>Geez I guess no one bothered asking users if THEY like chatbots?
I think there's definitely two distinct types of people in this regard. Just like automated responses from phone lines, I much, much, much, much prefer "speaking" to a robot that:
a) is often less stressful than speaking to a human
b) is often able of hearing and understanding me better than a human
c) is often more easy to understand than a human
d) is often more straightforward to get help from
e) is often "happier" to help
f) is often much faster to interact with, especially in repeated tasks like paying bills, authorizing payments, etc
And if you do need to speak to a human after all, they typically treat you better knowing you've already gone through the "easy stuff" and are seeking something extra.
I'll regularly put off or completely avoid calling any companies (support, bills, etc) that don't have automated processes, and will just take my business elsewhere at the first opportunity.
I wholeheartedly wish every line I had to call were automated, and extending the real-time support capabilities of online communication only makes quality support more ubiquitous and easier to get, IMO.
--
I spent an hour on the phone with UPS support this morning (first their 1800 number, then their Reykjavik office, then one driver, then another driver, then the Reykjavik office again) that could have avoided a ton of back and forth and miscommunication if I'd just spoken to a bot in the first place that could take my request ("Hi, your online tracking says a package could not be delivered to my address because 'I moved', when in fact I did not. Please deliver it anyway.") and put it directly into a database available to the office/drivers.