Robots And RPA: Technologies For The Development Of Chatbots

Robotic process automation and conversational assistants have a common goal: to increase worker productivity. But what are the main technologies used for the development of each of the solutions?

In this article, we will review which technologies are used in the development of process automation with conversational assistants (chatbots).

Technologies for the development of conversational assistants

For the development of conversational assistants, one of the main pieces of architecture consists of the NLP engine, used to carry out natural language processing.

Currently, there is a wide range of options in the market with large participants, among which are:

Watson Assistant

It is a cloud service offered by IBM to perform natural language processing. This NLP engine provides intelligence to the chatbot to understand the user and their intention. This is essential so the chatbot can respond correctly and offer the expected solution.

Watson Assistant offers a usable and productive workflow for the developer. In addition, it allows modulating the dialogue and structuring it according to the possible intentions of the user.

This service is recommended as an option for developing industrial chatbots with highly complex dialogs and a high number of nodes, depth, and degree of branching.

Google dialog flow

It is the service offered by Google for the implementation of NLP. It stands out for the ease of integrating with various messaging channels and the user interface. It includes integrations with Google Assistant, Facebook Messenger, Hangouts Chat, and Telegram. The built-in management of multi-language dialogs is a point in favor, too, which can be an advantage in the face of the “organic” scalability and modularity of a large business semantic solution.

Chatbot architecture

In addition to the NLP engine, another important piece within the architecture of an assistant is the user interface, which consists of the elements that allow the interaction between the human being and the computer or device we are using. You can develop a web chat component from scratch or use channels like Microsoft Teams, Telegram, and Google Assistant. Connect it with the conversational engine itself based on the specifications dictated by each platform.

At this point, we would have an assistant we can communicate with as humans (via the UI) and receive responses using the NLP conversational engine to have need-satisfying conversations with a bot that can be solved verbally with Q. & TO.

But, one of the current challenges in improving conversational assistants is ensuring that they can help meet immediate operational needs beyond having fluid conversations with humans.

The use of the dual user interface and NLP engine is limited, so it is necessary to incorporate a new piece that can handle the internal data flow of our chatbot and, in addition, is capable of interacting with external systems. Him. We call this third piece the orchestrator, and it’s a convenient and workable solution that has proven effective in enhancing the usefulness of chatbots.

What is the orchestrator?

The orchestrator acts as middleware or backend software, which can be developed in any of the most popular programming languages. It is responsible for the information flow in both directions between the user interface (front end) and the conversational engine (NLP).

So, the architecture of a chatbot is made up of the following:

• The NLP engine, chatbot intelligence, and conversation management block.
• The user interface constitutes the input and output block of information.
• The orchestrator, message management block, can expand the conversation and connect with other business systems, databases, or third-party services.

Technologies for RPA development

An RPA process (Robotic Process Automation, for its acronym in English) or RPA robot is a program capable of executing the process or work task carried out by a person with one or several applications. To do this, it generates a routine in which all the iterations carried out by the human operator with the different interfaces involved are stored.

The implementation of RPA can mean a revolution in companies, thanks to the fact that it provides the ability to reduce worker costs and human error.

TOP 5 RPA solutions (that you did not know)

• Extraction of data from different formats and adaptability to all your systems
• Automated solutions in finance and accounting
• Recruit valuable workers in a few clicks
• Revolutionize customer service
• Appointment scheduling

Now, what software allows us to carry out these automated solutions? Currently, different platforms offer services for the development of RPA:

UIpath

UiPath is an RPA tool used for Windows desktop automation. It is one of the most cutting-edge technologies for developing this type of robot; therefore, it has differential characteristics compared to other competitors. On the one hand, the high capacity to automate complex processes always maintains security levels and risks. On the other hand, it offers the option to develop both attended and unattended bots and work with all the technologies of other providers, such as Microsoft, Java, SAP, Oracle, etc.

It also stands out for its agility in developing solutions faster than the competition’s software. And finally, it offers scalability since it is extensible and modulable. It also allows it to be developed in both cloud and on-premise environments.

Uipath offers two main components to carry out the solution’s development, deployment, and monitoring: Uipath Studio and Uipath Orchestrator.

UiPathStudio

The visual editor allows you to build and design the control panel on which the software robots will work. Thanks to the tool’s versatility, which works with the well-known drag and drop (drag and drop), you can send orders and direct the bots during process automation. It offers the following functionalities:

• Workflows or workflows: Allows you to develop complex and unique workflows so that designers can incorporate custom VB.Net, Python, JavaScript, AutoHotkey, and JAVA code directly into the workflow.
• Documentation of rules: The workflow engine visually documents the rules by which the business process is governed, making it easier to transfer knowledge and verify errors.
• Intuitive model: Performs mapping of all processes, simplifying training, accelerating modelling, and process automation.
• Debugging tool: This allows you to analyze automated processes by running visual processes, so you have more control over inputs and outputs and the ability to flag breakpoints.

UiPath Orchestrator

Software robot control platform allows you to manage processes, keep a centralized record, carry out reports and audits, and use robot supervision and control tools. In addition, it allows:

• Monitor robot performance
• carry a remote
• Offers data security and access
• Allows integration with other systems via API
• Allows you to track, log and audit bots

Robotic Process Automation

Robotic Process Automation is a technology that aims to automate time-consuming and repetitive back-office tasks using software robots that can emulate human actions on a system. RPA scenarios range from opening a file to deploying thousands of bots. RPA improves productivity, compliance, customer and employee experience and reduces errors.

The solution for RPA development offers the following features :

• A writer that watches input and converts it into command actions in various applications such as Windows™, Java™, and SAP™.
• Support for running scripts such as JavaScript, Windows™ script, and R script.
• Ability to schedule bots, call them via the API, or launch them on demand.
• Low-code builder application for developing bots in a graphical interface by dragging commands into the script or coding with the scripting language.
• Deployment options include on-premises, container-based, or cloud deployment with the SaaS offering.
• Simultaneous bot execution to increase scalability and run multiple bots on the same virtual host.

Conclusion

These highly complex technologies are used to create robotic process automation solutions to streamline and optimize various business operations.

Also Read: Chatbots: The Best Automatic Vendors For Your E-commerce