We’ve all come across a chatbot at some point. These are the boxes that greet us on websites or via messenger, generally with a call for questions and an enthusiastic demeanor.
That chatbot will engage us in conversation, market a product, and sometimes even convince us to buy. So, you might be considering a chatbot for your company.
Unfortunately, chatbots aren’t always quite so helpful. And if you’ve ever struggled with a chatbot that responds slowly, incorrectly, or just directs you in circles, you’ll understand why you need a good one.
But with so many AI chatbots now available, that can be easier said than done.
AI Chatbots are a sophisticated tool implemented by companies to convert questions into sales. The idea is simple: ask a question, get a response.
But when it comes to building intelligent chatbots, there’s more to consider than a simple call and reply. Take a look at our guide to find the best chatbot software available today.
5 Best AI Chatbot
ManyChat
The most used Chat Marketing Platform in the world, ManyChat has been implemented by businesses on a global scale. The platform is popular for its easy use, and proven ability to drive sales.
ManyChat has been created for use by sales and marketing, and the platform has grown to match the market. Once only available as a Facebook chatbot, ManyChat can now be used on both Instagram and Facebook Messenger, Shopify, and via SMS.
ManyChat will integrate with many of the tools you already have in place, fitting almost seamlessly within your business.
Building a Chatbot with ManyChat is intuitive, as you build flows that mimic natural conversation. The drag and drop interface is clearly laid out, and no coding experience is necessary to create sophisticated workflows.
And when you’ve reached the end of your conversation, ManyChat still has its use. It can capture emails and phone numbers to provide interested customers with coupons, newsletters, and promotions.
ManyChat is a chatbot with proven results and an easy use that’s ideal for new businesses. Even better for those just starting out — ManyChat includes a free tier. And the paid tier isn’t that expensive, either.
Pros
User-friendly – Building the chat flows is natural and intuitive.
Seamless Integration – ManyChat can work alongside the framework for your business that’s already in place.
Free plan – Engage with up to 1,000 contacts for free.
Cons
Free plan is limited.
Pandorabots
Pandorabots is an AI chatbot with a bit of a difference. Rather than just creating a standardized chat box, Pandorabots allows users to build and create their own virtual characters.
Then, you can draw from the Small Talk Library, which hosts the top 10,000 conversations. Put together your reactions with no extra effort.
Pandorabots are smart, learning from context and responding based on input from previous users. But if you think you can do better, Pandorabots is happy for you to upload your own code.
It’s a versatile service, designed to work with your own knowledge and skill base.
Another feature of Pandorabots is the voice enabled experience. Users can speak into their computer or mobile device, and get back audio responses. Engage naturally, without having to type everything yourself.
Pandorabots are also multilingual, if you operate on an international scale. This feature, combined with the characters, has made Pandorabots particularly popular with schools.
Pandorabots isn’t the most complex of Artificial Intelligence chatbots, but it’s easy to use, fun, and well priced. The free tier is limited, but for just a small upgrade, the Development tier offers much better access.
Pros
Open-source – Draw from thousands of pre-written conversations.
Character designs – Appeal to a younger audience with the buildable characters.
Code and No-Code choices – Adapt Pandorabots to your own needs and skills.
Cons
Free tier is limited.
Flow XO
With Flow XO, you can use your AI chatbot to accomplish a number of tasks that could otherwise be time-consuming and potentially result in lost leads. Flow XO is versatile chatbot software that creates intricate flows with absolutely no coding skills needed.
Flow XO works across multiple platforms, allowing you to build workflows to cater to a variety of needs. It also integrates with apps already in use, allowing you to connect your workflows to established Cloud-based apps.
With your flows set up and your integrations in place, Flow XO can work in the background throughout the day, nurturing leads and monitoring customer behavior.
One of the benefits of Flow XO is that it has the capacity to become complex, but can also be kept simple. Have your chatbot as a simple greeter, or use the flow builder to create a powerful chatbot that can move around workflows, and trigger new ones.
Flow XO is a powerful tool that allows you to automate repetitive tasks, and keep your customers happy. You can even use it to engage with prospects who are not ready to buy yet. And you can get started today for free!
Pros
Hundreds of integrations available – Improve your flows by integrating with existing platforms.
Easy building – Even the more complex Flow XO chatbots require no coding or technical skills.
Free price plan – Get started with the free tier, and upgrade at your own pace.
Cons
The Flow XO chatbots need some management to run smoothly.
Imperson
Imperson is a conversational chatbot designed specifically to help companies improve their customer service. Imperson uses artificial intelligence technology to learn from conversational experience between customers and agents, so it can respond appropriately.
This means that you don’t have to control the interactions, nor set up limited workflows.
One issue often found with AI chatbots is that they require either a lot of backend work, or can only reply in a limited manner. That’s not true with Imperson. Instead, this sophisticated tool learns and grows to accurately mimic human conversation.
An Analytics Dashboard also helps users to understand how Imperson is working. Learn to steer the conversation towards sales, so you can increase the number of visitors that become buyers.
Imperson also learns about the customer, so it can provide personalized feedback depending on previous sales, conversation history, and user profiles. It’s a real-time response, so customers feel engaged in natural conversation.
If there’s one downside to Imperson, it’s a lack of upfront pricing. To use this AI, you’ll need to schedule a consultation. However, as the prices are tailored to each company, smaller businesses may find Imperson can work for them.
Pros
Natural conversation – Appeal to customers who prefer a human touch.
Real-time learning – Reacts to customers for personalized experiences.
Self-service Knowledge-base – Update the AI with time-sensitive information.
Cons
No upfront pricing.
Amplify.AI
Amplify.AI is a leading figure in conversational advertising, engaging with customers naturally to increase interest and sales. The platform offers an easy way to build, train, and deploy AI models.
This advanced AI chatbot is perfect if you want to implement a personal assistant into your business.
Amplify.AI has made big waves in the political sphere, where it can be used as a messenger bot to engage in conversation with otherwise unreachable voters. The artificial intelligence can understand messages, reply appropriately, and encourage conversation.
It’s machine learning that doesn’t feel like machine learning, with Natural Language Processing able to accurately mimic human interaction.
The Smart Comment Responder is a feature of Amplify.AI that eCommerce companies will love. The AI responses become effective conversations, building relationships with customers and increasing sales in the long term.
Amplify.AI can also monitor comments for complaints, inappropriate comments, and replies to FAQs.
Amplify.AI is clearly a smart tool, but to actually use it, you need to sign up for a free trial. It’s hard to say what it’s like to actually use Amplifiy.AI, or what sort of cost to expect.
Pros
Natural Language Processing – Learns from humans to create natural conversations.
Comment moderation – Take charge of the comments sections with this AI.
Conversational ads – Turn comments into sales.
Cons
Little upfront information – To actually use Amplify.AI, you need to qualify for a free trial.
AI Chatbot Buyer’s Guide
While most of us have had some experience with using a chatbot, we might not be entirely aware of what goes on behind the scenes. Chatbots can run from simple to complex, depending on the needs of the company.
When choosing a chatbot, you must be sure that it offers key features you need.
We covered our favorite AI chatbots, there are many more available. ItsAlive, Hubspot Chatbot, Botsify, and Bold 360 are just a few other chatbots worth considering.
But before you make a decision, take a look at our buyer’s guide to the key features and uses of chatbots.
Button Based VS AI Chatbots
The first feature to consider is whether you want a button based or AI chatbot. Button based is simpler, often cheaper, but less sophisticated. AI chatbots are sophisticated, but tend to come at a higher price.
A button based chatbot will be designed to recognize key phrases, and present users with a menu of options. They work simply, but can be helpful for answering simple inquiries.
If you have a large customer service team, or receive many of the same queries, then a button based chatbot might be all you need.
AI chatbots are clever. They learn from previous conversations, analyzing user responses to discover what’s working, and what isn’t converting to sales. The more these bots are used, the smarter they grow.
So, what key features will you expect from an AI chatbot?
Accuracy And Level Of Automation
An AI chatbot needs to learn from previous conversations, and respond in a way that seems natural. This means that it should be able to analyze data, and learn how best to answer questions.
A chatbot learns by interacting with real people, and observing their reactions. As it does so, it builds data to analyze and draw from. This learning process continues as new users interact with the bot.
With each interaction, the chatbot becomes smarter, and can provide better answers.
Natural Language Processing ensures the learned responses from the AI seem natural, and read like a real conversation.
Natural responses are an incredibly important part of the chatbot. Without them, customers can become frustrated, and lose interest.
Coding Requirements
Many AI chatbots can be created with almost no knowledge of coding. Instead, the chatbot is built using workflows. In many cases, you can create your chatbot reactions using drag and drop workflows, which can be put together easily.
Of course, this isn’t true for all AI chatbots. And while building a flow might be easy at the start, it can become complex as the custom workflow grows.
However, it’s rare that a chatbot will need any coding knowledge. Most of the AIs are designed to be incredibly user-friendly. So even if you don’t know how to code, you’ll find it easy enough to use.
UI
An AI chatbot platform is intended to answer questions and convert interest into sales. In doing so, it should streamline your company, and save you time. To do this, the user interface must be easy to navigate.
Building your chatbot and flows should be intuitive, which is why the UI is so important. Don’t neglect to consider the UI, or you won’t be able to make the most of your AI chatbot.
Reporting And Analytics
An AI chatbot learns a great deal of information about your customer base. It should then be able to provide you with this information, and offer reports based on customer behaviors.
Customer Support Team Size
The size of your customer service team will play a huge role in the success of your chatbot platform. If you have a small team, then a button based system may be all you need. However, if you have a larger team, you will probably prefer an AI chatbot.
Platforms
Facebook Messenger, Instagram Messenger, e-mail, text — there are many messaging channels we use. The AI chatbot must be compatible with your favorite method of communication.
Ideally, an AI chatbot can work across multiple platforms, and draw information from interactions made elsewhere. This will allow the automations to naturally follow through on a discussion, and send reminders and confirmations.
Integrations
The AI chatbot should function alongside the applications you already have in place. Doing so will allow you to immediately start building an information database, drawing from customer details you have to hand, and integrating smoothly with established messaging channels.
Branding
Can you brand the AI chatbot platform so that it’s personalized to your company? This may not be necessary, but for a website chatbot, it should fit with the current design.
Customer Service Support
It can take some time to get used to an AI chatbot, and you may need to make use of the company’s own customer support. They should be able to answer questions quickly and efficiently. If you can’t trust the customer support, you can’t trust the AI chatbot.
Other Features
Before choosing your AI chatbot, consider what other features you may require from it. Do you want comment monitoring? Speech to text? Multiple languages or translations? Nowadays, an AI chatbot can accomplish more than just simple questions and answers.
FAQ
What Is An AI Chatbot?
A chatbot is a computer program that interacts with humans via messaging apps. Chatbots are typically used to provide automated support or perform tasks such as booking appointments, answering questions, or providing general information.
Intelligent Chatbots are sometimes referred to as Virtual Assistants.
An AI chatbot does that by learning from previous customer conversations and data analysis, to reply in a way that mimics natural conversation. Available 24/7, an AI chatbot can convert interest into sales.
Using Natural Language Processing (NLP), the chatbot will speak naturally, responding directly to questions without human intervention. The more the machine learning software is used, the better these answers will become.
Why Are The Benefits Of Using An AI Chatbot?
Adding an AI chatbot can have many benefits. Able to work without human intervention, the AI chatbot can run 24/7, responding to queries and nurturing leads.
The first use of the AI chatbot is initiating conversation with potential leads. By doing so, the chatbot can learn about the customer’s needs, and guide them in an appropriate manner.
Not only is this good for you, but it’s also good for the user experience. An AI chatbot can answer customers’ questions immediately, no matter the time of day (or night). No queues, no delays.
With these conversations leading to sales, you can learn about customer behavior with the AI chatbot. The user data provided will not only improve the machine learning chatbot, but can provide you with an insight into what’s working.
And, of course, as the AI does all this, your company is saved time and money.
Which Is The Best AI Chatbot?
The best AI chatbot for you will depend on the size and needs of your company. Overall, we like ManyChat best for ease of use, but Flow XO, Imperson, Amplify.AI, and Pandorabots are all good choices.
Make sure to consider exactly how involved you’d like the chatbot to be, and any other key features you may require, as well as if it works alongside integrations already in place.
