Channels

Channels refer to places where users can interact with the chatbot. There are several deployment channels over which your bots can be exposed to users. These include messaging services such as Facebook Messenger, Skype, Kik, Telegram, WeChat, and Line; office and team chat services such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, and many more; traditional channels such as the web chat, SMS, and voice calls; and smart speakers such as Amazon Echo and Google Home. Choose the channel based on your users and the requirements of the project. For instance, if you are building a chatbot targeting consumers, Facebook Messenger can be the best channel because of the growing number of users who use the service already to keep in touch with friends and family. To add your chatbot to their contact list may be easier then getting them to download your app. If the user needs to interact with the bot using voice in a home or office environment, smart speaker channels can be an ideal choice. And finally, there are tools that can connect chatbots to many channels simultaneously (for example, Dialogflow integration, MS Bot Service, and Smooch.io, and so on).