Types of chatbots: Which one is the best one for your company

The idea of “talking” to a robot might have seem crazy years ago, but today, with chatbots being used in almost every online platform, this is a reality that doesn’t surprise us anymore. The thing about chatbots, is that they are versatile, and can be used for a numerous amount of things depending on the type of chatbot they are. From acting as an online assistant, to being a marketing too, this bots are incredibly helpful. So today we will be taking a look at the top three types of chatbots there are, and determine which one is the best for you depending on what you’re looking for, and what you need. ###Let’s do a quick recap Before you continue reading this blog, we recommend you to check out part one of these series, [here](https://www.rootstack.com/en/blog/what-you-need-know-about-chatbots). In that previous blog we talk about what chatbots are, how they work, and the importance of these types of bots. Also, we mention the huge difference between a chatbot and a software application and how you can set them apart from one another. That being said, let’s start. ##Top 3 types of chatbots Chatbots are just programs that are built to engage with any message they might receive, generating an appropriate response. They are a computer program created to respond as a human being. Although that is the common definition of chatbots, the truth is there are many different types of chatbots that can be implemented depending on their purposes. Today, we will take a look at the top 3 types of chatbots, their characteristics and determine which one is the best one for you to implement. Keep in mind, we won’t be talking about the use of chatbots in different industries, since we will be talking about that later on. But rather, we will discuss the types of chatbots depending on their unique characteristics. ##1 Predetermined chatbots Also known as chatbots that can’t learn new answers, these types of bots are scripted, meaning they are created with a set of possible answers they can give to the costumer talking to them. Scripted chatbots are a very common option amongst companies and are designed to answer specific questions with generic answers based on the phrases utilized on the messages. To put it simply, scriptet chatbots will find specific phrases on the message and give an answer that matches said phrases accordingly. However, they only have a set of answers for every phrase, so, eventually, the conversation will turn repeatedly or insufficient. Within this category there are two types of chatbots known as button based and keyword recognition chatbots. Let’s take a look at each one individually to understand more: ### 1.1 Button based chatbots: This is probably the most common type of chatbot, and one of the easiest types to implement for companies who are just starting to invest in this type of software solution. Like their name says, they work through buttons, meaning they present a series of options in the form of buttons for the customer to pick from and then base their answers on the options chosen. These types of chatbots work through thee hierarchies and required the customer to select several times amongst the different options before giving out a proper answer. Button based chatbots are very common amongst companies who are trying to handle a great amount of customers and want to implement a simpler way to answer their FAQ’s in a quick, innovative way. If your are thinking to implement menu based chatbots to: 1. Improve your customer support system 2. Answer your client’s FAQ’s 3. Take care of minor inconvenience Then this is definitely the right choice for you. However, menu based chatbots won’t perform well on bigger tasks or to interact on a deeper level with users, since they aren’t programmed to do that. ###1.2 Keyword recognition chatbots These are similar to button chatbots in the sense they are also scripted and will give generic answers to the user. However, there are no buttons or menus in this one, since they work through keyword recognition. What this means is that the chatbot is programed to scan the message of the user and look for specific keywords that will allow it to generate an appropriate response. The way this works is simple to explain. The chatbot utilizes pre scripted keywords and artificial intelligence to determinate what the message is saying and give back a satisfying answer to the client/user. Keep in mind, these types of chatbots are also scripted and can only go that far. They aren’t “reading” the whole message, but rather looking for the most important keywords to identify what the user is saying. Again, if you’re looking for a chatbot that will help you improve your customer relationship services and answer the most common FAQs then this is the right one for you. But keep in mind, these types of bots are not designed to give specific or personalized answers. ###2: Machine learning chatbots Completely different to scripted chatbots, machine learning chatbots actually have the ability to learn about the customer they are talking to and improve over the course of time. The main difference about scripted chatbots and machine learning is that machine learning chatbots can actually understand natural speech, therefore, they can give a much more precise, personalized, answer. These types of chatbots are able to process questions, commands and phrases the same way a human would do, instead of just focusing on specific keywords, they “read” the whole message. ###2.1 Contextual chatbots Contextual chatbots utilize machine learning along with artificial intelligence to “read” messages and storage important information about the user they are interacting with. The great thing about this type of chatbot is they storage information but they can remember important conversations in order to keep on learning over time and give back a much more complete experience, all thanks to their data-centric approach. Thought contextual chatbots people can get a much more customizable experience and actually feel as if they are talking with a real online assistance instead of a bot. This type of chatbot is perfect for companies who want to give their customer and users an unique experience while also recopilating data and information they can use to constantly improve. ###In conclusion The type of chatbot solution you end up going for will completely depend on the type of company you’re running, what you’re looking to offer to your clients, and the scope of your project. Keep in mind, scripted chatbots can be a great option for small companies with fewer users, meanwhile a contextual chatbot might be targeted towards huge health corporations who have to offer a much more detailed help. Regardless, chatbots are a technology to keep in mind during this 2019 in order to keep on growing. If you want to know more about this, please, feel free to contact us at any time, and let us help you.