Chatbot
Conversational AI assistant
A chatbot is a program that holds a conversation with a user in natural language and answers their questions or handles simple requests. Modern chatbots often use large language models, so they understand even freely worded questions and respond naturally, much like a person.
How a chatbot works
Older chatbots ran on fixed rules and pre-written answers, so they could only respond to precisely defined questions. Modern chatbots are built on large language models, which lets them understand freely worded questions and answer fluently.
So that a chatbot answers according to your company’s reality, it is usually connected to your sources, such as a question-and-answer database, a product catalog, or documentation. This connection is often handled with the RAG approach, which supplies the chatbot with relevant material so it does not answer only from the model’s general knowledge.
Where a chatbot helps
A chatbot fits anywhere customers ask similar questions again and again, or where you want to be available outside business hours. A well-deployed chatbot relieves the team of routine questions and hands more complex cases over to a person.
- Answering common questions about products, prices, and availability.
- Helping with an order, shipment status, or a complaint.
- Collecting contacts and qualifying leads before handing them to sales.
- Round-the-clock support outside opening hours.
Chatbot, AI agent, and CRM
A regular chatbot primarily answers and holds a conversation. When you connect it to other systems through custom software development and give it the ability to take actions, it moves toward an AI agent that can resolve a whole case. A connection to a CRM, in turn, lets the chatbot know the customer’s context and save the information it gathers straight into your database.
Want a chatbot connected to your data?
Explore custom developmentFrequently asked questions
Will a chatbot replace customer support?
Not entirely. A chatbot handles a large share of repetitive questions and relieves the team, but more complex or sensitive cases are best handed to a person. It works best as a combination where the chatbot handles the routine and agents focus on the harder situations.
Will the chatbot answer based on our information?
Yes, if you connect it to your information. By linking it to your product catalog, documentation, or a question-and-answer database, you ensure the chatbot answers according to your company’s reality, not just the model’s general knowledge.
What if the chatbot does not know the answer?
A well-designed chatbot should be able to admit it does not have the answer and offer a next step, such as connecting to an agent or collecting a contact. This prevents it from making an answer up.