Chatbot

Comparison

Chatbot and AI agent

A chatbot follows a flow built in advance. Ask it something unexpected and it replies with something like "Sorry, I didn't get that – please choose an option." An AI agent works out a question written in the customer's own words, uses a language model to write an answer from the knowledge base, and can complete a multi-step task in your systems. People often call it a chatbot too, although it is built differently and costs differently – see the comparison Chatbot or AI agent.

Use

Where it is used

• Order or booking status by number
• Choosing a department and booking a free slot
• Collecting details by template – name, phone, order number – before handoff to an agent
• Messages that must stick to approved wording exactly – say, financial notices
• Notifications: order status, reminders, surveys

Practice

Best practices

• A "Contact an agent" button at every step
• The agent gets the whole chat and the collected data, so the customer does not repeat anything
• Every week, check which questions the bot gave up on, and add branches or bring in an AI agent
• Track the share of chats the bot completed without an agent, and the customer satisfaction score (CSAT) for them

In CONTACT.WORK

How CONTACT.WORK uses it

Chatbots work in web chat and messaging apps – WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram – in the same omnichannel inbox your agents use. Through the API, the bot checks order status or creates a ticket or booking in your systems, and hands an unfinished chat to an agent along with its history.

A scripted chatbot doesn't need a language model, so a conversation with it costs less than one with an AI agent. The platform itself is free. The language model for an AI agent is paid separately, unless you run it on your own server. Bot buttons and an AI agent can be combined in one chat.