the efficiency of the scheduling process and increases customer satisfaction.

Customer Surveys

Customer surveys offer many benefits in gathering feedback and insights from customers. In fact, companies typically allocate 5% of their annual revenues to market research, often utilizing customer surveys [3]. AI voice bots provide an efficient way to collect information from customers without the need for manual labor by automating the process of conducting customer surveys. These surveys consist of a mix of open-ended and closed-ended questions, and the NLP (Natural Language Processing) capabilities built into these AI voice bots enable the interpretation and storage of customer responses in a dedicated database. Later on, this valuable data can be analyzed to inform and shape effective business strategies.

Customer Support

AI voice bots can also be used to fulfill the customer support role, providing round-the-clock availability and reducing the likelihood of human errors when addressing inquiries about return policies, prices, or product availability. AI voice bots are capable of responding to customer requests in a natural and rapid manner, eliminating the necessity for large call centers with substantial operational costs. Furthermore, AI voice bots can handle a larger number of customers within a specific timeframe, which is particularly valuable during periods of high customer support demand, such as seasonal sales. 

Conducting AI Lead Generation with Voice Bots

Step 1: Data Collection and In-Depth Analysis

The AI-powered lead generation process using voice bots starts by gathering data on past customer interactions conducted by human agents. Special emphasis is placed on interactions by top-performing agents who achieve high lead conversion rates. Subsequently, the AI voice bot thoroughly analyzes the language, tone, and communication style utilized by the top-performing agents in order to account for them in the script used for contacting potential leads. 

Step 2: Script Development

Drawing on the insights obtained in the initial stage, a script that includes the initial offer communicated to the lead is developed. The replicas that have proven to trigger higher lead conversions are then organized into a decision tree that guides AI voice bots in their interactions with potential customers. By having natural language processing (NLP) capacities, these bots are able to effectively recognize and respond to customer speech. Furthermore, AI voice bots can discern the emotional connotation of the customer's words and adjust their tone and word choice accordingly. 

Step 3: Lead Outreach via AI Voice Bots

Utilizing the optimized script, AI voice bots like EVE.Calls are deployed to connect with leads through phone calls. AI voice bots are more efficient at reaching out to customers due to their speed; for example, EVE.Calls can make over 1,000 calls per hour, surpassing the capabilities of human call centers. Being able to reach out to a large database of leads becomes highly beneficial during seasonal offer periods when a significant database needs to be contacted within a week or two. Additionally, voice bots engage in conversations with an impressively human-like conversational style, avoiding interruptions, using a natural voice, and incorporating realistic pauses between responses. Moreover, Eve, in particular, is a bot trained to make multiple attempts to persuade the lead, increasing the chances of progressing the lead further into the sales funnel.

Step 4: Lead Nurturing 

Nurturing the relationship with leads is essential to speed up their conversion into customers. AI voice bots can assist in this aspect by conducting follow-up calls, reminding about appointments, and providing personalized deals at a faster pace than human agents. Using AI voice bots for lead nurturing not only saves time and resources but also guarantees that leads receive timely and relevant information, ultimately enhancing the chances of converting them into loyal customers.

Step 5: Strategy Refinement with Data

The last stage in the AI lead generation process powered by AI voice bots involves conducting a comprehensive analysis of customer conversations focused on the customers' responses to specific word choices, tones, and offers. The data obtained from this analysis is crucial for continuously enhancing the outreach strategy used by the bot, ensuring that the developed script and communication style are effective in converting leads into customers.

Bottom Line

To recap, the following steps have to be taken within the AI lead generation process:

• Data Collection: The initial step involves gathering and analyzing past customer interactions to inform the voice bot's communication strategies.
• Script Development: Insights from data analysis are used to create a decision tree-based script, enhanced with NLP for responsive and dynamic customer interactions.
• Lead Outreach: AI voice bots, like EVE.Calls, make over 1,000 calls per hour with a human-like conversational style to reach the leads.
• Lead Nurturing: AI bots expedite the lead nurturing process through timely follow-ups, appointment reminders, and personalized offers.
• Strategy Refinement: Continuous analysis of customer responses allows for ongoing refinement of the communication strategy, ensuring effectiveness in lead conversion.

References:
[1] https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/ai-powered-marketing-and-sales-reach-new-heights-with-generative-ai
[2] https://evecalls.com/en/cases/enhacing_sales_in_the_financial_industry_with_voice_ai 
[3] https://startuptalky.com/how-much-money-do-companies-spend-on-research/