Chatbots for Smart Customer Services on Official Museum Websites

Abstract

Recently, chatbots have become one of the most developed artificial intelligence-based applications in terms of numbers. In addition to providing 24-hour online user assistance, a chatbot can be integrated with marketing strategies to improve product exposure and increase conversion rates. In a museum, customer service staff usually spend considerable amounts of time responding to questions regarding opening hours, ticket prices, transportation modes, and exhibition information. Among these questions, 80% are routine and repetitive. If a chatbot can be used to answer these questions, in addition to reducing demand on human resources, museums can integrate chatbots with their online learning resources to provide detailed knowledge and personalized question and answer services. This study explored the requirements and procedures involved in establishing a chatbot in a museum’s official website. First, we analyzed and classified questions from museum visitors and then investigated the timing and willingness of these visitors to use the chatbot on the official website. Furthermore, we analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of the chatbot. Second, we explored the capabilities and design orientations of the customer service chatbot in the field of museums and planned the entire procedure from training to launching the chatbot. We also analyzed the tasks and purposes of each stage. Finally, we discussed methods for integrating various resources in this museum and constructed a smart and personalized online visitor question and answer system.