What has been called AI Chatbots are often very dumb automated chat boxes where you can ask questions, and the computer can’t answer. If you’ve ever found yourself stuck on a website with a burning question about a product or service without immediate help, you know how frustrating it can be. The only alternative to the dumb AI chatbot is the classic “Contact Us”, where you can send a message and, if lucky, get an answer within a few days.
When interacting with some large companies, getting in touch with an actual human is impossible, and giving a proper complaint form is often difficult. If you use ordinary human chat support, you may have to wait for your turn, and a phone call may also lead to long wait times. So, what’s the solution?
Enter AI-powered chatbots. Most of us are used to generative AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, which transform customer interactions, enable seamless AI chatting, and reduce costs to as little as $20 per month. With recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), we can now build intelligent support bots capable of providing instant answers to customer queries 24/7.
But these are not just chatbots. They’re designed to understand your specific business, products, and customer queries. However, not all chatbots are created equal, and it’s essential to understand the difference between first-generation chatbots and the new, intelligent AI assistants that are now available.
The First Wave: Simple AI Chatbots
You’ve likely interacted with a basic AI bot at some point. These chatbots, often found on websites and social media platforms, typically work based on pre-set rules and scripts. They’re designed to answer a specific set of questions with predefined responses. Some use Natural Language Processing (NLP)-technologies that have existed for a long time but are nowhere close to today’s GPT-based technology.
While these older chatbots can answer common questions quickly, their capabilities are limited. They typically use simple text analysis to understand your question, but then it provides specific solutions by asking you questions with fixed answers leading to predefined answers. However, often, your question fits outside these predefined categories, and in the end, they will offer you to chat with a human instead. They need help with queries outside their preprogrammed responses or require a nuanced understanding of language. Their answers can feel robotic and impersonal, leading to a less-than-satisfactory user experience.
The Revolution: Intelligent AI Chatbots
Enter the next generation of chatbots powered by advanced AI like GPT (Generative Pretrained Transformer). They are based on Large Language Models. These chatbots are as good as ChatGPT, or better, in understanding and responding to a much more comprehensive range of queries. In many cases, they can answer questions and give human-like responses in real-time correctly, even when they’ve never been trained in a specific area. Unlike first-generation chatbots, these AI models specialise in conversational AI and have been trained on a vast amount of data, which helps them understand language in a much more human-like way.
Imagine you have a repository of past customer queries and responses, a comprehensive Q&A list for your product, or a detailed technical description of what you offer. At Gislen Software, we can use this information to train an intelligent AI support assistant for your business. The resulting chatbot can understand your business and customers in a way that first-generation chatbots simply can’t.
Why Choose an Intelligent AI Bot?
Intelligent chatbots offer several advantages over their first-generation counterparts:
- Understanding: They can understand a wide range of queries, even those they’ve never seen before.
- Context: They can understand the context of a conversation, providing more relevant and helpful answers.
- Personalisation: They can provide more personalised responses, improving the customer experience.
- Learning: They can learn and improve over time, adapting to the changing needs of your customers.
The Promise and Limitations of AI Chatbots
While chatbots can successfully resolve 80-90% of all questions, there will always be a few that they cannot fix. This is an inherent limitation of current AI technology. AI chatbots are excellent at handling routine queries, providing instant responses, and working tirelessly around the clock. However, there are scenarios where their capabilities fall short. For instance, they might struggle with complex questions that require deep domain knowledge, misinterpret nuanced language, or fail to understand the context of an unusual query.
This limitation means that even the most sophisticated solution cannot entirely replace human customer support. Instead, they should be seen as a complement to human agents, handling the bulk of straightforward inquiries and escalating more complicated issues to humans. This approach not only optimises the efficiency of the support system but also ensures that customers receive the best possible assistance, regardless of the complexity of their query.
Risks and Challenges in Implementation
Implementing AI chatbots isn’t without its challenges. Poorly designed AI assistants can lead to frustration and dissatisfaction, as highlighted in an article from D2 Legal Technology. These “bad” implementations often arise from insufficient training, lack of integration with existing support systems, or over-reliance on AI without a proper fallback mechanism. When an AI assistant cannot handle a query effectively, it can result in a poor user experience, potentially harming the company’s reputation.
To mitigate these risks, it is crucial to follow the best chatbot design and deployment practices. These include thorough training using a comprehensive dataset, continuous monitoring and updating of the chatbot’s knowledge base, and ensuring seamless integration with human support. Additionally, providing a clear and easy-to-use option for users to escalate their issues to a human agent is essential.
Don’t forget the Human Touch.
Any company that cares about its customers would consider a solution where the AI assistant can seamlessly hand over to a human support person for unusual questions. This hybrid approach ensures that while the AI handles the majority of interactions efficiently, customers are not stranded when the AI reaches its limitations. When a customer encounters a question the chatbot cannot resolve, the system should automatically transfer the conversation to a human agent, who can provide the necessary assistance.
Moreover, this transition should be smooth and seamless, without requiring the customer to repeat their query or provide additional context. The chatbot can pass the conversation history and relevant details to the human agent, ensuring a consistent and efficient support experience. This approach not only enhances customer satisfaction but also leverages the strengths of both AI and human intelligence.
Ensuring Success with AI Chatbots
To ensure the successful implementation, companies should follow a few key strategies:
- Comprehensive Training: Train the chatbot using a diverse and extensive dataset, ensuring it can handle various queries.
- Continuous Improvement: Regularly update the assistant’s knowledge base and algorithms based on new data and feedback.
- Seamless Human Integration: Implement a robust system for escalating complex queries to human agents, ensuring a smooth transition.
- User-Friendly Design: The chatbot should be easy to use and have clear instructions on escalating issues when needed.
- Monitoring and Feedback: Continuously monitor the assistant’s performance and gather user feedback to identify areas for improvement.
By following these guidelines, companies can leverage the power of AI bots while ensuring that their limitations do not negatively impact the customer experience. Combining AI’s efficiency with human agents’ nuanced understanding creates a balanced and effective customer support system.
In conclusion, while AI chatbots represent a significant advancement in customer support technology, they are not a panacea. Recognising and integrating their limitations with human support ensures customers receive the best possible customer service. Intelligent AI assistants, when implemented thoughtfully, can revolutionise customer support by handling routine queries efficiently while seamlessly escalating more complex issues to human agents.
How Can Gislen Software Help?
Implementing an intelligent AI chatbot might seem like a big challenge, but that’s where we come in. So far, we have applied this technology and built an AI chatbot plugin that can be used on a Magento eCommerce site. Our team at Gislen Software can help you create a unique AI assistant using AI tools from OpenAI, Google, or other suppliers, which we train with your data. We also help you improve your customer support. We’ll use your knowledge base—past support conversations, Q&A lists, or technical product descriptions—to train an AI chatbot to understand your business.
Once implemented, we also ensure that the AI bot is working well. We will refine and improve it over time to meet your customers’ needs effectively. Customer support is evolving rapidly, and intelligent AI chatbots are leading the way. We’d love to talk if you want to explore how an intelligent AI chatbot could benefit your business. Contact us at Gislen Software today, and let’s start the conversation about how to revolutionise your customer support!
The article was updated on 26/7/2024 and again on 13/8/2024.