22 Nov Differences between Chatbots and Conversational Robots
At times the terms conversational agent and chatbot are used interchangeably when the difference is rather substantial. One of the main disparities is the quality of the conversation with the end user: Conversational agents have a flow of interaction very close to that of a human being while chatbots are bound by a predetermined rigid flow of conversation. For this reason, conversational robots are referred to as agents thanks to the power of artificial intelligence.
Chatbots might be great for small shops, small companies and restaurants when the customer’s purpose is simply knowing opening hours or making a reservation, but chatbots struggle when it comes to engage in deeper conversations with users in need to know more about a company’s products or services. This is where conversational agents are a must.
5 advantages of a conversational agent over a traditional chatbot
- Greater engagement and interaction with the user
Unlike traditional chatbots, conversational agents have the capability to recognize and assess the customer’s inquiry/ complaint. Not only do those virtual agents guide them to the information needed, but they are also able to recommend or even provide the best possible solution using their AI capabilities. For example chatbots can recommend the best price date and time based on someone’s input, but the conversational agent will go the extra mile, by asking you how was your last experience with the travel company and continue interacting in a human-like way, equivalent to what a real person would do to get as much information possible from the client to serve them better.
- A personalized experience
A conversational agent stores your history of interaction with the company and is then capable of accessing previous complaints or preferences in order to serve you better. It knows and remembers the context of the conversations. Conversational agents can also be deployed across different consumer channels linking the data from each under the same user ID for customer profiling. The personalization can even go as far as training virtual agents to act dynamically upon real-time user data.
- Adapt to every client
In cities where people originate from different parts of the world, conversational agents are capable of responding in multiple languages. They are also able to detect spelling mistakes during an interaction and can therefore answer seamlessly without stopping the flow of conversation because of those human mistakes.
- Learning capacity
The more users interact with conversational agents the better they get at understanding and responding to inquiries: Your virtual agent is able to further self-develop with every customer interaction.
- Able to assess inquiries
Unlike a chatbot, conversational agents are capable of assessing a situation depending on its complexity. When it is beyond its capability to process, it automatically diverts it to a human agent. While most chatbots are used to collect your email address or phone number and then try to filter your inquiry to a real person, the conversational agent will rather try to provide the information and the answer you are looking for. It will also try to advise you on a product or a service that is of interest for you. This without asking you for personal information. It’s purpose is to help you as much as possible by answering any possible questions to lighten the workload of staff at customer service departments.
Conclusion
While humans try to adapt to chatbots, the conversational agent will rather try to adapt to people, in a human-like way that is one step closer to a real human interaction.
This is only the beginning. The future of conversational agents will hold even more. Technology will enable them to pick up on gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice and speech. Even more they will be able to be virtual assistants helping us operate in real time.
For more information about conversational agent, please see www.innovention.ca