The Law Library of Congress uses the Facebook Messenger platform for their chatbot. The chatbot connects you to primary sources of law, research guides and foreign law reports.
Business Benefits
Provides users with information
Eases information overload (Direct access to information without having to navigate a website or app)
Increased user engagement on a website
Can be on multiple types of technology platforms simultaneously (Website, Desktop PC, Kiosk, etc.).
Provides customer service, human resource support, and ordering services to users
Frees up time for employees and customer representatives to focus on more complex questions and tasks
Allows users to practice skills and enhance learning (Duolingo has debuted bots for users to practice Spanish, French, and German)
Provides virtual world enhancement and gaming support (Second Life has animated chatbots that act as information guides and greeters and players will interact with them)
Library Benefits
Potential to improve how users interact with collections and other library and museum services
Provides tailored information services to users
Potential to teach information literacy
Makes library websites more engaging, allows users to stay on the library website for longer
Users are put at ease about asking "stupid" or embarrassing questions
May help make up for budgetary or staffing shortfalls
May free library staff to focus on more demanding research and tasks uniquely suited to humans
Use as a marketing tool for reference services, familiarizing users about the variety of available resources and services
