What’s the Difference Between a Chatbot and an Actbot?
We all know what a bot (robot) is. Most of us know what a chatbot is. If you’re reading this and you don’t, this might be a good place to start.
Chatbots are bots that are most commonly deployed across customer service functions. The defining quality of these resource-saving tools is that they “converse” in a chat and answer questions. They interpret what you tell them and deliver responses. Their main function is to provide information when they are asked for it.
They are good start, but, what’s next? ACTBOTS.
Actbots are similar to chatbots with a critical difference. Unlike chatbots, Actbots are proactive and propel action. Where a chatbot simply responds to commands it is given, Actbots use artificial intelligence to dynamically interpret instructions thereby elevating its capabilities beyond simple question answering. They can monitor data and alert you when needed, spurring you to take action. They can also make changes to content, streamline routine tasks and even perform physical functions — like turn on lights.
A simple way to think of an Actbot is as an intelligent assistant. It can answer questions, knows to request more information if they are unclear, take action themselves and even motivates you to take action yourself. More importantly, they learn from the information they receive, getting smarter and, therefore, more proactive over time. The relationship with an Actbot is two-way.
Here’s an example. Jill is a senior organizational leader and needs to gather her team to review a big project before it’s delivered to their customer. She has an investor meeting and doesn’t have the time to arrange the meeting herself. Jill requests the help of her Actbot. She instructs it to schedule an hour-long meeting with the team sometime in the next two days to review the project.
The Actbot processes the request, reviews the team’s calendars for their availability and automatically schedules the meeting. It then notifies everyone, Jill included, that this meeting has been scheduled and what it’s about. The Actbot is taking action AND it’s prompting the team to action. They now know there is an upcoming meeting that they need to be prepared for. And, the Actbot is making it happen with minimal guidance from Jill.
For what it’s worth, we are not suggesting Actbots are a new development. You may already know x.ai, Clara Labs, Fin and, since you’re here, Tonkean. These are all pretty good examples of Actbots. What we are offering is a distinction between these kinds of tools and those that simply passively respond to commands you give it.
In our always on world, it’s easy to get caught up in mundane tasks and become hindered from taking action. The goal of Actbots is to take care of the minute work, and to propel action on what’s important. Ultimately making our life easier and more efficient.
