Short for chat robot, a computer program that simulates human conversation, or chat, through artificial intelligence. Typically, a chat bot will communicate with a real person, but applications are being developed in which two chat bots can communicate with each other. One well known example of a chat bot is ALICE.
Below are some examples of its deployment:
Chatbot Deployment in Government Services
Governments can deploy Chatbots to provide step-by-step instructions and coaching to their citizens in completing the required forms and applications, receiving community information, soliciting feedback from residents, redirecting citizens to the appropriate government entities, and suggest solutions for matters related to government rules and regulations including tax rules, regulations on passports, birth certificate, identity cards, etc.
The City of Mississippi is currently using a chatbot to help citizens complete a variety of tasks from renewing their driver’s license to obtaining hunting and fishing permits. The Singaporean government offers users its Joanne bot to access tax information easily and accurately. Alex, the Australian Taxation office Chatbot, has also been developed to provide users with quick and easy access to tax information and preparation. The city of Bonn in Germany has developed a chatbot called Bonn to guide its citizen with city services and related administrative rules.
Chatbot Deployment Enhance Employee Productivity
One of the major challenges of today’s employees is how to utilize different platforms to perform their required tasks. Chatbots, through consolidating APIs and machine language, offer a common virtual concierge that is capable of combining various user interfaces into one and enhancing employee productivity. Another internal application of Chatbots in an office environment is in HR and IT departments as they should serve a wide range of questions from staff that often required detailed and step-by-step instructions. Chatbots could save time and improve response time as they can address hundreds of queries at any given time. The City of Los Angeles is currently using a Chatbot, Chip, to assist its residents to deal with their IT needs and managed to cut down the number communications via emails by 50%.
Chatbot Deployment in Resolving Complaints
One of the main costs for a typical customer-centered organization is customer service. It is estimated that businesses around the globe spend $1.3 trillion dollars each year to support their customers. IBM claims Watson, its leading AI platform behind their chatbot products, can cut the response time to Tier 1 inquiries from 38 hours to 5.4 minutes, deal with more than 40 different cases at a time, and reduce the cost of inquiry from average $15-$200 to $1.12 Governments definitively can benefit from utilizing Chatbots to resolve complains and provide customer support.
By Dr. Jassim Haji