Typeboss Version 2 is out now! Experience the new AI Article Wizard, Smart Editor, AI Rewriter, AI File Chat, and much more! A chatbot is a software application that interacts with a user through computer-human conversations. These apps can be Facebook messenger, Twitter conversational style help, and even signage and presentation aids like IFTTT (if-then-then) assistants.
These apps use human logic and conversations to guide users through problems and solutions. The difference between a desktop app and a chatbot is that the former has expertise in specific areas of knowledge rather than a single area of expertise.
For example, if you want an airline but no one has one that matches your needs, the airline may create a mobile app that responds to questions and requests with ease.
A mobile app does not have the power to resolve serious problems like cancer or financial ruin, so specialist doctors or hospitals develop mobile apps to respond to questions and requests.
The reason why only desktop apps have specialization is because most people do not use phones or computers on daily basis, which is why they develop their own app.
2) How do they work?
A chatbot is a software that simultanously talks to you and uses artificial intelligence (AI) to respond to questions and communicate with you.
It was invented and created by companies like Google, Facebook, and Amazon as a way for your customers to interact with you without having to be overly technical.
The goal is for the customer to question the response, which is how AI comes into play. The chatbot reads its data and decides whether or not it will answer the question based on previous responses, previous questions, and user preferences.
If it does not, the user can create a new question or reply with another device/app that may have a better answer. If that does not work, the user can contact the bot using the phone or email account that it has used to contact it.
These apps use technology in order for them to work correctly with the bots. The bots use technology in order for them to work correctly.
Types of chatbots
There are two main types of chatbots. The first is the cold bot, or the one that a user doesn’t know yet how to use. This type of chatbot does not respond to keywords or phrases, but rather talks to you like a human.
The second is the warm bot. These are the ones that users have used before, but have updated their app or technology to use them. These bots have become more common as people need to communicate with customers and vendors more often.
With today’s technology, users can make a call-back version of their bot. This is helpful for things like initial set up, questions/answers, and follow-ups. Or they can create an interface where a customer can email their bot back.
This way, the customer has to update their tech app or certain features of the chatbot in order for them to talk like a human does.
Personalized experience
When a chatbot has a personalized experience, it means that it can understand and respond to questions and requests based on your past experiences and interactions.
This is called context-dependent response. A good chatbot will have both hard-and-fast answers to questions while also using the information you did not include in the response.
The more context a response has, the more powerful it is. For example, if a bot had an answer to “What is the weather in San Francisco right now?” that would be very unlikely to be liked by someone trying to make an urgent question.
However, if the same bot had a more powerful response such as “contact your local weather service for this moment”, then the answer would be much more likely to be liked.
Context-dependent responses are important when it comes to troubleshooting issues or obstacles that people face in their lives. While not always happening, most bots have some kind of context-dependent response when asked for assistance.
Faster response time
If your chatbot has a limited amount of time to respond, it can make the difference between a great experience and a terrible one.
That is why it is important for the bot to have a high level of preparedness before every response. It needs to be able to answer any question you ask it without having to think of an answer and process your request into an action.
If your bot doesn’t seem fully prepared for every request, then the audience will not feel comfortable using it. People will start to feel like their questions are not answered well or that their bot is displaying poor knowledge of the product or service.
Having a basic level of preparedness for your chatbot can be done by creating questions that have been answered in previous answers, or by having one in their account already.
24/7 support
In addition to having a fun and easy to use interface, most chatbots require you to know how to use them. This includes responding to concerns and ending conversations with solutions.
If you do not respond to questions or concerns, the bot will not know what to respond to. A good bot will have some basics covered, like asking for your contact information or instructions for a purchase.
When it comes to instructions, be clear and direct. For example, if the bot wanted to buy a dress, tell it how much money you have; it should not ask for a loan or credit card account access because that would be difficult for someone looking at the product price and benefits.
Having basic responses will help the bot understand what questions and requests it needs to answer. When those questions and requests are simple, they are easier for peopleto understand and respondto.
Chatbots reduce the number of pages you need to click to get what you want
When a chatbot is installed on your device, it removes the need for you to manually browse websites and enter information to be matched with the request.
This is helpful when there are large companies that create difficult to recognize brands of chatbots, because you can just go to their website and ask for help.
Once it answers your question, it will exit the conversation and send you a response that was built with human interaction in mind. This makes it more accurate and durable than a machine response, which may not have all the same qualities as a person.
If there is ever a time when you should be asking for help in an emergency, having a Chatbot remove the need for you to do so is the way to go. When emergency responders are finally notified, they can respond more quickly than if someone had called or sent an email.
They are more user-friendly
A chatbot is more user-friendly if it does not respond to user questions and/or concerns well. It also doesn’t make good decisions for the user because it relies on answers from users to get better.
Users will always be the ones who know more about a situation than a bot can. This is why it is important for a bot to answer all of its questions and/or concerns properly.
Having a chatbot that gets good at answering questions may not be that big of a deal if the bot does not get updates or updates are interrupted regularly.
If you look at your career, do you see any signs of success? If not, you may need to invest in building your skills as a chatbot to get into the boardroom or out on the market.
Reduce website traffic and increase conversions with a chatbot
A chatbot is a computer program that can be used as a conversational interface or “app” for creating a relationship with someone.
Many companies are using the opportunity of the chatbot to test their products and see if they can increase conversions or add new members.
The best way to create a chatbot is to borrow few features from an app and create your own. The main difference is that a bot will not have access to sensitive information, like passwords or bank details.
If you are looking into developing your own, start early! By starting in September, you have time to ensure your bot has functional invocations and responses, as well as learning some basic AI.