We are part of a liquid society that is advancing fast and becoming increasingly mechanized, where human contact is diminishing to make space for human artificial intelligence. Therefore, technology and robotics are increasingly adopting tools that can move in the same direction. In this regard, the spread of chat and messaging was born a phenomenon that is expanding worldwide, that of chatbots. Let’s see together what is the phenomenon of chatbots and their success in modern companies.
What are chatbots?
A chatbot is a software that simulates and processes human conversations (written or spoken), allowing users to interact with digital devices as if they were communicating with a real person. Chatbots can be as simple as rudimentary programs that respond to a simple single-line query, or as sophisticated as digital assistants that learn and evolve to provide increasing levels of customization when collecting and processing information.
The activity of chatbots consists in processing immediate responses, following input from the user. In fact, they are often interfaces for mobile applications and are changing the way businesses and customers interact. Chatbots allow companies to connect with customers in a personal way without the expense of human representatives. For example, many customer questions or problems are common and easily solved. That’s why companies show FAQs and troubleshooting guides. Chatbots provide a personal alternative to a guide or written FAQ and can also evaluate questions, as well as forward a customer problem to a real person if the problem becomes too complex to solve. Their main advantage lies in their ability to reduce the time and costs of companies by giving greater convenience to customers.
The phenomenon of chatbots and their success is due in particular to the progress of search engines. The transformation of the internet is continuing by leaps and bounds, being able to give immediate answers in a short time and on any subject.
The main functions of chatbots can be summarized in four macro areas:
- Shop Assistant: provide customers with information about services or products for sale;
- Brand reputation: interaction with the user to provide company-related information;
- Sales Support: interaction with salespeople in managing their businesses;
- Purchase Guide: identification of the type of purchase of the user.
Benefits for consumers and business
Consumers look to chatbots as a solution that meets their needs in terms of time, especially when they do multiple activities at once. The nature of chatbots to be present every day, every hour and anytime you want, generates a positive and satisfying response in the consumer.
For businesses, chatbots increase operational efficiency and save costs while providing additional convenience and services for employees and customers. They allow you to easily solve many types of queries and customer problems while reducing the need for human interaction. A company can at the same time scale, customize, and be proactive: this is an important element of differentiation. Their use serves companies to better understand customers in terms of tastes, preferences, interests, language and age.
The future of chatbots
Where is the evolution of chatbots headed? Chatbots, like other AI tools, will be used to improve the abilities of humans and free them to be more creative and innovative, spending most of their time in strategic activities rather than tactics.
Shortly, when AI is combined with the development of 5G technology, it is likely that companies, Employees, and consumers enjoy advanced chatbot features such as faster recommendations and predictions and easy access from a conversation to high-definition video conferencing. These and other possibilities are in the investigative stages and will evolve rapidly as Internet connectivity, AI, NLP, and ML advance.
Eventually, everyone can have a fully functional personal assistant in their pocket, making our world a more efficient and more connected place to live and work.
