An intelligent knowledge-based chatbot for customer service

Abstract

This study proposes an intelligent knowledge-based conversational agent system architecture to support customer services in e-commerce sales and marketing. A pilot implementation of a chatbot for customer services is reported in a leading women's intimate apparel manufacturing firm. The proposed system incorporates various emerging technologies, including web crawling, natural language processing, knowledge bases, and artificial intelligence. In this study, a prototype system is built in a real-world setting. The results of the system prototype evaluation are satisfactory and support the contention that the system is effective. The study also discusses the challenges and lessons learned during system implementation and the theoretical and managerial implications of this study.