Nowadays, messaging may serve as an excellent tool to enhance the clients’ service as well as their satisfaction level. This solution is implemented in a booming technology- chatbots. This intelligent software may optimize and automate a row of interactions with customers and provide 24/7 assistance, which is a huge benefit for every company.
This article will cover how to build chatbots, their types, the solution stack required, and many other essential details. Let’s begin!
Chatbot Concept and Market Research
The chatbot concept is an intelligent artificial assistant that ensures text/text-to-speech rapid responses to customers, and operates constantly. It is a substantial help to alive assistants who can focus on more complex tasks and clients issues.
Due to such efficiency, the chatbot market value is expected to reach over $110 billion by 2023.
Chatbot Architecture Trends
This smart solution helps cut down about 2.5 billion hours of client interactions by 2023. In addition, the chatbot market has its own trends to offer to deliver even more enhanced service to consumers:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Natural Language Understanding
- Natural Language Processing
Such products ensure a more personal approach, responding to primary requests based on beforehand experience. Please note that AI-based bots are unable to replace the real assistant and human communication entirely, yet, can considerably optimize the current service.
Chatbot Primary Advantages
What are the other benefits this state-of-art technology provides? Let’s consider the following list:
- Cost-efficiency. Chatbot development cost is an investment in a solution that can substitute a row of real employees you have to send regular payrolls.
- Constant accessibility. Chatbots can provide customers with assistance 24/7 at any time of the day or night.
- Personal approach. This solution is able to serve clients with an individual interaction and fulfill their requests successfully with no manual involvement needed.
Chatbot Types and Their Difference
Let’s now observe which types of chatbots exist and which one is more profitable for your case.
Rule-Based Chatbots
This software solution can perform defined tasks of small-scale companies, like FAQ responding. Their answers are more direct and straightforward, rather than the AI’s ones. Therefore, chatbots of this type comprise the map of the dialogue based on “the if/then” principle.
Their main pros are the following:
- Enhanced security
- Legacy systems integration
- Decreased development expenses
- Opportunity to process and transmit media content
AI Chatbots
The ability to accumulate previously gained experience and self-learning are the key benefits of the rule-based type. As a result, the more this solution is trained, the more efficient it becomes. AI bots can process the request in the message of users to deliver more relevant information on their questions.
You’ll get the following list of benefits with the AI technology integrated in a bot:
- AI data studying
- Client behavior pattern analysis
- Multilingual communication
- Simplified decision making
Chatbot Architecture and Operating Concept
The two types of Chatbots have diverse architecture. To illustrate, the rule-based one operates via the interactions based on playbooks set beforehand.
The AI-based type functions through technologies like Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence essentially. Besides, these chatbots have to be trained to operate productively, correctly, and streamline business processes.
The following scheme indicates the operating concept of chatbots:
Besides, you can enhance your product with external solutions, such as APIs, CRM, CMS, Google services, etc.
5 Essential Stages of Chatbots Architecture
Let’s now cover the chatbot development process and its vital steps:
Analyze the market and define your customers’ needs
Begin with studying the market, creating a buyer persona, and defining the clients’ requirements as well as pains to offer them a relevant solution.
Select a platform for the integration
The chatbot is a solution that is integrated into the existing communication applications, like Skype, Facebook Messenger, and Telegram. You should select the one which is used mostly by your target audience to embrace more clients.
Choose the software development vendor
To implement a chatbot’s functionality, you should hire proficient developers using platforms like Clutch or Goodfirms. Nowadays, you can find a great diversity of creators to build such a solution. Yet, custom chatbots architected specifically for your business goals are more efficient and will ensure top-class service.
Define a tech stack
Depending on the bot’s type and features it includes, you should select suitable frameworks as well as tools to complete the creation. A better option is creating the one from scratch, as with creators involved the final product may have limited functionality.
Test and apply
Prior to deployment, you should verify the chatbot operation by applying Quality Assurance services. Therefore, all the bugs and working flaws will be eliminated before launching. After the deployment, you should collect the feedback of the first users to continue improving your product as well as client service.
Tech Stack for Chatbot Development
As previously mentioned, you may use chatbot makers, which will help create a solution quickly, at a decreased cost, and launch it very soon. But please, remember such tools ensure limited functionality.
Great chatbot constructors:
- Chatfuel
- Botsify
- Flow XO
- QnA Maker
- Motion.ai
- ChatBot
For the creation of a sophisticated chatbot that will comply with all the business needs, you should apply a tech stack that will enable building custom functionality. On the other hand, in case you are not a tech-savvy expert, the team of competent developers will pick a proper tech stack and complete designing the software for you and your business.
Chatbot development frameworks:
- Wit.AI
- IBM Watson
- Microsoft Bot Framework
- BotKit
- Pandorabots
Rule-Based Type vs. AI Type: Which Chatbot to Create?
Startups of small-scale companies commonly go for the first chatbot type due to its cost-efficiency and rapid delivery. Yet, the features of such chatbots are bound with the messenger they are integrated into as well as the chosen constructor.
For huge-size businesses, the second option will be more profitable, as such bots can respond to more complex queries and resolve difficult issues. The functionality may include a wide range of features that you would like to deliver to clients based on their requirements. Depending on the complexity of the future product’s functionality, the development time may vary from 2 to 3 weeks.
Summarize
The chatbot is an excellent way to streamline the services and satisfy the clients successfully. Each type of this solution meets the goals of diverse scales’ businesses. As a result, you may create a suitable type to deliver great service to your consumers. Despite the chosen type of a chatbot, please, remember that to build such a complex solution, you should apply to a credible software architecture vendor who will follow all your requirements and deliver a top-notch solution to achieve your business goals successfully.
My name is Katherine Orekhova and I am a technical writer at Cleveroad – mobile app development company. I’m keen on technology and innovations. My passion is to tell people about the latest tech trends in the world of IT.
