Bots are back in fashion now that conversational models are good. The problem: a lot of businesses ship a bot before they know which questions it's supposed to solve — and the result is one more annoying channel.
When a bot genuinely helps
When repeat questions (order status, opening hours, basic pricing) eat a big chunk of support time, a bot saves time and saves a human from burning out. An internal assistant for the team (search across docs, summarize calls) also delivers value fast.
When a bot hurts the brand
When it answers in sensitive areas (returns, complaints, regulation) without a clear human backstop. When there's no easy escape to a human. When it tries to answer questions nobody actually asks.
Questions to ask before you build
1. What are the 10 most frequent questions?
2. What percentage can the bot really close on its own?
3. Where is the line — what does it explicitly *not* answer?
4. How does a user reach a human, and when?
5. Who maintains its knowledge base after month one?