Chatbots and Conversational Interfaces: A New Paradigm for Interaction

Facebook Messenger Platform, Microsoft Bot Framework, and other platforms are launching the era of chatbots. Are conversational interfaces the future, or just hype?

Messaging is the New Browser¶

Messaging applications have surpassed social networks in active users. WhatsApp, Messenger, WeChat — billions of users spend hours in chats. Chatbots bring services directly into conversations.

Facebook opened Messenger Platform to developers, Microsoft introduced Bot Framework, and Slack has a growing ecosystem of bots. Conversational interfaces are becoming a legitimate channel.

Anatomy of a Chatbot¶

A modern chatbot consists of several layers:

• NLU (Natural Language Understanding) — understanding user intent (wit.ai, Dialogflow, LUIS)
• Dialog management — managing the conversational flow
• Integration — connecting to business systems (CRM, e-shop, helpdesk)
• Response generation — generating responses (template-based or generative)

// Simple Messenger bot
app.post('/webhook', function(req, res) {
  var data = req.body;
  data.entry.forEach(function(entry) {
    entry.messaging.forEach(function(event) {
      if (event.message) {
        sendTextMessage(event.sender.id, 
          'I received: ' + event.message.text);
      }
    });
  });
  res.sendStatus(200);
});

Use Cases That Work¶

Not every use case is suitable for a chatbot. Working scenarios:

• Customer support — FAQ, order status, simple issues
• E-commerce — product recommendations, shipment tracking
• Reservations — restaurants, appointments, flights
• Notifications — alerting, reports, status updates

Non-working scenarios: complex forms, visually rich interactions, tasks requiring precision (financial transactions without confirmation).

Limitations of Current Chatbots¶

Current NLU technologies have significant limitations:

• Context understanding is shallow
• Multi-turn conversations are fragile
• Users have unrealistic expectations (they want Siri, they get a menu)
• Engagement drops rapidly after the initial wow effect

The most successful bots combine NLU with buttons and structured responses — guided conversation instead of open-ended dialogue.

Conclusion: Evolution, Not Revolution¶

Chatbots are not a replacement for web and mobile applications, but a new channel for specific interactions. Invest in chatbots for customer support and simple transactional scenarios. For complex UX, traditional interfaces remain the better choice.