Benefits of chatbots 2021: To define it in simple terms, chatbots are artificial intelligence-driven (AI) robots that are integrated into smart devices so that they can talk with humans without letting them know that they are conversing with something artificial.
Chatbots use natural language processing (NLP) and sentiment analysis to stimulate conversations with users.
Chatbots are known by different names today. Some of these names are interactive agents, smart bots, digital assistants.
Chatbots are the most innovative and significant developments in the domain of AI. In recent times, chatbots have gained popularity in the community of marketers and the sphere of e-commerce. Besides, they have also made their way in the field of healthcare, education, and even travel.
With the world shifting to digitalization vehemently, e-commerce sites and sites, in general, have witnessed a surge of users, consumers, and customers.
Popular brands and companies also have made a complete shift to the virtual world and have refurbished the edges of their technological integrations to ensure seamless customer and consumer experiences.
while the evolution of chatbots continues to take the world by storm, many of us are unaware of the history of its advent and the masterminds who conceived the idea of chatbots for the first time.
This piece is all about the history of chatbots and highlights the potent contributors who have made chatbots come a long way to become the most crucial limb of a digital phenomenon.
Looking Back at the Invention of Chatbots
Alan Turing, the genius mind, conceived the idea of chatbots (the term chatbots was not used) for the first time in 1950.
He wondered if a computer program can talk to humans, given that people on the other side should not realize that their interlocutor is artificial and not a real human. This idea gave way to several inventions, the first of which is Eliza that was invented in 1966.
Eliza was a bot designed to conduct psychotherapy on patients. She could successfully return answers to all the questions of the patients. She became an important invention during the 1960s as she could take patients out of depression.
However, as the ways of the world started to get complicated, Eliza was deemed as an invention with the limitation which could not solve everything.
But she stood as inspiration following Parry which could deal with patients with schizophrenia. Parry, the bot was even more advanced than Eliza as it responded to the emotions of patients better.
The term “chatterbot” appeared much later in 1991, an artificial sports player whose sole function was to chat. On conducting experimentations to check the acceptance of a chatting bot, it was seen that human players often preferred talking to a chatbot to a real player.
The evolution of AI-driven chatbots climbed a level higher with the popularity and easy accessibility and affordability of the internet.
Chatbots were reduced in size to be known as voice assistants available for smart devices such as smartphones, tablets, Bluetooth speakers, television systems, and even cars. These voice assistants and interactive agents took commands from the users to perform a task.
Later, Siri developed by Apple back in 2010, set the foundation for the invention of famous voice assistants such as
Benefits of chatbots 2021 – Where Do Chatbots Stand Today?
Siri being an inspiring voice assistant, chatbots entered into the industry of e-commerce where evolved chatbots that can speak multiple languages and understand images, texts, and videos, helped consumers with their problems.
It can be rightfully asserted that these AI-driven chatbots had immensely and significantly contributed to the profit margins of e-commerce sites.
Later, with the trend of online classes and work from home, the need for chatbots was again felt in educational institutions and offices.
The industry of hospitality and healthcare too came under the wings of chatbots because in every industry the consumers are the spines that help these industries to stand all amidst all odds. Their satisfaction is the key to the growth of these industries.
Chatbots are in a constant state of flux i.e. they are evolving. In this hyperconnected world today, chatbots are emerging to be man’s best friend as chatbots of today can tap on human emotions and understand them.
This makes them empathetic towards humans giving the humans an impression of belongingness and reliability.
The Multiple Wide-spread Applications of Chatbots – Benefits of chatbots 2021
After a fascinating historical account of the origination of chatbots, it is now time to learn the applications of chatbots.
Precisely, chatbots are integrated into every industry that falls under the sun. some of these industries are:
- Retail and commerce
- Healthcare
- Education
- Small businesses
- Travel and tourism
- Hospitality and management
- Banking and Finance
- Military
- Media and Entertainment
A question that keeps floating is that what makes chatbots important?
Listed below are some of the benefits offered by chatbot integration into a business infrastructure: Benefits of chatbots 2021
- 24*7 customer support: Chatbots unlike humans are never tired or exhausted which makes them readily available for customers and consumers. One can reach out for help even in the middle of the night and a chatbot will be there to serve the person.
- Low operational costs: In any business, consumers and customers will keep increasing. While humans can be subjected to confusion to tackle a large number of consumers and customers, chatbots can solve the problem. One chatbot can tackle multiple people. This reduces operational costs.
- Automated Resolutions: Chatbots can also be trained to provide automated resolutions. If any problem of any similar nature recorded in the system crops up, the chatbots yield automated resolutions.
- Gives better experience to customers: It is proven that chatbots can disseminate better customer experience than humans. Chatbots attend every individual with care which helps in bringing customer loyalty thereby enhancing customer experience.
Although, magical in every sense, chatbots are not free from drawbacks either. They can often be threats of data security as a result of which an industry can be in the soup. Scaling them from time to time can eliminate the threats and challenges posed by chatbots.
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