How to Build Your Own Chatbot: A Simple Guide

By Vitalii Romanchenko

Over the years, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based chatbots have evolved into fully functional personal assistants that open up new horizons of communication. Chatbots bring real value to businesses and customers by providing a personalized user experience, automating customer service tasks, and increasing conversion rates.

In this article, we will discuss how you can easily build your own AI chatbot and breeze new life into your interactions with clients.

What is a chatbot?

A chatbot is a computer program that simulates human conversation, usually through text chat. Chatbots are used on various online platforms, including social media, e-commerce, and customer service. Their primary purpose consists in providing answers to questions of different complexity. According to Insider Intelligence, nearly 40% of internet users worldwide prefer chatbots to virtual agents.

There are two main types of chatbots: task-oriented (declarative) chatbots and data-driven and predictive (conversational) chatbots.

Task-oriented chatbots are designed to perform a specific task, such as ordering a pizza or booking a hotel room. These chatbots typically make use of pre-defined scripts and are not as effective at carrying on a conversation as data-driven and predictive chatbots.

Meanwhile, data-driven and predictive chatbots are designed to learn from past conversations in order to better understand the user’s needs. They are able to carry on a more natural conversation with the user and are often implemented in customer service applications. AI-driven chatbots typically leverage Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning (ML).

What are the benefits of AI chatbots?

Have you ever wanted to build your own chatbot? Video chatbots are great for creating personalized, engaging interactions. Below are some of the advantages that make this type of communication appealing to leading companies:

Reduced wait times for service inquiries. Video chatbots can answer customer service inquiries immediately, without the customer waiting on hold for a human representative.
Faster resolutions to service issues. By quickly and easily communicating with a video chatbot, customers can get their issues resolved more quickly.
Higher first contact resolution rates. When customers are able to quickly and easily resolve their issues, they are less likely to need to contact customer service again in the future. It results in higher first contact resolution rates.
Automation with a human touch. Bots provide a high level of personalization by engaging customers with one-on-one conversations and maintaining a natural-sounding tone.

Intuitive and easy-to-use, video chatbots foster a human connection and serve as a reliable tool for building different conversational flows.

What are the major features of video chatbots?

Some main features of video chatbots include recognizing and responding to various user inputs, providing natural and fluid communication, and integrating with other systems. Additionally, video chatbots may also offer file sharing, screen sharing, and voice recognition.

One of the primary limitations of video chatbots consists in their frequent inability to correctly interpret human emotions. This can often lead to frustration for the user, as the chatbot cannot respond to their feelings accurately. Additionally, video chatbots can go haywire due to malfunctioning or information overload.

What tools do you need to set up an AI chatbot for a website?

To set up a chatbot, you need a web server, a database, and a chatbot platform. The chatbot platform will provide the interface for users to interact with the chatbot, and the web server will host the chatbot’s web interface. Meanwhile, the database will store user data, such as conversation history and preferences.

In order to set up a chatbot, you will need a platform on which to build and host your chatbot. There are a number of different chatbot platforms available. You will also need a way to connect your chatbot to your website or app. This can be accomplished using a chatbot platform’s API, a chatbot plugin, or a widget.

Finally, it is essential to create your chatbot’s conversation flow. This can be performed using a chatbot platform’s visual flow builder or by coding your chatbot’s conversation flow in a programming language such as Python.

How to create an AI chatbot for a website?

Here is a step-by-step strategy that may assist you in building your AI chatbot for a website:

Determine the purpose of the video chatbot. This stage will involve creating use cases, which are basically scenarios in which a user would interact with your chatbot. Use cases will help you determine what information your chatbot needs to collect from users and what responses it should provide.
Build the structure of a video chatbot. This will help you determine the structure and content of the chatbot. Some common purposes for video chatbots include customer service, lead generation, and marketing.
Create your chatbot using the platform’s tools and features. Most video chat platforms offer a drag-and-drop interface for building chatbots, so this should be relatively straightforward. Be sure to test your chatbot thoroughly before moving on to the next step.
Test your chatbot thoroughly. Make sure no mistakes will occur at the early stage of the implementation.
Launch the chatbot on your website. Once you have tested your chatbot and are confident that it is ready for launch, you can add it to your website.
Monitor and evaluate the chatbot’s performance over time. This approach will help you identify any areas that need improvement and make changes as required.

Creating a comprehensive plan for your future AI chatbot for a website can be a stepping stone for its effective implementation and, hence, enhanced communication with the audience.

How to make changes in the video chatbot?

Do you prioritize the continuous improvement of the chatbot? You may consider these recommendations in your quest to a better user experience:

Add or remove chatbot features. Depending on the chatbot platform you are using, you may be able to add or remove features from your chatbot, change the chatbot’s avatar, or write new greetings.
Update the chatbot’s scripts. If your chatbot is scripted, you may need to update its scripts to change its behavior. This stage may involve changing the chatbot’s responses to user input, adding new dialogues, or modifying the conditions under which the chatbot responds.
Transform the chatbot’s personality. If your chatbot has a personality, you may be able to change its personality by editing its profile. For example, you can opt for another presenter’s name, age, gender, or interests. Interested in learning how to tap into the full potential of AI-based video creation? Discover how Elai.io Builder can transform your business.

All things considered

As more and more companies choose to create AI chatbots, it is clear that these virtual assistants are here to stay for some time. While chatbots have many benefits, including 24/7 availability and the capacity to handle large volumes of inquiries, they also have some limitations. Despite that, AI chatbots offer numerous advantages that make them so valuable to any customer service team.

Elai is a deep-tech startup company uniting technology devotees from all over the world. With our assistance, you can easily create high-quality video content.

Interested to learn more? Please, contact us.