For some time chatbots have taken hold on the web. Just think of the chats on Facebook linked to the pages of telephone companies or that offer services. But also directly on the websites of companies and public bodies. The so -called virtual assistants now find their place everywhere and are mainly concerned with providing standard information. Or answering recurring questions, also intended for operators. But what exactly are chatbots? And how is it possible that a virtual assistant is able to respond in an almost pertinent way to what is requested by real people?
Let’s take a step back and try to define this term. Chatbots (or chat bots and chatterbots) are software that are meant to simulate a conversation with a human. Being that does n’t actually exist. This tool is a classic example in which the principles related to artificial intelligence , machine learning and natural language processing are enclosed.
How does a chatbot work?
Artificial intelligence has been used for years in order to program machines to perform tasks of human prerogative, while machine learning is a branch of AI that allows the interpretation and learning of information that will then be reused in them. contexts. Finally, the processing of natural language, also part of artificial intelligence, allows the processing of human language based on the spoken and written language. All these elements put together allow you to create chatbots able to dialogue and respond in a pertinent way to questions posed by human beings .
Said in this way, the process of creating a chatbot appears extremely complex, but in reality it is not, as there are rather simple creation platforms to create it. It will be sufficient to follow step by step what is indicated, fill in the different fields correctly, identify paths and rules, but also possible changes of direction to be able to create a functional chatbot.
Surely there is still a long way to go at the moment, as these means of communication are based on the principle of deep learning , that is a set of algorithms and statistical techniques that allow the identification of patterns, recurring patterns, patterns and much more, aimed at anticipating the steps of the human brain. But surely the road started in recent times is heading in the right direction.
Taking a step back, that is to the level of development we have reached today, we can divide chatbots into 3 types based on the method of operation:
- Chatbot with menus and buttons , characterized by a sort of tree programming for which each response leads to a certain branch and it is possible to respond by selecting the button or an option proposed by the same virtual assistant
- Chatbots that operate on the basis of keywords , identifying them within the questions and providing an answer depending on what is attributable to the keyword itself
- Contextual chatbots , that is the most complex and advanced existing to date, which employ machine learning, AI and natural language processing to store conversations, increasing them with others contextualized over time and able to improve and enrich themselves according to the iterations had.
Where to use a chatbot?
- After-sales customer service
- Shop assistant to provide potential customers with information about products
- Provide information about the brand or corporate
- Support in the online purchase process
- Respond to information regarding services offered and any activation
- Provide information on the status of a problem and collect reports
- Give standard automatic replies
- Spreading news, offers and promotions
Anyone who has interacted with a chatbot at least once in their life
Let’s move from theory to practice. Surely you who are reading this article have also interacted with a chatbot at least once in your life. An example? Through Facebook Messenger, where many company-related pages provide support through virtual assistants directly using private messages. Even some telephone companies have made it almost impossible to speak with real operators. By filtering almost any request, information, report and technical problem with special chatbots. Capable of understanding human language and providing relevant answers.
Furthermore, a study showed that private messages have an average opening rate of 98%, compared to that of emails which is around 20% . This factor therefore makes us understand how it could very likely be extremely advantageous to consider. This means of communication also for the dissemination of offers and promotions. By going to dialogue directly with those who land on a specific web page .
Chatbot, useful and advantageous, but only if really user friendly
The use of chatbots is very advantageous. It allows you to provide answers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year . In a world where you want everything and immediately, these virtual allies allow you to interact immediately with the user .
At the same time, however, if little studied, the conversation could be too mechanical and superficial. Therefore it is essential to reason in such a way as to convey what is the reality to which the chatbot replaces . Basically it is very important to work so that there is a sort of “humanization” of the contents . A negative experience on the part of the consumer linked to an unsatisfactory. Chatbot, could affect the choices of the same, perhaps orienting him towards the competition.
In light of these considerations, we can therefore highlight the extreme importance link. To the creation of content that is as personalized as possible. Furthermore , companies should think according to what the customer wants. But also on the frustrations related to irrelevant or useless answers , to improve the user experience of the user. Finally, it is essential to attribute a personality to the chatbot , to give it a face and a tone of voice that can identify it. Making the virtual assistant recognizable and unique, able to correctly understand the user’s requests. And provide adequate and above all appropriate answers to the area being dealt with.
