Many companies and businesses use an automated chat system that provides initial customer service support, automated messages to customers, and product promotions. A chatbot is special computer software that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to conduct conversations with people via voice or text input. Programmers build chatbots to realistically simulate how humans talk to each other. Many brands and businesses use chatbots to communicate with customers, market products, and deliver intuitive customer support. There is a wide variety of AI chatbot tools and platforms for businesses and brands, usually including tools to help you develop and customize the chat system for your business. In this article, we will cover automated tools for creating chatbots.
What is an AI tool for creating a chatbot?
A chatbot is computer software that conducts conversations with people online, designed to simulate a conversation with a human representative. Developers and designers build chatbots in the hope that users won’t feel they are talking to a robot rather than a human. The bot’s ability to receive voice or text input and output the relevant response is enabled by pre-developed software, while the bot’s ability to learn about customers and their inquiries on the fly is enabled by artificial intelligence. This is also what distinguishes an AI chatbot from a standard chatbot—the ability of AI-based chatbots to learn about users by tracking patterns. The ability of chatbots to conduct such interactions with visitors gives them the intelligence to perform tasks, solve customer problems, and manage information without human intervention.
Why should you use AI tools to create chatbots?
AI-based chatbots have become very popular in recent years, and your business can increase profits and improve user interaction using these types of tools. Here are several reasons why you should use AI tools to create chatbots:
- 24/7 Availability – Chatbots are available 24/7 for customers, and an AI-based chatbot also learns from customer interactions, increasing the likelihood that it can handle the inquiry without needing to escalate it to a human representative.
- Improves User Engagement – AI-based chatbots can serve as virtual assistants that pop up on the homepage for visitors and guide them through the purchasing process, making the browsing experience on your website more interactive and increasing customer engagement.
- Cost Savings – Using AI-based chatbots helps you automate daily tasks such as answering visitors’ questions, guiding visitors through the checkout process, scheduling appointments, and more. This allows you to redirect employee work hours to more profitable tasks or reduce staffing needs.
- Assists in Lead Generation – AI Chatbots can collect leads from the website for your marketing team. The bot requests relevant information from the visitor and passes it on to the sales representative.
Automated Tools for Creating Chatbots
1. EBI.AI
EBI.AI has created its own AI platform with advanced AI assistants that help employees perform various tasks such as finding information online, booking tickets, sending emails, handling customer service, and more. EBI.AI has also created a chat and voice experience that is several levels above classic chatbots. Within the system, you can modify the settings of the purchased AI assistant and delve as deeply into conversation depth as you want—you just need to configure it. Additionally, using the EBI.AI system, you can integrate the chatbot with other tools and embed live chat on websites based on the capabilities of the chatbot built with EBI.AI. The system is available at a monthly cost that varies depending on company size and usage volume, but you can enjoy a free month with EBI.AI during which you can build, configure, and launch your AI bot.
2. ProProfs Chat
ProProfs Chat is designed specifically for businesses looking for sales growth and 24/7 support solutions for their websites. The software allows users to build customized AI-based chatbots that provide automated support on the site, convert leads into sales, and increase revenue. Building chatbots with ProProfs Chat requires no coding knowledge, and you can customize the chatbot’s flow in a few simple clicks within the system. In addition to the chatbot, you can also create a pop-up inviting the user to start a chat, personalize welcome messages, and offer site tours across pages or store products. The system also helps ensure an excellent customer experience by providing 24/7 responses and self-learning problem resolution through its interactions with visitors. ProProfs Chat can be purchased at a monthly cost of $19.99, but they also offer a limited free version.
3. Chatfuel
Chatfuel is another easy-to-use platform for building no-code AI-based chatbots with an emphasis on bots for Facebook Messenger. The platform offers various editing tools to customize the chatbot’s design and allows you to set conversation rules in the management panel according to which your chatbot will operate. Chatfuel’s bot uses NLP to understand and recognize phrases and send users pre-made answers. Chatfuel’s analytics technology provides insights into the bot’s performance and also helps it improve and upgrade by analyzing responses and data received from visitors on your website. Chatfuel can be purchased at a monthly cost of $14.99 for a plan that includes 500 conversations per month, up to $119.99 per month for a plan with 10,000 conversations per month. In addition, Chatfuel offers a free plan with 50 conversations per month, as well as an enterprise plan with pricing available upon contacting the company.
4. MobileMonkey
MobileMonkey is an SMS marketing company that has also entered the AI chatbot arena, offering a unique chatbot for non-technical users without coding skills. Although MobileMonkey builds chatbots for non-technical users, its AI-based chatbot features sophisticated capabilities such as learning from user responses, storing specific answers, and using them later, and more. With MobileMonkey, you can build chatbots for Facebook Messenger and your website to generate more leads for sales reps from incoming inquiries, as well as provide a better user experience through fast and high-quality responses to visitors’ questions. MobileMonkey can be purchased starting at $59 per month, but purchasing a plan requires speaking with the company first.
5. ManyChat
ManyChat is an excellent company for creating AI-based chatbots, focusing on dedicated bots for Facebook Messenger that help you with business marketing, sales, support, and increasing ROI and revenue. The platform powers over half a million users and is considered one of the most popular chatbot systems in the world. Within the ManyChat platform, you can build a smart bot using a drag & drop builder (like Elementor) that even beginners can easily navigate. With the bot you create, you can execute automated marketing actions on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube by sending automated messages to users and subscribers. ManyChat can be purchased at a monthly cost of $15 for the Pro plan, but a limited free plan is also available.
Summary and Recommendation
AI-based chatbots have become very popular in recent years because they provide businesses and companies with cost-effective ways to turn customer service, marketing, and sales into an automated engine. There are hundreds of automated tools for creating chatbots on the market, and you should focus on the right tool for you based on its cost, features, and your company’s needs. Personally, I recommend ManyChat, at least to start—both because it allows you to build a chatbot for free with its starter tier and because it’s very easy to work with. Later on, you can upgrade to advanced chatbots with expanded AI capabilities like ProProfs Chat and EBI.AI.
About the Author
Dvir Naaman, 27, graduate of the digital marketing course at HackerU College. Experienced in building WordPress websites, paid advertising across Google, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. Specializes at Fialkov Digital in organic search (SEO). Extensive experience in e-commerce and dropshipping, and owner of Merchant Center – a website centralizing information about e-commerce systems and advanced marketing systems to increase business conversions, with an emphasis on e-commerce store sales.
