Implementing chatbots has never been more relevant than it is today. People use instant messaging more than any other internet activity, including email, browsing the web, etc. In addition to this, social networking giants such as Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and Slack have opened their programs up to developers and businesses to build chatbots. These platforms have given businesses an opportunity to better reach their target audience. The ecosystem is evolving in such a way that it is imperative that businesses have chatbot presence in certain industries.

Evolving Chatbot Technologies

While they may seem like new technology, chatbots have actually been around for decades. However, they are much different than they were at their inception. In the last 50 years chatbots have undergone significant changes since the first chatbot, created by MIT professor Joseph Weizenbaum in 1966. ELIZA was built on top of rules and pattern matching. It didn’t have the context handling that modern day chatbots have, people loved to talk with ELIZA because it generated almost human-like responses. With the evolution of artificial intelligence, chatbots can handle contexts more effectively and are better able to respond to the user’s intent.

Want to learn more about how a chatbot can change the way you do business? Check out our free Chatbots 101 Guide here.

Opportunities Chatbots Bring to Business

Chatbots act as virtual assistants, HR support, and can answer client queries. However, there are more benefits to chatbots than just being able to answer natural language questions. Some opportunities chatbots bring to your business are:

• New chances to connect with customers
• 24/7 “employees” available whenever they’re needed
• Increased productivity of employees by offloading some of their tasks onto chatbots
• Increased reach to target markets through social networking platforms
• Improved customer satisfaction

How to Approach Chatbot Development

Developing a new chatbot for your business can feel like a daunting task. It doesn’t have to be, however! By following some of our expert’s best practices, you can develop and maintain a successful chatbot.

• Identify your business’s problem that the chatbot is being created to solve, and make sure the bot can reliably solve the business problem.
• Identify what kind of chatbot architectures will help solve the problem.
• Decide if you want to develop the bot in-house (which can be time consuming,) or hire a third-party company, such as V-Soft, to do the heavy lifting for you.
• Improve chatbots consistently via user feedback in the form of surveys taken after each chatbot interaction.

While not a new technology by any means, the developments in chatbot architecture have made them an exciting element to add to most businesses. With proper development and maintenance, a chatbot can lead your company to greater success!