Companies and government departments introduce chatbots not to annoy us, but to handle thousands of calls at the same time.

Many of us, upon hearing an automated voice on the phone instead of a real person, instinctively feel impatient. We long for the days when an employee would immediately answer on the other end, listen to us and guide us through the process. However, it’s worth looking at this technology from a different perspective and realising that machines weren’t introduced to annoy us, but to streamline the handling of the most urgent matters in a world where everyone is in a hurry.

The main reason for the existence of bots is the huge number of calls received every day by banks, clinics and energy companies. If every single matter, however minor, had to be handled personally by a human, the waiting time for a connection during peak hours could be as long as several hours.

This is where a virtual assistant comes in handy, its greatest advantage being its immediate availability. The bot never sleeps, never gets ill, never takes a break and never takes time off for public holidays. It is at our disposal 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

This means that if we remember an unpaid bill in the middle of the night, or want to check on a Sunday whether our pension has been paid into our account, we don’t have to wait until Monday morning. The automated system will provide us with this information straight away, regardless of the time of day.

Another significant benefit is the speed and accuracy it offers for simple enquiries. The machine has direct access to the data and doesn’t need to search for it manually. Instead of dictating your details to an advisor and waiting for the system on their computer to load, the machine can, in a fraction of a second, provide your account balance, record your electricity meter reading or confirm the time of your doctor’s appointment. It is therefore worth treating the bot as a helpful ‘receptionist’ who instantly takes care of simple formalities, and in the event of complex or unusual problems, directs us to the appropriate specialist, saving us the trouble of having to navigate between different departments within the company.

• Why do companies do this? (Speed, 24/7 availability, no queues for simple matters).
• Security: Is it safe to chat with a bot? (Yes, bots used by banks and clinics are secure).

Rule No. 1: You cannot ‘break’ or ‘offend’ a bot. You can keep trying until you succeed.