The short answer
Use a chatbot for repeated questions with dependable written answers. Keep complaints, exceptions and consequential decisions with a person. If enquiries are lost because no one owns them, fix routing and responsibility before adding a chatbot.
Sort questions by judgement
Collect a sample of recent questions and group them. Opening hours, service descriptions and documented procedures can be suitable for automated answers. Complaints, exceptions and decisions with meaningful consequences need a more careful route.
Fix the source information
A chatbot needs a trustworthy source. Resolve contradictory pages, remove outdated offers and decide who maintains each answer. Write the policy for people first. Clear information helps your team and gives the bot a better foundation.
Define what happens at the edge
When the information does not answer the question, the bot should say so and offer the next step. Do not design it to keep talking at any cost. Set clear handoff conditions and communicate when a person is likely to respond.
Pass the context along
A useful handoff includes the customer’s question, answers already given and details collected with permission. Avoid forcing someone to repeat the conversation. Decide which system receives the handoff and who is responsible for picking it up.
Review the unanswered questions
Check a sample of conversations regularly. Look for wrong answers, repeated confusion and customers who abandon the exchange. Use the findings to improve the source material or change the boundary. A high number of automated replies is not useful if people still leave without help.
Your next step
Start with a small set of well-documented questions and a human handoff you can test.
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