Acceptance of chatbots

The main advantage of carefully programmed chatbots is that they offer context-based information. A good chatbot doesn’t repeat the same question and doesn’t ask pointless questions that have already been answered. These factors have certainly contributed to the current hype surrounding chatbots, which ZHAW observed in a survey of 926 people from 18 to 25 June 2018.

According to the study carried out by ZHAW and PIDAS, 70% of those surveyed had already interacted with a chatbot or were willing to interact with one. Almost 80% of those surveyed rated their interaction with a chatbot as positive. It is not surprising that users appreciate the 24/7 availability and fast help, while the impersonality and the issue of data protection are viewed critically. A more surprising result is that those surveyed view chatbots as significantly more reliable than humans.

The study confirms the hype surrounding chatbots. If this interest follows the hype cycle, it can be expected to decline. The more who jump on the chatbot bandwagon without having the relevant data available to feed the chatbot, the more likely interest is to decline. The complexity of chatbot dialogs is frequently underestimated, which also leads to disappointment. The simplicity of a chatbot user interface and the availability of chatbot platforms such as Slack, Facebook Messenger and Alexa are deceptive – the hidden machinery behind the chatbot shouldn’t be underestimated.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hype_cycle#/media/File:Gartner_Hype_Cycle.svg