Customer service is the top prioritized one for every business, without customer satisfaction, a business cannot run successfully. At the same time to maintain a successful customer engagement is also difficult, this problem led to the invention of many new channels and one among them is a chatbot.

A chatbot is a conversational interface that doesn’t require human support to perform a particular task. A chatbot is a program enabled with Artificial Intelligence to do a conversation with voice or text. It enables direct communication with the targeted audience. It can be incorporated well with Web, a mobile or messaging platform. It empowers the conversation between human and machine by understanding the context of human speaking language using natural language processing (NLP) algorithm which is a component of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Natural Language Processing

Natural language processing (NLP) algorithm works under artificial intelligence which can understand human language. This computerized technique makes human communication to be analyzed and interpret by the computer on the basis of a set of technologies and theories. Chatbots are trained with this algorithm.

How does a chatbot work?

A chatbot is the best application of Machine Learning, it generally replaces or imitates human at the help desk. When a customer has a query, he opens the chat window to ask his question, the bot finds the perfect answer and reply it back within a fraction of seconds. As mentioned earlier chatbot imitates human, the customer will not be able to realize that they are in conversation with bots. Chatbot improves its performance every time with its interaction. In the 2020’s it is expected that customer service will be completely held with chatbots it leads to the reduction of human resource.

Generally, there are few bots which eventually falls between these 3 types of chatbots. They are,

1. Support Chatbot

2. Skilled Chatbot

3. Assistant Chatbot

Support Chatbot

Support Chatbots are majorly used in the customer support side these chatbots are intended to deal with a particular domain. Here, the support chatbots will be trained to answer FAQ’s of a company. The combination of AI with Natural Language Processing intends to interpret the question and answer them automatically. If the bot met with a different question for which it wasn’t trained it transfer the chat window to call center. 

Skilled Chatbots

Skilled Chatbots are not required to know the contextual awareness. They are just intended to make the living easier. Skilled chatbots are employed with speech functionality so that the user need not open the device every time. (Example: Turning on Fan is a human command for which chatbot performs an action). This makes human to perform multi-task at times. While building skilled bot its always important to focus on integration.

Virtual Assistant Chatbots

These are the bots which are believed to rule other bots: Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant are AI chatbots. These are also called Virtual Agent which also understand the meaning of a user’s word. This behavior makes these Chatbots to extend their conversation with humans. They are developed to perform a certain difficult task as well. It uses NLP (Natural Language Processing) and NLU (Natural Language Understanding) Algorithm which makes the chatbots to understand even the slang of a user and it improve its performance every time when it interacts.

 Benefits of incorporating Chatbots

• Improve Customer Service

• Enhances User Engagement

• Keeping Up With the Trends

• Monitoring Consumer Data

• Enhanced Lead Generation

• Personalized Experience

• To targets a Wider Audience

• Allows Sending of Relevant Push Notifications

• Handling Capacity

• Work Automation

• 24/7 Availability

Chatbots are employed in the following fields:

• Health Industry

• Retail Industry

• Restaurant

• Travel

• E-commerce

• Finance Industry

• Banking

Drawbacks of using Chatbots:

Just like every inventions chatbot do have disadvantages.

Zero decision-making – Chatbots are not human and the thing which differentiates human and robots are our decision making power. 

Increased Installation Cost – Chatbots are useful programs that help you save a lot of manpower by ensuring all-time availability. But to incorporate with application and maintenance costs a lot.

Time-Consuming – Chatbots are installed to speed up the response and improve customer service. However, as discussed it improves performance with its every interaction to the customer. The time taking to self-update themselves is long.

Inability to Understand – Due to fixed improve programs, chatbots can be stuck if any unsaved query is asked.