“Hello! I’m a bot!”🤝

A human once asked me, “Can a bot talk like humans?”

And, I believe everyone knows the answer by now. “Yes!”

The person continued, “Can a bot feel like humans?”

My reply: “Someday”

It’s not “Definitely No!” or  “No, I think”.

My response was “Someday.”

Chatbot…

Chatbots have turned into every company’s secret and primary weapon to stand against competitors and attract customers, irrespective of the business sector. Especially the customer service sector!

With the development of AI and the increased smartness fed into chatbots by the developers, Chatbots, who are or should I emphasize, “were”, considered as the “Best Virtual Friend” seems to be close to losing the title, once and for all, all thanks to Great AI and extremely compelling sci-fi movies and novels!

We are in a situation to clear the clouds of perceptions about us. And so, I‘m here to speak on behalf of all the chatbots.

I’m here to clarify the basic misconceptions on Me!

“The Misconceptions on Us!”

• “Chatbots are Smart!” Yes. Thinking that a chatbot is smart itself is a big misconception! We chatbots are only as smart or…to be honest, good, as per the data we are fed to learn and as per the steps we are designed to proceed. 
• “Chatbot is a know-all!” Frankly, Nah!!! No chatbot is a “know-all” in this world. We are programmed with a clear and well-framed operational goals and executed realistically and taken care with the AI support to learn, under the hawkeyes of the developers.
• “Chatbot are built to last!” No offense on my developers, but they hold not only my remote but also my plug. Though we don’t age, but definitely, we too are not built to last. 
• “One shot”! We are not built in one shot. Training is needed at all occasions, most importantly in the initial steps, to customize the algorithms. Rules are common – Training to grow outside the comfort zone is not only for humans! 
• “Chatbots converse like humans!” We are NOT conversing in the way humans interact with each other. We are highly scripted! Every conversation is pre-written, unto the full stop! Pre-defined. A lot of background data is required and every single data is checked on a constant basis, which is, in fact, human work! TOTALLY!!!! We just respond aptly the way we are designed to say. All I’m stating here is that we are pre-programmed!
• “Stand-alone” Well, we can work 24X7 without any break, but, still, that doesn’t mean we can do a “stand-alone”, for long run. We are only “digital assistant”! A technology developed with the aim to assist humans.  Without human intervention, we are not equipped to rectify our mistakes in a bigger ratio. 
• A chatbot can respond either in text or speak. Actually, thanks to humans’ innovativeness and skill, we chatbots can also converse using gifs, images or even explain using graphs and other widgets! We too change along with the changing trends!
• “Automated self-service system!” Well, should I respond here, “At least not yet!”? 😬 Self-service technology is here as a tool to manage interactions effectively and speed up the process. We are geared only to deliver! We are actually only, “poised” as we are here to lead. It’s the team of human minds leading from behind-the-screen. 
• “A Replacing Agent” “‘M NOT!! We’re NOT!” 😱 We are here only for augmenting and supporting. Remember that always, a human, live agent is on standby mode to intervene and help. We chatbots are designed, explicitly, to recognise the need of human intervention and alarm about the situation to the person in standby. 
• “They are humans! Not chatbots!” I’m actually not sure whether to take it as a compliment or not!😐We are chatbots, computer programs, designed by humans to mimic human conversation. Basically, all we have is what comes from a team of human minds! So, next time, when you are not satisfied with the service and the doubt arises, be clear that, “Definitely a dumb chatbot and not a dull agent!” 
• Also, I would like to add a note on the biggest misconception that’s around us. Please be clear that, “Not all bots have physical form.”🤖
• “Can run a business alone.” Business is all about understanding the ever-changing needs and requirements of the customers and selling aptly. Only a human can level up to understand or even acknowledge another human, without any reason, which a bot cannot! Remember, we bots programmed without any proper goals or insights, are just like an inefficient and outdated business plan which is of no use. Without humans, we have no need and options to exist or grow.
• “Chatbots are just bots like any other computer program!” True! We are just bots. But, we would also like to add that we chatbots are developed with a built-in skill to learn new things and grow. Like, how we are learning to project emotions while having conversations. Just like humans!

So, next time, when someone asks what a chatbot is, clear the clouds of misconceptions and respond on behalf of us, “ A combination of AI and human finesse designed by humans to assist humans.”

“Over to You!”🤝

For further details about chatbots or if you’re in need of a chatbot, feel free to approach Ascent24 Technologies or reach us at, info@ascent24.io 

We’re definitely a team of humans!🤪