Chatbots in the Fight Against Coronavirus
For some time now, our lives have been dominated by one phrase – "coronavirus." The pandemic affects practically every aspect of it, so it comes as no surprise that people have countless questions related to this topic. And where there are many questions, they step in – chatbots. On a daily basis, they support and facilitate communication for brands, and currently they are also assisting all kinds of institutions and organizations dealing with healthcare.
What Is a Chatbot?
What Is a Chatbot?
Technically speaking, it is software acting as a virtual assistant with which a user of any messaging app can hold a conversation. The basic principle is that this conversation should be as close as possible to a conversation with a real human. At the same time, good practice indicates the need for transparency, i.e., openly communicating that at a given moment the user is in contact with a bot, not a real person. One of the most important advantages of chatbots is relieving moderators and consultants, and consequently lowering customer service costs. The main benefit for users is the ability to get an instant answer to their query, regardless of the time and day of the week, and without having to wait for a consultant to respond. A bot can easily answer the most frequently asked questions, and thanks to artificial intelligence technology, these can be phrased in various ways. At any moment, the user can request a further conversation with a real person, which, however, as experience shows, in most cases is not necessary, and the matter can be resolved with the bot.
How Do Chatbots Fight the Pandemic?
How Do Chatbots Fight the Pandemic?
Most institutions decide to implement chatbots as a tool for fighting fake news. Thanks to them, users have access to the freshest and most reliable information from trusted sources. However, let us remember that there is no full control over bots appearing on the internet, so vigilance is still required, and one should check whether the bot we are talking to is connected to a verified Facebook page or is located on an official website.
The broad automation capabilities of a chatbot mean that after a one-time configuration and integration with data sources, it becomes practically maintenance-free. An additional convenience is the ability to set up automatic, recurring notifications with updates sent to users willing to receive such messages.
Although the situation is dynamic, most questions are repetitive, so the bot is able to answer them quickly and at any time, thus relieving the people handling other communication channels – such as the hotline or standard chat.
Examples of Deployments in the UK and Around the World
Below are a few interesting examples of chatbots from various platforms that were created to support the dissemination of credible information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
CoronaAlert
One of the first Polish corona-bots is CoronaAlert, published on Messenger in early February (its author is Cezary Kuik from Socjomania). The Chatfuel platform was used here, along with DialogFlow and a JSON API, through which the bot has access to current statistical data from the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Chatfuel, as its contribution to the fight against the pandemic, offered support for bots providing assistance and information related to the virus. CoronaAlert was qualified for the program, receiving among other things free access to the paid version of the tool.
Virtual Assistant of the Ministry of Health
We stay on Polish ground, but this time more officially, as we land on the website of the Ministry of Health. There, a Virtual Assistant in the form of a bot awaits us, created in cooperation with IBM Polska based on their Watson Assistant tool. This is an example of a bot that does not need to be heavily developed to fulfill its function, yet we can easily find answers to the most important questions there. If further action is required in connection with a given query, we immediately receive a hint as to whom and how to contact.
Chatbot Wrocław
Currently, information activities are important not only at the national level, but also locally. To support residents in these difficult times, the city of Wrocław adapted an existing chatbot on its Facebook profile. In addition to information about funding for replacing a furnace, the chatbot's main menu now includes as many as 8 additional sections related to the coronavirus (from statistics, through safety tips, to suggestions for activities at home).
To check what Wrocław has prepared for its residents, simply select the "send message" option on the Wroclaw [Wroclove] profile.
Voicebot
Another example is a somewhat different, still less popular form of virtual assistant – the Voicebot. We can find it in our smartphones as a built-in voice assistant, use it on various internet platforms, or simply call it. A solution based on telephone contact was prepared by the Polish studio Pragmatists. The impetus for this initiative was checking how long one has to wait to contact the National Health Fund hotline. 50 people in the queue did not promise a quick connection with a consultant. For now, the project is not connected to government programs, but the prospect of such an assistant handling several hundred calls simultaneously seems to be an ideal solution.
By calling 22 122 82 67 (call rate according to the operator's price list), we can already obtain a range of useful information related to COVID-19.
WHO
We can also follow current information and recommendations via the WHO chatbot on Messenger and WhatsApp (number +41 79 893 1892). Both channels use the same simple mechanics based on entering the appropriate numbers to which individual topics are assigned. The lack of buttons, carousels, and other standard interface elements makes the bot simple and clear, even for users who do not feel confident in a chatbot environment.
International Fact-Checking Network
It is also worth mentioning the chatbot prepared by the Poynter Institute as part of the International Fact-Checking Network initiative. Simply reach out via WhatsApp at +1 727 291 2606 or click the link, and the bot will guide us through the successive stages of the conversation. Unlike the previous examples, we will not find only ready-made information here, but we can also verify information that has reached us from other sources. After entering a specific phrase or statement (only in English and in simple words), we will receive confirmation or denial along with the source in which the data was verified. Additionally, we will also receive information about fact-checking organizations in our country, thanks to which we can better understand the rules of fighting fake news, also on topics other than COVID-19.
What's Next?
What's Next?
These are just a few examples of bots used to convey information related to the coronavirus pandemic. Of course, we can find more of them at both the global and local levels. However, even from these examples, one can observe how useful they are in handling a large number of queries, thus making the work of consultants easier and providing users with quick answers to their pressing questions. It is possible that their current use in various institutions will prove so successful that bots will increasingly accompany us in searching for information, thereby displacing the communication channels popular until now, such as the hotline.
Summary
Communication automation during the pandemic has gained importance – chatbots relieve consultants and hotlines by answering repetitive questions at any time. Examples such as CoronaAlert or the Ministry of Health's Virtual Assistant show that even simple solutions can be effective, and local initiatives (the chatbot of the city of Wrocław) reach residents on a daily basis.
It is worth paying attention to projects that go beyond ready-made answers, e.g., the International Fact-Checking Network bot, which verifies information for fake news. These deployments may permanently change the channels of contact with institutions.
