
The technology is ideal for answering FAQs and addressing basic customer issues.ĪI customer service chatbots-also referred to as contextual chatbots or virtual agents-use machine learning, natural language processing, or both to understand user intent and form responses.

#Whats a chatbot series
These bots are similar to automated phone menus where the customer has to make a series of choices to reach the answers they’re looking for. The conversations are sometimes designed like a decision-tree workflow where users can select answers depending on their use case. They communicate through pre-set rules (if the customer says “X,” respond with “Y”). Rule-based chatbots-also known as decision-tree, menu-based, script-based, button-based, or basic chatbots-are the most rudimentary type of chatbots.

Today’s chatbots typically fall into one of two categories: rule-based chatbots or AI chatbots. Conversational AI platforms use data, machine learning (ML), and NLP to recognize vocal and text inputs, mimic human interactions, and facilitate conversational flow. Some operate based on predefined conversation flows, while others use artificial intelligence and natural language processing (NLP) to decipher user questions and send automated responses in real-time.Ĭonversational AI is a broader term that refers to AI-driven communication technology such as chatbots and virtual assistants (e.g., Siri or Amazon Alexa). What’s the difference between chatbots and conversational AI?Ĭhatbots are computer programs that simulate human conversations to create better experiences for customers.
