# Chatbot

> A chatbot is software that converses with users in text or voice on channels such as a website, WhatsApp or in-app messaging, answering questions and handling simple tasks. Older chatbots followed pre-written scripts; today's AI-powered chatbots understand free-form questions and answer from company documents.

URL: https://corrplus.net/glossary/chatbot/
Updated: 2026-10-22
Corrplus Team

**Definition:** A chatbot is software that converses with users in text or voice on channels such as a website, WhatsApp or in-app messaging, answering questions and handling simple tasks.

## How does a chatbot work?

Rule-based chatbots show pre-written answers based on keywords or button choices. AI-powered chatbots use a [large language model](/glossary/llm/). They understand the question, find relevant information in the company's FAQs, product pages and policies through [RAG](/glossary/rag/), and write a natural reply. If the chatbot can also take actions such as looking up an order or booking an appointment, it is working as an [AI agent](/glossary/ai-agent/) behind the scenes.

## When should you use a chatbot?

Wherever the same questions arrive again and again: shipping and returns, price and stock, appointments, application status, product selection. Giving a first response outside business hours and routing requests to the right team are also common uses. Our own product Promptor is an AI chat and sales assistant for WordPress sites built on the same approach.

## Channels and compliance

In Türkiye and several other markets in Europe and the Middle East, many businesses talk to customers over WhatsApp, so a WhatsApp Business channel is worth considering alongside the website. Chatbots collect personal data such as names, phone numbers and order details, so users must be informed under GDPR or [KVKK](/glossary/kvkk/), Türkiye's data protection law, and retention periods must be set. Chatbots in the EU also face transparency duties under the [EU AI Act](/glossary/eu-ai-act/). The biggest quality risk is a bot inventing answers, known as [hallucination](/glossary/ai-hallucination/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Will a chatbot replace customer service agents?

It takes over repetitive questions; it does not replace people. A good chatbot hands the conversation, with its context, to a person when it cannot answer or when the topic is sensitive.

### Can we run a chatbot on WhatsApp?

Yes, through the WhatsApp Business Platform (API). You need to follow Meta's message template and opt-in rules. Where conversation logs are stored should be reviewed separately for data protection.