All you need to know about Artificial Intelligence on Botnation: Before you start…

Part 3 of 8

1.1 Do you really need an AI?

Don’t be too quick to answer, as this is a choice that is not without consequences.

Developing the AI of a chatbot takes time and imposes a particular logic. So, before you dive into the wonderful world of AI by Botnation, ask yourself this simple question, “Does my chatbot really need it?”

You can very well build an efficient chatbot with which the user only interacts using buttons. This is sufficient in 70% of the cases. Even for the most complex content (such as FAQs) where you can guide the user through the funnel principle to a very specific answer.

You can also launch a first version of your chatbot without AI and configure it later. This will reduce development time and allow you to test your chatbot with its users more quickly.

If you choose not to use AI, you must disable user input in the chatbot’s “Settings” under the “Chatbot configuration” tab.

In the case of a Web-Bot (chatbot for your website), you can also limit the AI to a part of the chatbot by enabling or disabling user input according to the sequence displayed.

Online help:
Disable user input on a sequence in my web chatbot
Disable user input on my entire chatbot


1.2 The limits of AI

For starters, no company needs a chatbot that has all the answers.

Which is a good thing. Because no matter how well configured, even with the time and resources you put into it, your AI will never be able to answer all your users’ questions. And that’s normal. Just look at the fact that even Apple, Amazon and Google are not yet able to do this, even though they have decades of research behind their Artificial Intelligences.

The important thing is to stay in your field of expertise. It is easier to develop an AI on a particular domain with its uses, its vocabulary and customers/prospects whose behaviors you know.

Moreover, your users do not expect your chatbot to have all the answers.

But it also means that this situation must be addressed.

And the way you are going to do it counts a lot in the perception people can have of your chatbot.

In these cases, the default Response sequence is automatically triggered. It is therefore necessary to set it up properly.


1.3 The default answer sequence

Definition:
This is the sequence that is triggered when your chatbot’s AI does not find an answer.

This is something that you absolutely have to take into account (see previous paragraph) and your chatbot will be judged according to the way you have managed it. This is for us the most important sequence of your chatbot!

Do not repeat yourself

Nothing is more frustrating than having a chatbot that repeats the same sentence over and over again: “Sorry, I don’t understand.”

The minimum is to provide variations in the answers and Botnation allows you to do this with its native A/B Testing features.

EX: Rotation in several texts: “I’m not sure I understand”, “I’m only a ChatBot, I can’t know everything”, etc. I’m only a ChatBot, I can’t know everything”, etc.

Do not leave the user without answers and assistance

Saying you don’t understand is one thing but helping the user to use the chatbot is much better. It is therefore necessary to provide solutions. These can take three forms:

You can, for example, configure your ChatBot so thaton the first visit, it suggests to the user to formulate his request using a different vocabulary.

If the chatbot still doesn’t understand, then on the 2nd pass, the chatbot can re-explain its scope of action and propose the topics covered in the form of buttons and/or FAQs.

And if there is a third passage through the default sequence, it is surely because the user’s questioning is outside the chatbot’s competence and that a human intervener is necessary. The chatbot will therefore offer a way to contact a human either by phone, by leaving a written message via a form integrated in the chat interface (or dialogue) or hand over to a human agent for a live chat session in the chatbot interface. On Botnation, this feature is called “escalation to human“.


1.4 What kind of Artificial Intelligence can be found on Botnation?

We use Natural Language Processing (NLP). It is a field involving linguistics, computer science and artificial intelligence, which aims to create natural language processing tools for various applications.

It is on this discipline of Artificial Intelligence that Botnation focuses its research and develops its own algorithms.

In the field of conversational experiences that interests us, it is a matter ofanalyzing what the user of a chatbot is typing, understanding it and reacting accordingly.


1.5 Is it complicated to configure?

We have done everything to make it easy for you. Our ergonomic interface may even seem simplistic. But make no mistake, behind the facade there are over a dozen proprietary algorithms working for you.

Simple and effective dialogue management can be implemented in a matter of days using only the basic NLP tools.

And for more advanced AI, our powerful advanced features (discussed later) are there to cover all your needs, and always without sacrificing ease of use.


1.6 What level of complexity is most appropriate?

The number of sequences is a good indicator to determine the complexity of your chatbot. So the more sequences your chatbot has, the more advanced Botnation NLP tools you will need to use.

Suggested scale:
– 20 sequences = Elementary Functions are sufficient
+20 sequences = Advanced features are recommended
+30 sequences = Advanced features required

A good practice is to mix a funnel navigation by following a classic information hierarchy tree with a minimum of NLP.

You can focus your NLP on detecting broad themes and display a classic menu, with buttons, that addresses the selected theme.

After the launch of your chatbot, you can regularly analyze the questions that were not understood (see paragraph on our Recommendation Algorithm) and develop your NLP accordingly little by little.


1.7 Why do we have to start from scratch?

The question arises: why doesn’t Botnation have a pre-configured NLP that you can use as a basis?

NLP rules depend on two things: the chatbot structure and the vocabulary.

As far as structure is concerned, each chatbot is different, so we can’t impose a predefined form when you need customization.

Moreover, the vocabulary used by your chatbot users is specific to your business. However, our platform is generalist and does not offer a sector-based approach, as it is not specialized for any particular trade. Botnation is a tool that is used by hundreds of different professions.

Some expressions have a different meaning depending on the profession, the context and even the region.

And even if for some expressions the meaning is the same for everyone, the way they are answered can be different depending on the chatbot.

On the other hand, our chatbot templates have a pre-configured NLP that you can modify to suit your needs.

And if you are developing multiple chatbots in the same vertical, you can mutualize some of the NLP by using the word libraries we’ll talk about later.

Finally, when you duplicate a chatbot, the AI rules are also duplicated. So if you use one of your chatbots as a base for another one, you won’t have to redo the whole AI.

Online help:
Botnation chatbot templates
How to install a template


1.8 The more the merrier…

Botnation allows you to invite your collaborators to join you in the development of the chatbot. Eventually share the tasks, especially in the testing phase. Everyone will have their own unique way of interacting with the chatbot and this will give you ideas of AI rules to complete or add.


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