Chatbots have become much more popular in this day and age. WIth what seems like every company trying to create their own chatbots it might seem like there are many options that exist. So let us take a step back and look at some of the types of chatbots that exist.
Types of Chatbots
There are many types of chatbots that exists but some examples are:
Voice bots
A voice bot is a voice-to-text and text-to-speech communication channel powered by AI and natural language understanding (NLU). Voice assistants or voice chatbots provide a sophisticated model of communication that one may quickly implement into various customer service tools, including interactive voice response (IVR), self-service, and online knowledge bases. AI technology aids in identifying key speech signals and determining the optimal conversational response. The text-to-speech (TTS) engine then completes the interaction by converting the message into audio or voice.
Hybrid chatbots
A hybrid chatbot is a combination of chatbot and live chat that combines the best of both worlds. A customer service representative will be available in live chat to answer any customer’s questions, which may be too complex or nuanced for automation alone. The AI component in a chatbot is capable of initiating and replicating conversations based on how it is programmed and the needs of the conversation. Businesses that love the sophistication of AI-chatbots but don’t have the talents or the large volumes of data to support them can use the hybrid model which offers the best of both worlds.
Social messaging chatbots
Organisations can now deploy an AI algorithm across all of their customer’s preferred messaging platforms with the rise of social media platforms. It enables a more pleasant online experience for customers and increased engagement for the company without adding to a contact centre’s workload. Social messaging bots are usually created on the same platforms as other chatbots, however they are also integrated into your selected media platforms.
Menu-based chatbots
The most basic type of chatbot in use is one that is based on menu-driven navigation which are chatbots that follow a fixed decision tree that is displayed to the consumer in the form of clickable buttons. These chatbots ask the user to make several choices and click on suitable options to get to the final solution. These are adequate for addressing frequently asked questions but may fall short in more complicated scenarios. If there are too many elements or expertise at play, the chatbot may not be able to help users as well. These are the slowest but simplest and affordable way to deliver genuine value to the consumer.
No code or low code chatbots
Chatbots have traditionally been designed and developed using code to create decision trees and AI and machine learning (ML) algorithms powering the technology with programming languages having web API that can be used to build chatbots. However, recent advancements allow organisations to use chatbots that require little or no coding. This allows for speedier application delivery and faster value generation since a graphical user interface (GUI) is available to build and configure the bot.
Machine Learning chatbots
These are contextual chatbots that utilise Machine Learning(ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to remember conversations with specific users to learn and grow over time. Unlike other chatbots these have contextual awareness and are smart enough to self-improve based on what users are asking for and how they are asking it, learning iteration by iteration until it can do the task assigned to it perfectly.
Benefits of Chatbots
There are many benefits that come from the implementation of chatbots including:
They are available around the clock,They cut down of operation costs,They offer a personalised experience for all users,It can give people who use multiple different languages to be able to have access to all things,Helps reach new customers,Automates repetitive tasks,Gives consistent answers to questions and records those answers,It can monitor customer data and give insight,It is infinitely patient,It is convenient for introverts and many more.
This is just the tip of the iceberg that is chatbots so if you are a little lost don’t be confused. Reach out to us and we will help you implement these systems in your business to help you grow. Contact us @helloworld@edenai.co.za and we will help you grow.
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