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An introduction to AI chatbots

Learn about AI chatbots including what they are, how they compare to rule-based chatbots, and a few things to consider if you’re in the market.

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Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are a fascinating advancement in today’s digital technology landscape. They can do it all — whether it’s helping you order a pizza, answering specific questions, or guiding you through a complex B2B sales process.

With all the things that artificial intelligence chatbots can do, there are times when they almost seem like magic. And that makes AI chatbots a source of confusion (and sometimes fear) for the people who encounter them.

But the truth is AI chatbots are simply a tool that you can use to level up your digital customer experience. Albeit, a powerful one.

So, you might be wondering, what exactly are AI chatbots? How do they work? And when should you be using them to level up your business conversations?

We answer all those questions (and more) in this introductory guide to AI chatbots.

What is an AI chatbot?

Artificial intelligence chatbots are chatbots trained to have human-like responses and conversations . This is done using a process known as natural language processing (NLP). With NLP, the AI chatbot is able to interpret human language model as it is written, which enables them to operate more or less on their own.

In other words,AI chatbot softwarecan understand language outside of pre-programmed commands and provide a real-time, AI generated response based on existing data. This allows site visitors to lead the conversation, voicing their intent in their own words.

What’s more, AI chatbots are constantly learning from their conversations — so, over time, they can adapt their responses to different patterns and new situations. This means they can be applied to a wide range of uses, such as customer service analyzing a customer’s feelings or making predictions about what a site visitor is looking for on your website.

How an AI chatbot works

Today, one of the biggest roadblocks to AI adoption is that

nearly half of all marketersconsider themselves AI beginners. But the truth is you don’t need to have a PhD in NLP (or even be a programmer) to set up an AI chatbot.

All you need is a good AI chatbot software and a basic understanding of how an AI chat operates. Here’s a quick rundown:

At the base level, an AI chatbot is fed input data which it interprets and translates into a relevant output. So, if a site visitor asks a question, the AI chatbot will analyze their intent, as well as other factors like tone and sentiment, and then attempt to deliver the best possible answer.

To do this, the AI chatbot needs access to tons of conversational data. That’s why AI chatbots have to go through a training period where a programmer teaches it how to understand the context of a person’s words. It’s this understanding which allows the AI assistant to answer complex queries in a natural, conversational way.

If the idea of training an AI chatbot is sounding off alarm bells for you, don’t worry. Our Conversational AI, for example, is pre-trained on over six-billion conversations, as well as topics specific to your company, making it available out-of-the-box.

Through theAI Topic Library, you can customize responses to common topics, adding and generating examples for those topics, and even creating new custom topics.Plus, with ourGPT integration, you can automatically generate topic examples. This means going live with AI even faster.

Now you know the basics of how an AI chatbot works. With the right software, you can give your site visitors the best information.

Which is better — AI chatbots or rule-based chatbots?

When deciding between AI chatbots and traditional rule-based chatbots, your choice will depend on your needs.

Rule-based chatbots areautomated, following rules established in advance. In other words, they stick to the script.

While they’re not as flexible as their AI models, rule-based chatbotsdohave their advantages. If you want a clear and controlled experience, rule-based chatbots help you guide your audience to specific goals. This includes speaking to a human, downloading a piece of content, or signing up for a demo.

However, rule-based chatbots are not programmed to respond to changes in language. If a visitor arrives on the website and asks something you didn’t set up a response for, the chatbot won’t be able to produce an answer.

On the other hand,an AI chatbot can have more flexible, human-like conversations. It can learn a lot more about your site visitors and apply that knowledge base effectively with little intervention. This also gives your sales reps a lot of information about your buyers. This helps them personalize their conversations better.

So, if you are looking for a chatbot that can handle complex queries or help you make sense of massive datasets, AI chatbots are a better choice. Some frequent use cases include:

• ​Sentiment analysis: Combing through massive data sets to identify customer complaints, reviews, and mentions across multiple touchpoints.
• ​Understanding behavioral patterns: Helping identify patterns that a human might not have detected.
• ​Learning and adapting to user preferences: Creating a personalized experience for your site visitors, such as saving preferences, mirroring language, or delivering customized content based on user input

Our recommendation? You may want to opt for a chatbot platform that has both AI chatbotsandrule-based chatbots so you can have the best of both worlds. For example, you might use a rule-based chatbot on your home page to quickly qualify your site visitors. Meanwhile, you might use an AI chatbot on a more high-intent page like a pricing page to answer a buyer’s specific questions.

And, to ensure you’re delivering the best possible experience, you’ll also want to make sure you find anAI chatbot platformthat comes with the ability to understand tone, sentiment, and social cues.

If you’re looking to make your search alittlebit easier, we’ve got you covered.Our chatbot softwareoffers both rule-based and AI-powered chatbots so you can tailor each chat experience to your specific needs. Get a demo today.

Does it connect with my existing tech stack?

One of the key advantages of AI chatbots is that they can quickly review data and make decisions based on their analysis. And AI chatbots do this most effectively when they’re fully integrated with your tech stack.

If you’re planning to use your AI chatbot to gather insights, you’ll want to pick a program that syncs up with yourcustomer relationship management (CRM) software, marketing tools, email service provider, and so on to get the best results.

WithDrift Integrations, you caneasily connect your AI chatbots to your existing tech stack through dozens of native integrations, like Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, and Office 365.

Is the AI chatbot pre-trained?

Thebest AI chatbotsare built on an existing data set. But, you’ll want to make sure you select a solution that comes with some understanding of terms and knowledge specific to your industry. A general chatbot AI might not be ready “out-of-the-box,” so you’ll want to account for the amount of time required to get your bot trained for the job.

Our Conversational AI has been trained on over six billion conversations and counting, which means you don’t have to spend time training it yourself. This makes it easy for you to focus on leads and customers, instead of having to monitor what your bots are saying.

Wrapping up

It’s no exaggeration to say thatAI chatbots are quickly becoming a must-have technology for B2B and B2C sellers alike.

But, even though AI is forecasted to have trillions of dollars of annual impact on businesses, many companies still struggle to understand what it is and how to apply it to their selling.

But there’s good news:We are helping solve that problemeveryday.

Brands that have already embraced this technology shift have an advantage over those that have yet to make moves toward automation, AI, or both. In fact, we found thatcompanies that invest in Drift can experience up to a 670% return on investment (ROI).

So, if you’re looking to turbocharge your digital buying experience, you’re in the right place.

Schedule a demo to find out how you can get started with custom and AI chatbots using Drift.

FAQs

How can an AI chatbot improve customer service?

AI chatbots provide instant responses to customer interactions and inquiries 24/7, reduce wait times, and handle multiple conversations simultaneously.

How do AI chatbots understand and process natural language?

AI chatbots use natural language processing to understand human, as well as identify intent and context. They use this to generate correct and appropriate responses.

How do AI chatbots integrate with existing systems and platforms?

AI chatbots use APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) to access CRM data, e-commerce platforms, and other softwares to ensure accuracy.

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