Why it matters
Done well, a chatbot answers instantly at 2am, deflects repetitive tickets, and captures leads that would have bounced. Done lazily, it's a brand liability that invents policies and infuriates customers publicly. The gap between those outcomes is engineering, not luck.
How it works
A good build grounds the model in your documents (RAG) so answers come with sources, fences what it may discuss, escalates to humans gracefully, and logs everything for review. The model is the easy part; the guardrails and the content it draws on are the actual product.
What to do about it
Build the internal version first: your team asking questions of your own knowledge. Graduate it to customers once it's earned trust, with escalation and review built in from day one.
