Chatbots are everywhere, incorporated onto many business websites and social media platforms like WhatsApp. They are even more ubiquitous than we might think, with various formats popping up to initiate interactions with all of us.
The chatbot industry is expected to hold around $1.25 billion by 2025, considering how popular they already are within both the public and private sectors. Chatbots are being used widely across an array of different industries, including but not limited to advertising, e-commerce, CRM, CX, and sales, wherein they have a crucial function in websites.
Advantages of Chatbots
Businesses can reap multiple benefits from utilizing chatbots.
- 24/7/365 availability
- With fewer language barriers to overcome, companies can increase their chances of success on a global scale.
- As a result, your team will have a higher level of productivity.
- With the use of chatbots, the monotonous and repetitive tasks of human customer service agents can be reduced.
- Chatbots enable streamlined and efficient responses from customer service agents
- Initiatives to reduce response times
- Realistic and intricate responses
- Ensuring Continuous Customer Engagement
In addition, chatbots can also help businesses save operating costs, estimated to be up to one-third.
Types of Chatbots
Different chatbots, developed using various technologies, can be employed for diverse purposes across various digital platforms and websites. Some of the most popular applications comprise:
Menu and Button-based Chatbots
Most chatbots are equipped with a basic user interface that includes a menu and a set of buttons. These buttons present users with several available choices, utilizing a more intricate decision-making process. While not the most advanced chatbots, they can effectively handle simple queries.
Keyword Recognition-based AI Chatbots
AI chatbots that utilize keyword recognition rely on Natural Language Processing (NLP) to decipher customer inputs and determine the best possible response. Although more sophisticated than menu chatbots, they may not be capable of handling multiple queries with similar keywords resulting in incorrect responses.
Rule-based Talking Robots
These technologies, also known as linguistic-based chatbots and click bots, can be complex in some areas, but straightforward in others. Their interactions are governed by if/then statements, allowing them to anticipate user inquiries and provide an appropriate answer.
It is necessary for developers to establish the linguistic basics before starting the bot development process. This requires an adequate amount of time and detailed responses. To create effective chatbots, equal attention must be paid to both their design and conversation flow.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Robots
When people hear the term “chatbot,” the first image that comes to mind is likely an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot used on websites. These chatbots are referred to as “conversational chatbots” since they can engage in convincing dialogues with human users.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms and Machine Learning can be used to develop advanced systems that analyze data inputs, predict outcomes, and determine the most appropriate course of action. As data grows, these systems become more advanced and can provide a personalized experience.
Human Voice-emulating Robots
Voice bots like Siri and Alexa have gained popularity in recent years. These programs employ natural language processing (NLP) and other voice recognition technologies to understand spoken signals and provide responses to user queries, resulting in a conversational experience that can be very realistic.
Well-designed and refined voice bots have the potential to achieve a high degree of accuracy despite their limitations.
Free and Paid Chatbots
Obtaining the best chatbot platform for website optimization doesn’t always require spending money. However, free chatbots do have significant limitations.
Free chatbots have limitations such as a cap on the number of customers they can serve and a lack of flexibility and support infrastructure available in paid chatbots. They may not offer certain conveniences like push alerts or provide high-quality interactions and conversations. However, they can be great for companies looking to save costs while still maintaining a good level of quality.
Here are some examples of online services that are completely free to use:
- Api.ai – An AI-Powered Chatbot Development Platform
- BotUp
- Dialogflow
- SnatchBot
- Landbot
- ManyChat
- SendPulse
Here are a few popular paid chatbots for websites:
- Acobot
- ChatBot
- Drift
- Freshchat
- HubSpot
- Instabot
- Tidio
- Zendesk Chat – Communication Software Tool
How to Create a Chatbot for Your Website
Interested in creating a conversational interface for your business website? Here are the basic steps you should follow:
- Define the purpose of your chatbot and identify how it can benefit your business.
- Choose the chatbot that best fits your requirements.
- Consider the placement of your chatbot.
- Make a list of required features to ensure your chatbot has everything it needs.
- Identify the chatbot platform that would be most suitable for your website and select the necessary tools and software to create it.
- Create a dialogue structure, which includes introductory statements and questions. Make sure your conversation is easy to understand and concise to encourage your users to provide their feedback.
- Add buttons where necessary.
- Perform thorough quality assurance (QA) testing on the chatbot.
- Integrate the chatbot into your website.
- Monitor user data and statistical information.
If you need a chatbot with advanced functionalities, choose from the top chatbot development companies to get a tailor-made solution that meets your unique needs. There are numerous providers who can work with you to build a bespoke platform that improves your business’s customer support and marketing.
