“Chatbots once required an advanced level of IT knowledge in order to build something that was both fun and functional for the end user,” said Beerud Sheth, CEO of Gupshup.
“Our goal is to make it fast and easy for bot builders to make engaging and advanced bots irrespective of their technical skills.”
With over 250 million smartphones, India is the second biggest market for smartphones after China. Also, Indian users spend most of their time on the internet on messaging platforms like Facebook Messenger and Telegram. That’s why having a bot strategy is crucial for any brand in India, said the company.
While it is easier for larger brands to create their own chatbots – something companies like Meru, Pizza Hut or Kotak Mahindra BankBSE -0.75 % have done – for the SMEs, technical skills and budgets can be a constraint. This is the segment that Gupshup intends to cater to with the new launch. Gupshup already has an IDE Bot Builder (a tool for technical developers) on its platform.
While the Flow Bot builder provides drag-and-drop tools through a web based interface to design the conversational flow for the bot, the Template builder allows business owners to customise the bot using pre-defined templates as per their needs.
According to industry analysts, the value of the global chatbot market has reached over $88M US and is expected to grow exponentially over the next decade. Gupshup currently provides development tools and industry expertise to over 30,000 businesses worldwide, including companies like Sage Software, Barclays and Cisco Systems.
Source: The Economic Times