“Chatbots — automated conversation systems — have become increasingly sophisticated. Should you design and deploy one that can interact with your customers? If you’re an executive making that decision right now, you may feel caught between A.I. hype on the one hand, and the fear that machines might not treat your customers right on the other.

Chatbots are a broad category that includes everything from Amazon Alexa smart speakers to automated text chat on a company’s customer service page. The most powerful chatbots — and the ones that can actually make an impact on customers’ experience and company bottom lines — are virtual agents. These are chatbots powered by an artificial intelligence that can understand and answer a wide variety of customer questions.”

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