What is a Social Media Chatbot?

A chatbot is a computer program that automatically responds to messages on social media platforms or messaging apps. It uses pre-written responses or artificial intelligence to answer common questions without a human having to be available 24/7.

Think of chatbots as digital assistants that handle basic customer service. They can provide information, answer FAQs, and direct people to the right resources—all without making customers wait for a human to respond.

How Does a Chatbot Work?

1. User Sends a Message
The chatbot receives a question or command, like:
“What time do you open?” or “Track my order”

2. Natural Language Processing (NLP)
The bot uses NLP to interpret what the user is saying:
Breaks down the sentence (tokenization)
Identifies intent (e.g. asking for store hours)
Extracts key information (entities like time, location, order number)

3. Finds a Response
Based on the intent, the bot:
Retrieves a predefined answer from its database (for rule-based bots)
Or generates a reply dynamically (for AI-powered bots like ChatGPT)

4. Replies to the User
The chatbot sends back a human-like response in text or voice:
“Our store is open from 9 AM to 6 PM, Monday through Saturday.”

Common Uses for Social Media Chatbots:

- Answering frequently asked questions
- Providing basic product information
- Collecting contact information from leads
- Booking appointments or reservations
- Sending order updates and shipping information
- Directing complex issues to human team members

For example, a clothing store's Facebook Messenger chatbot might help customers check order status, find store hours, or browse popular items. When someone asks "Where's my order?", the bot could automatically ask for their order number and provide tracking information.