ChatBot Development

What Are ChatBots?

A Chatbot is a service, powered by rules and sometimes artificial intelligence, that you interact with via a chat or conversational interface. Messaging bots interact with users just like a human would do – they read and write messages, automate conversations, transactions or workflows. The service could be any number of things, ranging from functional to fun. Messaging Bots can be built of various types eg. E-Commerce Bots, Food Bots, Content Bots, Banking Bots, Weather Bot, News Bot, Workflow Bots, Customer Service Bots, IoT Bots, etc. It can be Text or Voice Bots. It could live in any major Messaging Platform (Facebook Messenger, Slack, KiK, Skype, Telegram, Text Messages, etc.).

Why Chatbots are Hottest Trend in 2017?

Initial trend was for Desktop Applications. Then companies started using Web Applications with rise of Internet. With the rise of smart phones, trend started to use Mobile Applications. Mobile Apps had a good run since the Apple store launched in 2008. There have been more than 100 billion apps download from the Apple store by itself. As Apps are convenient and quick, They have become the primary interface through which we interact with all our smart devices. But in March 2015, as per report published by Gartner, App usage is going to plateau. As many Smartphone users were becoming exhausted and didn’t want to increase their current usage levels. There are too many apps and people download and try the app and most of them hardly use it for long time and it takes memory. The explosive growth of new mobile apps has become stagnant now.

With technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine learning (ML) and Natural Language Processing (NLP), chatbots, a form of conversational User Experience, appears all set to be more prominently affecting our lives starting this year. In 2016, a Technology trend significantly affecting Design was moving away from Graphical User Interface and moving towards conversational user interface. Some examples of such technology are Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Messengers’ and Chatbots.

The tech community has joined forces to boost the growth of various aspects of AI, including natural language processing and machine learning. Big players such as Facebook, Microsoft, IBM and Google have tirelessly been creating platforms and tools to help developers and entrepreneurs ease the process of integrating such technology into their own products and businesses.

People are using messenger apps more than they are using social networks  and it is a huge turning point. So if you want to build business online, you want to build where most of the people are spending their time and that is Messenger Platforms like Facebook Messenger, Slack, Skype, KiK, Telegram, etc.

Social Media Vs Messaging Apps Growth Chart

This is why chatbots are such a big deal. It’s potentially a huge business opportunity to build something people want. With bots, the possibilities are endless.

How Chatbots Work

There are mainly two types of chatbots: Rule Based, and the other more advanced version uses machine learning.

Rules Based Chatbot:

  • The Rule Based bot is very limited as it can only respond to very specific commands. If you say the wrong thing, it doesn’t know what you mean.
  • This Bot is not very smart as can respond only for what it is programmed to be.

AI Based Chatbot:

  • The Machine Learning based AI bot has an artificial brain AKA artificial intelligence (AI). You don’t have to be exactly specific when you are talking to it. It understands language like a human is talking to other human, not just commands.
  • This bot also continuously gets smarter as it learns from conversations it has with people.

Why every business should use chatbots?

With technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine learning (ML) and Natural Language Processing (NLP), chatbots, a form of conversational User Experience, appears all set to be more prominently affecting our lives starting this year. Chatbots are becoming the newest standard of automation in the software industry, simplifying the manner in which the user demands information. With the prevalence of chat-based applications on smartphones like Facebook Messenger, Skype, Web chat, Kik, Slack, SMS and Telegram, chatbot applications running on these platforms will result in better customer engagement and has tremendous business opportunities.

With extensive experience in software development, Vertex Technologies offers a variety of bot development services which increases customer as well as employee engagement and will make your business available 24 / 7 .

Some of the key benefits of using chatbots:

  • Simplified Business Workflow: No Navigation and searching to find what you need. The chatbot applications simplify business workflow.
  • Cloud Based: The Chatbot applications run in cloud so user does not need to search, install and manually update them.
  • No custom user Interface: As the App uses Messenger platform, there is no visible UI.
  • Understands as Human: Chatbots are conversation based like how humans talk with each other.
  • Better Customer Engagement: The improvement in Customer Experience is especially effective when Customer assistance is required because Customers can receive assistance on-demand and instantly via the chatbots.
  • Reduced Cost for Customer Service: By using chatbot application, less human customer agent service needed, it results in significant cost savings.
  • Always Available Anytime: As chatbot applications are running 24/7/365 to assist customers, it is always available anytime to serve your customers.

How can Vertex Technologies help your business?

BUSINESS-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT

We design and develop chatbot applications as per your business goals and considering the specific industry of your business.

FRAMEWORK AND SERVICES

We develop text based or voice based chatbot applications using any suitable BOT Framework and Services for the Bot applications.

IBM Platform: IBM Bluemix Cloud Services, IBM Watson and other cognitive services.

Microsoft Platform: Microsoft Azure Bot Framework, Language Understanding Intelligent Service (LUIS), QandAMaker and other Cognitive Services.

Google Platform: Dialogflow (earlier API.ai) and other services.

Amazon: AWS Cloud Services, Amazon Lex, Alexa Skill, etc.

Facebook Platform: Facebook Messenger API and other services.

Some of these frameworks are confined to their own platforms, like Slack and Facebook Messenger, while others integrate with multiple platforms, which save a lot of effort if you’re aiming for a cross-platform launch.

Matching user intent and finding entities from their utterances are the foundation on which these frameworks are built. The most extensive suites of cognitive services that can add true intelligence to your bot are offered by both IBM and Microsoft and others are also adding new services.

MESSAGING PLATFORMS INTEGRATION

We develop chatbots apps and integrate them with most popular messaging systems – Facebook Messenger, Slack, KiK, Skype, Microsoft Team, Google Home, Telegram, Hipchat, Twillio, Line, Smooch, Jiochat, Viber, hotline, Gmail, Wechat, Cisco spark, Teamchat, Telephone, SMS, Web widget, etc.

SCALABLE CHATBOT APPLICATIONS

We plan, design and implement chatbot applications which are easily scalable in future and can be integrated with other messaging systems. Also, these applications can be trained for better response.

CHATBOT SAMPLE APPLICATIONS BUILT BY US

Company Profile and FAQ Chatbot: User can explore Vertex Technologies company profile details and can also ask any questions regarding company background, services or any FAQ kind of questions. User can explore company profile details eg. About Us, Services, Products, Contact Us etc through Rich Card interface. You can try this Vertex Technologies FAQ and Company Profile ChatBot through Live Chat or Facebook Messenger either through web or mobile interface or FB Messenger button on Vertex Technologies website .

Weather Chatbot: User can ask weather for any City in the world supported by thiird party API and it provides the weather details for that city. You can try this Chatbot through Facebook Messenger

Pizza Ordering Chatbot: User can order a Pizza with size, crust and topping options. You can try this Chatbot through Facebook Messenger

GST QNA Chatbot: User can ask GST tax related general question and this bot will reply with its answer. This bot is currently under construction. Contact us for demo if interested.

Currency Conversion Bot: User can ask to convert one currency to another for any amount specified. Test On Facebook Messenger.

Home Appliance Service Bot: User can ask for specific appliance service related information and can book service appointment. Facebook Messenger Platform, Facebook Messenger, Node.js, Google Dialogflow.

Survey Bot: Bot sends a Survey to the user as requested from backend service. User can take a Survey by providing one by one answers of  Survey questions. Bot will submit the Survey to the backend service. Facebook Messenger Platform, Facebook Messenger, Node.js, Google Dialogflow.

Recruitment Bot: User can apply for a job by providing one by one answers of  job application questions. Also user can send resume as an attachment. Bot will submit the job application data to the backend service. Facebook Messenger Platform, Facebook Messenger, Node.js, IBM Watson Conversation.

Restaurant Bot: User can check Restaurant Menu. Menu can have two to three level categories and user can browse through different menu items. Facebook Messenger Platform, Facebook Messenger, Node.js, Google Dialogflow. https://www.messenger.com/t/2753705414854027

Builder Projects Bot: User can ask for specific appliance service related information and can book service appointment. Facebook Messenger Platform, Facebook Messenger, Node.js, Google Dialogflow. https://www.messenger.com/t/1302803473195939

Text to Speech Bot: User can provide any text or text file and bot will convert it to audio to play. Facebook Messenger Platform, Facebook Messenger, Python, IBM Watson Conversation. Contact us for demo if interested.

Are you looking to build a BOT for your business or want to build a prototype to explore further, Contact Us and we can do it in the right manner.