# Chatbots: Beginner's Guide ## 01. What is a Chatbot? A chatbot is a **conversational software** that enables businesses to communicate with their audiences **instantaneously and in a personalized way without having to compromise on automation**. Most people associate bots with artificial intelligence. However, AI is not necessarily essential to creating a functional chatbot. There are three main types of conversational assistants: ### Rule-Based Chatbot A rule-based chatbot is **a conversational software that works on a principle of a structured flow often portrayed as a decision tree**. Rule-based bots have a less flexible conversation flow than AI bots which may seem restrictive but comes as a benefit in a number of use cases. In other words, the restriction of users’ freedom poses an advantage since you are able to guarantee the experience they will deliver every time. ### NLP Chatbot [NLP Chatbot](https://landbot.io/blog/natural-language-processing-chatbot) is an AI chatbot that **uses natural language processing - a small subset of artificial intelligence that deals with linguistics** and the capacity of software to understand natural human language. ### Conversational App [Conversational apps](https://landbot.io/blog/conversational-apps-explained) are the **next step in the evolution of the traditional NLP or rule-based chatbots** as they free the traditional assistants from the restrictions of text-based interactions. ## 02. Website Chatbot Formats On the web, chatbots can appear in four primary formats: ### Widget **Chatbot widget** is probably the **most popular** and widely spread of chatbot formats. Most commonly, the widget takes on the **shape of a chat bubble** and resides in the **lower right corner of the website**. It can be: - Static (chatbot only starts interacting with the user after he or she clicks on the widget); - Dynamic (chatbot initiates the conversation with a first pop-up message from the widget). ### Pop-Up A **popup chatbot** format is less common but quite powerful when applied in the right use cases such as promo campaigns, sign-ups, or gated content unlocking. ### Website Embed **Chatbot website embed** allows you to seamlessly embed your assistant into any section of your website where it will be of most assistance to your user base. ### Landing Page Chatbots can also work as a stand-alone **landing page** meaning the **chatbot makes up the entirety of the page**. ## 03. What Are the Benefits of Chatbots? ### Benefits for Business Growth Clever application of chatbot technology can have a significant impact on the bottom line. For instance, one of the most effective ways to use bots is **helping convert leads** who would not be ready to click a signup button without a chat. ### Benefits for Customers Employing chatbots can be equally beneficial for customers. Among the key advantages of having a chatbot is access to **support and guidance anytime and anywhere**. ### Benefits for Employees Studies have shown that when chatbots take over the routine and repetitive tasks, employees can focus on more complex tasks which gives them a **greater sense of accomplishment and value**. ## 04. Why Are Chatbots Important? To have a stable spot in the digital marketing toolbox chatbots need to be important, crucial to some processes. Online consumers crave a positive experience, and many are willing to pay more for that. ## 05. What Are Top Chatbot Use Cases? Chatbots are versatile in nature and can be applied in various situations across the entire organization. ### Marketing & Sales Automated conversation can optimize key processes such as lead generation, qualification, and nurture. ### Customer Support The customer support use case needs no introduction but chatbots can work as “sorting hats” using simple questions to point customers to the right agents. ### Internal Communication Conversational assistants can be smartly applied to internal processes such as recruitment, onboarding, and HR support. ## 06. How Does a Chatbot Work? ### How Does Rule-Based Chatbot Work? Rules-based chatbot leads users down a predetermined path based on the flow designed in the backend of the conversational user interface. ### How Do NLP Chatbots Work? NLP chatbots use natural language processing technology to understand the intent behind the user data by analyzing sentence structure. ### How Does a Chatbot-to-Human Handoff Work? Both rule-based and NLP bots can be designed to initiate a “human takeover” of the conversation. ## 07. How to Create a Chatbot? Getting started with chatbot development has become accessible thanks to no-code tools. ## 08. Basics of Conversational Design Creating natural conversations has left many chatbot creators at a loss because of the implicit meanings and use of colloquial language. ## 09. What Are Chatbot Templates? Chatbot templates are pre-designed conversational structures that require minimal adjustments and customization. Landbot offers a substantial library of chatbot templates covering a plethora of use cases from marketing to customer support. ## 10. Chatbot Examples To give you an idea of what can be achieved, we have put together a library of real chatbot examples showcasing bots created for various use cases in different styles. ## 11. Chatbot Success Stories If you are still having doubts about using bots, hear about their journey from those who embraced chatbots in their customer support or marketing lead generation activities and succeeded. ## 12. Learn More About Landbot Platform Landbot is a full-scale **no-code communication automation platform** that allows you to build conversational assistants **for the web, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or use API** to create a bot for any other third-party app.