BOTs – The Goods & The Bads

BOTs are known by different names; including Internet Robots, Spiders, Crawlers, and Web BOTs.  All of these refer to the same technology. So, what exactly are these BOTs? These are automated systems on the internet that are used for various reasons. In the past, these BOTs simply performed repetitive jobs like indexing a search. Today, BOTs have evolved to perform more advanced tasks. Now, these BOTs can search online for you, tell you the weather, set an alarm, automatically interact with customers, relay chats, shop for clothes, find restaurants, and more. There are some big brands that are invested in the opportunities that BOTs present. Brands like Disney, HSBC, Dell, Facebook, Microsoft, Google, and many others are doing research in this technology and have already launched products in the field. Siri is a good example of a BOT that can perform various automated tasks for the customers.

While we speak about the many advantages that BOTs will have in the future, we need to also mention that these BOTs are being also used as malware. Stronger security measures need to be implemented to ensure that the negative uses of BOTs are eliminated.

Where & Why are BOTs Used?

• Customized Interaction

The first reason why BOTs are being used is because of the customization that they can offer to customers. They can act as a smart newspaper and send relevant content as and when it is published. Plus, these BOTs can offer weather forecasts for your region; provide translations, and much more.

• Saving Time & Money  

Another reason why these BOTs are being used is because of the time & money that they can save. Let’s take an example of Chat BOTs that relay instant messages. This would mean that customers get instant answers 24 by 7. Moreover, companies have to employ fewer staff in customer service, whose role is to simply respond to customer requests.

• Virtual Storefronts

Intelligent Ecommerce websites can make use of BOTs to create virtual storefronts. Offerings can be developed on the basis of customers’ liking, preferences, and previous purchase history.

• Up-Sell & Cross-Sell

BOTs can also act as your salesperson by efficiently up-selling and cross-selling to your Ecommerce customers. Take an example of a customer who just put a product in the cart. On the basis of that purchase, the BOT will offer similar or complementary products to the customer. That increases the chances of having higher sales.

• Matching People

At this point, BOTs are also being used to match people. In other words, people are put together on the basis of their similar interests and the ones with common interests are connected. This works perfectly well for social media websites as well as dating sites.

Advantages of BOTs

Here are some of the advantages of BOTs to the users as well as to the companies developing them:

• Multitasking

Today, everyone is starved for time. There is a lot that needs to be done, and performing all of those tasks needs effective multitasking. That is what BOTs can let you do. Let us take an example.  In the past, if you wanted to reserve a table at a restaurant; you had to close your texting conversation and go to the Maps app to look for restaurants near you. After you did that, you had to close the Maps app to go the restaurants’ websites in order to check their menu. Post that, you closed the browser to make a phone call for reservation. Today, Siri can do that all for you from just one interface and so can Google Now & Cortona.

• Connectivity & Communicate

Some studies suggest that by 2020, there will be more than 50 billion connected devices. That means that there will be a need for technology to keep these devices connected, and BOTs will let you do that. They will help to connect & communicate between different devices such as smart phones, smart watches, smart cases, and other IoT devices.

• Time & Money Saving

We touched upon this earlier. By developing BOTs, companies will be able to save time & money. They will be able to relocate their employees into more strategic tasks instead of having them simply address customer tasks or perform other repetitive activities.

• Customization

By gathering necessary information, BOTs can customize your offerings. Like based on your shopping interests it will suggest you during your future purchases or help you find a deal for the product you were browsing but, have not bought. This will help to build better customer engagement.

Disadvantages of BOTs

Every new technology has some drawbacks with its positives.  Here are some of the disadvantages that BOTs present to the customers as well as the companies that are developing them.

• Privacy

First things first, BOTs gather a lot of information about the users. As an example, Google knows your office address, home address, where you travel, what you search for, and more. As this technology becomes more advanced, there will be more instances of such information gathering. So if your information is ever hacked, you will incur some serious loss.

• Security

Malwares are being created by using BOTs. Therefore, there is a security concern that needs to be addressed.

• Nascent Stage

This drawback can cause frustration for the customers as well as for the companies. The technology of BOTs is still in its nascent stage. When you ask Siri a question, there are times when she doesn’t understand the question or doesn’t answer properly. Similarly, Facebook Chat BOT has had some problems too. However, it is getting better with time; and these problems should soon be eliminated.

• Spam

It is becoming increasingly important to only download apps and go to websites that are trustable. Otherwise, BOTs have the capacity of working undercover and causing malwares or even spamming your chat boxes & email inboxes. As an example, when you register with a website that you didn’t mean to; your inbox will be spammed with junk emails that are sent way too regularly for your comfort.

Why Weblineindia for BOTs?

Our experience, at WeblineIndia, helps us understand the life cycle of technology well.  We have been in the business for nearly two decades now, and our software developers have adopted and provided solutions for numerous different technologies in this time frame. We understand how new technologies need to be researched, and how to bring the best out of them. That’s what we can do with BOTs too. If you have an idea in mind, we can refine that and get that executed for your business. Our objective is to make your business realize the real benefits of BOTs.

We, at WeblineIndia, provide offshore Chatbot development services for All Your Business Outsourcing Needs. Contact us NOW!!!

BOTs Infographics

Reference Sources: 1, 2, 3