In today’s society, it is common for an everyday person to interact with artificial intelligence chatbots or virtual assistants multiple times a month. Instead of utilizing a classic strategy for gaining sales and leads, such as having a customer fill out forms or meet with a sales representative, conversational marketing is a way to engage with customers as soon as they find your company. Whether someone is on the phone speaking to a virtual assistant, or asking questions through a chatbot online, artificial intelligence has become an integral part of the future of digital marketing. 

Chatbots Vs. Virtual Assistants: How Do They Work?

Before you can jump into using artificial intelligence in your business, it’s important to understand how each method works. While artificial intelligence chatbots and virtual assistants are similar, there are a few key ways in which they are different. 

Chatbots

Chatbots are digital programs created to interact with humans, either through text or auditory means. Chatbots utilize natural language processing algorithms in order to provide a framework for programming computers and analyzing large amounts of data. chatbots are mainly used in the customer service industry, HR, IT and marketing companies. Chatbots today are enabled by conversational AI and machine learning, making them advanced enough to understand the main intent behind user questions and successfully simulate human-like conversation. Chatbots can be used to handle tasks that range from simple to more complex, such as providing information, answering questions, collecting user information, or directing customers to areas of your website or to a live agent to learn more. Additionally, they are also used to facilitate internal communication and can even schedule meetings or appointments on command.

Virtual Assistants

Software programs that are made to simulate the tasks of a real-life personal assistant, such as managing schedules, handling travel needs, booking appointments, sending reminders, etc. are known as virtual assistants. Virtual assistants were created with a strong focus on the end-user and are programmed to take inputs and perform tasks through verbal commands. Virtual assistants were created to be able to understand human speech and are supported by artificial neural networks that enable them to even predict the intent of the user, no matter how random the question.

Virtual assistants are AI-powered and are therefore capable of learning the user’s preferences and habits over time. Virtual assistants are constantly evolving and getting smarter as they gather more and more data. They understand natural language, recognize faces, identify objects, and communicate with other smart devices and technology. Virtual assistants are generally utilized in handheld devices with systems like Siri or Cortana or in purely virtual assistant systems like Alexa or Google Home. Virtual assistants can be used to control the device and handle simple tasks like sending emails, making to-do lists, or searching the internet for answers. All of these tasks can be executed by giving a verbal command to the virtual assistant. 

How They Compare

The terms artificial intelligence chatbots and virtual assistants are often interchangeably used to refer to conversational computer programs that are able to interact with humans. However, these programs are not the same. Primarily, chatbots are implemented to perform a limited number of activities that are pre-selected. chatbots are capable of performing these simple tasks without altering much of their responses. In comparison, virtual assistants are developed to respond or perform activities based on the inputs that they receive from the user. It’s important to note that these inputs are very often not pre-programmed. 

While chatbots are traditionally text-driven, audio and pictures can also be utilized to communicate with the user. On the other hand, virtual assistants are primarily operated through verbal commands, though they’re capable of processing text input as well. Chatbots and virtual assistants, despite having similar technical foundations, differ greatly in their functionality. 

The Benefits Of Using A Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants simplify the process of organizing and executing our everyday tasks. Whether it’s setting reminders and alarms, adding tasks to the calendar, making calls, or gathering information from the web, virtual assistants are very helpful in assisting with our everyday lives. Virtual assistants are even capable of handling smart devices at home, like lights, thermostats, and audio devices. Virtual assistants are widely used by consumers to improve and streamline their day-to-day tasks and lives are being adapted more and more by businesses as a marketing tool. While chatbots are only used every day by businesses, virtual assistants are used to improve the lives of consumers and businesses alike. 

Shift Refresh: An Expert In Conversational Marketing

If you are interested in utilizing artificial intelligence chatbots and virtual assistants in your business, Shift Refresh can help. The goal of Shift Refresh has always been to propel businesses into the future of digital marketing. Don’t get left behind. Visit https://www.shiftrefresh.com/ to learn more.