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What Exactly Is A Chatbot?

What Exactly Is A Chatbot?

7th November, 2021

Have you ever received a call that gave you the impression of talking to a human being? If yes, then rest assured that you had spoken to a voice chatbot. These chatbots are integrated with a previously recorded conversation script. So, what exactly is a chatbot is a question that deserves a comprehensive reply. Whether it’s virtual support agents or Siri, the list goes on and on. Chatbots are considered one of the most sought-after technologies of the 21st Century. So, today’s blog is going to introduce you to a chatbot and subsequently familiarize you with its different types. Let’s dive in!

Definition of a Chatbot Program

A chatbot is a computer program that can chat with all its users effectively. Chatbots also resemble a typical human conversation in many different ways. These include offering decision-making buttons, voice synthesizing, and sending automatic messages. There are many chatbot software programs that understand users’ intents beforehand. Simultaneously, there are chatbots as well which offer pre-decided replies to their users too.

How do Chatbots Work?

Did you try your mobile network operator or bank over the phone until recently? What exactly did you hear from the other end of the line? You must have heard any of these lines, right?

∙ Thank You for Calling

∙ You have reached so and so the company

∙ Press 1 if you want to get our customer assistance service or

∙ To get so and so service please Press 2, Press 3 so on and so forth

So, hopefully, by now you’ve understood what exactly a chatbot is. The aforesaid examples instantiate quite an outdated version of a voice chatbot.

Different Types of Chatbots

Chatbots are of various types. A banking organization would need a different type of chatbot whereas an eCommerce website would need a different chatbot. That said, here are the different types of chatbots that can be perfect for your business

1. Keyword Recognition-Oriented Chatbots

Keyword-recognition-oriented chatbots can listen to what users normally type and subsequently respond to them effectively. These chatbots operate based on keywords. The main benefit of these types of chatbots is that they can be personalized as per the preferences and likings of users. By using it, businesses can enjoy much better and more comprehensive conversations with their customers.

2. Fraud Detection-Oriented Chatbots

As the name suggests, fraud detection-oriented chatbots are designed to spot different types of fraud that are plaguing the online industry. These chatbots can also be exploited for necessary security measures.

3. Customer Support-Oriented Chatbots

These are intelligent customer service agents. These, unlike other types of chatbots, work on a wide range of parameters to serve users with the utmost efficiency. These chatbots can be programmed to follow a customer’s order from the very first step to the last one.

4. Companion-Oriented Chatbots

This is an industry-specific type of chatbot and it has been specifically designed for social networks. These types of chatbots are perfect for online games as well, wherein players are required to maintain the same characters throughout the game. Also, these chatbots can be programmed to follow your daily lifestyle too.

Categories of Conversational Artificial Intelligence Chatbots

1. Decision-Based Chatbots

These types of chatbots work on a set of rules which is generally known as if-then rules. Decision-based chatbots are programmed to make decisions on their own based on a set of rules.

2. Interaction-Based Chatbots

These types of chatbots give users a wide range of options to choose from. Users have the liberty to select their choice which is then fulfilled accordingly. These internal-based chatbots are also referred to as ‘I-based chatbots’.

3. Database-Oriented Chatbots

These types of chatbots are not aware of users until and unless they are told so explicitly. These types of chatbots work based on certain data stored in them which is then retrieved when needed. Database-oriented chatbots cannot be considered very intelligent.

4. Hybrid Chatbots

These types of chatbots are a combination of both database-oriented and interaction-based chatbots. Hybrid chatbots store a certain amount of data in their database to serve users with the utmost efficiency. However, these chatbots need not be explicitly told about the commands that they need to follow. Eventually, hybrid chatbots are quite efficient and intelligent in their way.

The Compelling Benefits of Chatbots

Chatbots are again immensely beneficial for any type of business. Some of the compelling benefits of chatbots are as follows-

1. The first and foremost benefit is that chatbots can be personalized as per the preferences and needs of the users. In simpler words, it can be said that chatbots tend to make a good impression on users only if they’re customized by their needs and tastes.

2. Chatbots are designed in such a way as to make the entire process of customer service quite efficient and effective. Hence, chatbots can not only save time but can also be used for all those services which otherwise would have been done by human resources.

3. Using chatbots is extremely affordable and one can use them without having to spend a large amount of money.

4. Chatbots are programmed in such a way that they can be used for multiple purposes and services by just making some slight modifications in the earlier programming itself.

5. Chatbots help businesses create an impression on users which is quite lasting. Also, chatbots can be used as a channel to advertise products, brands, and other services.

Why Chatbots are So Popular?

The popularity of chatbots is increasing day by day. Without a doubt, the main reason behind the ever-increasing fan following of chatbots is their ease of access and 24/7 availability. Chatbots are programmed in such a way to work round the clock without facing any problems at all. Hence, we can say that chatbots are programmed to work all through the day. All this and many more that are in tandem with the user's convenience.

Final Thoughts!

So, to sum it up, chatbots are indeed the need of the hour to grow your business exponentially. Read the aforesaid post well if the question of what exactly is a chatbot is still wavering in your mind.

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