While we appreciate that dealing with humans will always be up on the top of most people’s lists, there are circumstances where chatbots just do a more efficient job. We are a busy and impatient nation, and having to wait for someone to process something, or getting stuck with a call centre person who wants to know everything about you from your name to the colour of your fridge, can just be painful.

Chatbots get to the point and get things done quicker.

What is a Chatbot anyway?

Think about someone sitting on the other side of a phone call, in a call centre help desk. Well, you would probably be surprised to know that you have spoken to a chatbot on occasion without even knowing it.

Chatbots are so advanced nowadays that one can have a conversation thinking that you are speaking to a human. The difference lies in that they are built for a specific purpose and goal, so don’t try asking them what they had for breakfast, although the technology is moving so fast, soon chatbots will have a personality.

The idea behind chatbots is to give them instruction and receive an answer and a favourable outcome. It is important to understand and appreciate that a chatbot is not meant to act like a human. While some coders and techno-geeks would like you to believe that chatbots will eventually replace humans all together across all ranges of industry and profession, they would be seriously misplaced in their ideas.

Chatbots offer an efficient and specific solution to a very busy and impatient world.

Why bother with Chatbot Technology at all?

Specifically in the insurance industry, when it comes to the claims process, a customer wants to get done with the irritating process as quickly as possible. Chatbot software allows the user to communicate his or her need, and receive results within minutes. While there is a place for humans within the industry that will never be replaced, certain areas, like reporting claims and looking for on-site assistance i.e. roadside and emergency assistance, as well as windscreen replacement, can be handled just as effectively, if not better, by a chatbot.

There is, of course, the angle that one can save on employment costs by having chatbot software for these types of services. And, in turn, utilizing humans for more in-depth and emotional requirements.

The Types of Chatbots

There are 3 main types of chatbots, again all built for specific reasons.

SCRIPTED

Conversations with this type of chatbot work along predetermined paths. The user would have to choose from offered options in order to get to their preferred destination. These chatbots can be communicated through voice, touch, or text response.

INTELLIGENT

These chatbots have AI built-in and therefore can accept free-form input from the user. While this makes it a more accessible process, and the AI learns whilst it goes, there are still limitations.

APPLICATION

The application chatbot is a mix of both scripted and intelligent chatbots, whereby it uses graphical user interfaces. Basically, if a graphical interface would help the user do their job more efficiently, then the chatbot needs to produce the graphic at that moment in the conversation. This has become a popular mix and one that Affinity Group utilizes with success.

For more information on Chatbots and how to create chatbot software for your business, connect us today.