Get Your Own Custom Chatbots: For Those Who Want Something Special

It is not wrong to say that modern businesses need chatbots. It is a very fast-growing communication channel these days. Bots help with customer support, automation, and you can even employ them for HR or marketing purposes. But what sort of chatbot is best for your business? One of the questions you need to ask yourself is whether you prefer custom chatbots or off-the-shelf versions.

Here, we want to investigate custom bots. We will focus on their pros and cons and discuss the opportunities that they give a business owner.

What Are the Options?

The general options are to either get a ready (sometimes almost-ready) solution or a custom one. The ready solutions are generally customizable, so it is not like you are getting something completely unsuited for your business. But they already have templates and the main functions, and it does not take long to customize such bots. 

Custom chatbots, on the other hand, are started from scratch and made specifically for your business. There are a lot of decisions to make, and your developer will guide you through the process. It is not easy! But clearly custom bots have their advantages, right?

The Pros of Custom Chatbots

The main advantages of such bots are connected to their primary feature: them being custom.

• Customization. This bot exists just for your business. It is very highly customizable, and it gives you exactly what you ask for. No unexpected features you don’t want but have to pay for. Only the things you specifically need your bot to do. That is the primary advantage of a custom chatbot.
• Flexibility. Off-the-shelf bots are usually rather rigid in their functions. They already have their main functions established, and it is difficult to make them do what they were not meant to do. Custom bots, on the other hand, are ready to change for you however you want them to.
• Scalability. There is rarely room for growth in off-the-shelf bots. Custom ones can change and improve together with your business. This advantage might require additional investment, though.
• Integration. A custom chatbot will definitely integrate with every system you need it to integrate with. An off-the-shelf version will be more difficult to integrate with your tools.
• Competitive advantage. A bot is a tool, and if used right, it can improve your chances at success.

Technology in Custom Chatbots

It is also worth noting that with a custom bot, you choose the technology used. Off-the-shelf bots usually offer limited options since they are an already finished product. With custom bots, if you want machine learning, you get machine learning. Given that the underlying technology is a very important aspect of a bot, this is a vital advantage. 

As a result, custom chatbots are usually more advanced than off-the-shelf versions. They tend to appear more human-like, might detect the emotion of the request and can even support multiple languages. It does not mean that a ready-made solution must lack those options, but in custom bots, they are more common. After all, if you are creating a bot from scratch, you are probably ready to pay handsomely. Additional pricey features are a natural addition. Which leads us to the disadvantages of custom bots.

Chatbots are not just software in the modern era. Chatbots are like our personal assistants who understand us and can be microconfigured.

Sumit Raj, from Building Chatbots with Python

The Cons of Custom Chatbots

Cost

Remember that bot cost is a complicated topic. Aside from the initial cost, there are maintenance expenses, as well as hidden ones. The latter can include the training of the employees who will be using the bot, as well as integration with existing systems. Also, additional costs may apply when you scale the bot or make sure that it is in compliance with regulations. Overall, bots are often very costly, but custom bots generally cost more in every of these categories. If you want a custom bot, you should expect to pay for it. 

Time

A ready bot, naturally, requires less time to deploy. You have to wait before your custom bot can be used, so it might not be an option if you are in a hurry. Although a version of a bot can be deployed before the final product if it is really necessary. Note that the time of development increases when you need more features. 

Which means that acquiring a custom bot requires a careful balancing of the different aspects of its development. The more features you need, the more it will cost and the longer it will take. Choose wisely, and you will get a bot that will improve your chances in the market.

In Conclusion

In summary, custom bots have a lot of advantages in customization, scalability, integration and flexibility. However, they are on the pricier side and may require a long time before they are usable. Still, as a major competitive advantage, they are a good choice if you balance the features, cost and time well.

You can use Insolvo to find a freelancer who can help you in developing your chatbot! Just place a task.