What
is chatbot?
A chatbot is a man-made
intelligence (AI) program which will simulate a conversation (or a chat) with a
user in tongue through messaging applications, websites, mobile applications or
by phone.
Chatbot or bot – is a
computer program that simulates a natural human conversation. Users communicate
with a chatbot via the chat interface or by voice, like how they might ask a
true person.
Chatbots interpret and
process user’s words or phrases and provides a moment pre-set answer. They
inhabit platforms like – FB Messenger, Whatsapp, Skype, Slack, Line, Kik,
Wechat or maybe your website.
Similar to regular apps
chatbots have application layer, a database, APIs and Conversational User
Interface (CUI).
One of the good advantages
of chatbots is that, unlike applications, they're not downloaded, it's not
necessary to update them and that they don't take up space in the phone's
memory. Another one is that we will have several bots integrated within the
same chat.
Types
of chatbots:
1. Rule-based chatbots
This is the simplest type
of chatbots today. People interact with these bots by clicking on buttons and
using pre-defined options. To give relevant answers these chatbots require
people to form a couple of selections.
As a result, these bots
have longer user journey, and that they are the slowest to guide the customer
to their goal.
These bots are great when
it comes to qualifying your leads. The chatbot – asks questions, and other
people answer them with buttons. The bot analyzes collected data and provides a
reply.
But, for more advanced
scenarios with many conditions or factors, these chatbots aren’t always the
best solution.
2. Intellectually independent chatbots
These bots use Machine
Learning (ML) which helps the chatbot learn from user’s inputs and requests.
ML is the ability of the
computer to learn by itself from the data, recognize patterns and decide with
minimal human interference.
Intellectually independent
chatbots are trained to know specific keywords and phrases that trigger bot’s
reply. With the time they train themselves to know more and more questions. You
can say they learn and train from experience.
3. AI- powered chatbots
AI-powered bots combine
the simplest from Rule-based and Intellectually independent. Artificial
Intelligence (AI) may be a simulation of human intelligence. AI is the area of
computer science that focuses on creating intelligent machines that work and
“think” as people.
AI-powered chatbots
understand free language, but even have a predefined flow to form sure they
solve user’s problem. They can remember the context of the conversation and the
user’s preferences.
These chatbots can jump
from one point of conversation scenario to a different when needed and address
random user request at any moment.
Why
are chatbots important?
Chatbot applications
streamline the interactions between people and services, improving customer
experience. At the same time, they offer companies new opportunities to improve
the process of customer engagement and operational efficiency by reducing the typical
cost of customer service.
To be successful, a
chatbot solution should be able to perform tasks effectively. Human support
plays a key role here: regardless of the type of approach and platform, human
intervention is crucial to configure, train and optimize the chatbot system.
What
chatbot platform is right for you?
There are different
approaches and tools that you simply can use to develop a chatbot. Depending on
the use case you want to address, some chatbot technologies are more
appropriate than others.
To achieve the desired
results, the combination of different forms of AI such as natural language
processing, machine learning and semantic comprehension may be the best option.
The best platforms offer
two types of chatbot configuration, directed conversations and free-form
conversations. A directed conversations is where a chatbot guides the user
through a series of options and questions towards a particular goal.
A free-form conversation
gives the user more control over the conversation by letting him send messages
without the chatbot restricting his options.
Applications
of chatbots:
Customer
service
As you had anticipated, in
the vast majority of cases they are used to perform the customer service
functions in social networks, apps and websites.
They can collect
registration data, provide information, answer commonly asked questions, etc.
By improving the
engagement of current and potential customers they make interactions with
services faster and simpler, generating better experiences for the user.
Online
purchases and payments management
Chatbots help to simplify
the online shopping and payment processes. They provide information and solve
the issues that users have throughout the acquisition decision process.
They can also perform
searches, provide similar products or maybe allow payments from the
conversation chat itself. Read more at chatbots to manage payments.
Sending
information and news about your company
Some are able to send
information and news of the company in an automated way to customers and
potential buyers of our online business. If it is used properly, it can be a
very useful tool for any company or brand.
Generate
and qualify leads
A chatbot can be designed
to capture important user information such as email, phone etc. and send that
information to sales representatives so they can do follow-ups on the
conversation.
Then can also filter and
qualify potential customers by asking questions and evaluating the response, to
filter and only send the most valuable leads to your sales team.
Make
and manage Reservations and Appointments
Chatbots are also able to
automate the process of reservations and appointments by displaying
availability on a calendar and taking the date selection.
Build
trust and improve engagement
Generating an environment
of trust between your business and your potential customers is a fundamental
factor, and having a chatbot can help you in that. Chatbots show your
commitment to customer experience.
Assistant
24/7
One of its most attractive
features is that, by being programmed to fulfill certain functions within a
digital medium, they are available 24/7. One chatbot can provide immediate
answers to simultaneous users at once.
Conclusions:
Minimal human interference
within the use of devices is that the goal of our world of technology. Chatbots
can reach out to a broad audience on messaging apps and be more effective than
humans are.
At an equivalent time,
they'll become a capable information-gathering tool. They provide significant
savings in the operation of customer service departments.
With further development
of AI and machine learning, somebody might not be capable of understanding
whether he talks to a chatbot or a real-life agent.
Written by – Umme Amara
Shaikh
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