Why it matters for your business
A chatbot is often a company's first customer-facing AI project, and it is easy to launch one that frustrates people. The value comes from answering common questions accurately at any hour and handing off cleanly to a person when the bot cannot help. A chatbot that only answers questions is different from an AI agent that can also act, such as rescheduling an appointment or processing a return. Decide which you need, because actions require system integrations, permissions and more testing.
Example
A community bank's website chatbot answers questions about branch hours, routing numbers, fee schedules and reporting a lost card, drawing only from the bank's published help pages. It cannot see account information. When a visitor asks about a specific transaction, the bot explains that it cannot access accounts and offers secure messaging or a callback from a banker.