Blog Article

How to Build an Azure Chatbot


Abhinav Girdhar
By Abhinav Girdhar | Last Updated on December 18th, 2022 10:09 am | 4-min read

Businesses face stiff competition from each other. To succeed in today’s world, a business needs to maximize its available resources and find a way to become more efficient. Chatbots have been a breakout method to achieve these goals and can be found on every end of the business spectrum.

From customer support to internal HR processes, everything can be achieved through a chatbot. The chatbot wave has hit every industry in the world. More and more businesses are creating chatbots for their business processes. Among the hundreds of ways to create a chatbot, a popular way is to create it through Azure. In this article, we will discuss more Azure chatbots, their pros and cons, and how Appy Pie Chatbot is the easiest alternative.

What is an Azure chatbot?

Azure Chatbots are chatbots created using Microsoft’s Bot Framework and hosted on Azure with the help of Azure Bot Service. Microsoft’s Bot Framework is an open-source application that allows developers to create their chatbots easily. Since it is widely accessible, Azure chatbots can be made by reusing code from platforms such as Github or existing C# code. This has helped it gain popularity in recent years since its code can directly be stored on your cloud storage. Here are some statistics proving the success of Azure bots.

How Azure Bot Service Works

Microsoft helps deploy Azure Bots through their Azure Bot Service. Here’s how the Azure Bot service works: Step 1: Organizations create a bot using Microsoft’s Bot Framework(MBF) Step 2: Once the bot is created, it is hosted on Azure and embedded in your webpage/social channel/app. Step 3: The Azure Bot Service then sends information between the bot-connected website/social channel/app and the bot. This information exchange continues creating and emulating a ‘conversation.’ The bot that you have created for Azure Bot Service completely depends on your use case. Some businesses need complex bots whereas others need a basic chatbot. This difference in requirement from the bot brings up an important topic of discussion.

Disadvantages of Azure Chatbots

While creating a chatbot through the Azure bot service has many advantages, its disadvantages weigh it down heavily. Here are some of the major disadvantages of creating your bot through Azure.
  • Complexity: Creating a chatbot from scratch is no joke. Building a chatbot requires skilled coders with the skills of C# to utilize Microsoft Bot Framework(MBF) and the knowledge of AI assistant algorithms. This complexity requires businesses to hire dedicated developers to create said Azure Bots.

  • Azure bots are overkill: Azure chatbots are meant for businesses that need complete AI solutions. Most businesses don’t require such complex chatbots. Creating simple & basic chatbots through Azure is a waste of resources and a complete underuse of Azure bot service’s capabilities. If you have a use for a significant AI solution, Azure bots may be the answer.

  • Expensive: Hiring chatbot development teams, purchasing Azure Bot Services can be a hefty sum to spend for a chatbot. If your business does not need complex chatbots and complete AI assistant solutions, this investment is a waste of money.

  • Better Alternatives: Azure bots are difficult to create since you have to code everything from scratch. With the entry of no-code chatbot development tools, creating chatbots through Azure is becoming more niche. Simple chatbots can now be created without too much investment.

Appy Pie Chatbots - The Azure Chatbot Alternative

Azure chatbots are an excellent choice if you need to create a chatbot for a very specific use case such as an assistant like Alexa. However, most businesses do not need that amount of AI power for their chatbots. For example, a customer support chatbot does not need extensive AI algorithms. It can provide customer support by simply understanding context and identifying keywords in a customer’s question. Appy Pie Chatbot is a no-code chatbot builder that lets you create simple business chatbots. With Appy Pie Chatbot, you can create a chatbot without ever needing to code a single line. Simply choose the type of chatbot you want, create a bot flow for it, and add it to your website. If you want to see how it works for yourself, you can try it out for free.

Top Features of Appy Pie Chatbot

Appy Pie Chatbot can create business chatbots within minutes. Its versatile features are what make it possible. Here are some of them:
  • No-Code Interface: Appy Pie’s unique no-code interface allows you to build chatbots without needing to code. Both beginners and experienced developers can create professional chatbots with Appy Pie Chatbot.

  • Multilingual platform: No matter what language you want to build a chatbot for, Appy Pie has got you covered. Multilingual chatbots are beneficial for businesses that deal in multiple countries of the world.

  • Multiple chatbots: Businesses sometimes require multiple chatbots for various business requirements. With Appy Pie Chatbot, you can create as many chatbots you want whenever you want.

  • Chatbot Analytics: Evaluating your chatbot performance is the best way to improve it. You can look into chatbot analytics and study various aspects and metrics to analyze the success of your chatbots. You can find out where you are falling short and improve your chatbots.

  • Simple Integrations: Appy Pie Chatbot can be integrated with multiple software such as CRMs, Help desks, etc to increase the efficiency of your business operations. Find out what you can integrate your chatbot with and create your chatbot today!

How to Create a Chatbot with Appy Pie Chatbot

Creating an Azure chatbot is a lot of work. With Appy Pie, however, you can create an Azure chatbot with ease. In fact, all you need is three simple steps.Step 1: Enter the bot name. Enter the name of your bot and select the type of bot that meets your business needs in the best possible way.Step 2: Customize your bot. Customize the design of your chatbot and add details like logo, and bot avatar.Step 3: Add a chatbot to your website. Add the widget to your website and respond to your customers in real-time.
Try creating a chatbot with Appy Pie Chatbot and leave us a comment about your experience with it!

You May Also Like:

Take a deeper dive into the digital ecosystem and start expanding your business with these helpful resources:

Related Articles

Abhinav Girdhar

Founder and CEO of Appy Pie