Bots are not apps. Bots are not websites. For bots to become practically useful, we must refine bot functionality so that they are able to provide value.

This does not mean we throw away the years of work we put into websites and apps into a simplistic interface and sacrifice user experience and utility.

At Botler, we believe that bots are more than a novelty and can provide incredible value. We believe that bots should not be at odds with your app or your website; bots should work alongside them, and Botler provides a framework that allows it.

That is the Botler Method, and the bots made with it are incredibly diverse: they serve top headlines (and increase conversion), they help manage guests at conventions, they monitor lab instruments, and they remind people to take medication.

Every user action alters the state of a digital product. User actions may edit fields, navigate to new views, search or filter results, etc.

User actions are driven by intention. And when they follow an intent, whether to read an article or purchase a product, they follow a flow which you have decided. Here is the flow of a maps app, for example:



However, the user flows are rarely standard; users with the same intent may follow a very different sequence of action-states to fulfill their intent depending on how each product is designed. The power of bots lies in better understanding user intent and being able to deliver a state in a much more efficient manner.

Note: To software engineers, this may remind you of the model-view-controller (MVC) framework. Similar to how the MVC pattern is used to structure code, the Action-State Model is more adapted to understanding UX.

A bot can capture user intent right when it happens and puts you in control of delivering a state close to satisfying that intent. This means you are less likely to lose users because of confusion or have them change their mind midway through the flow.

Consider the maps app again. How could we make a bot that is actually useful for users?

We can capture the user intent (that the user wants directions) right when they feel the need for them. The user does not need to translate that need into a series of actions to fulfill the intent. The user can simply text "@Maps directions from Boston to Nashua".

The Maps bot will take care of the intermediate steps, and respond with a deep link to a maps app which the user will simply need to click to get on the native app and start driving because the start and end destinations are already plugged in.



The beauty of this is that the user has saved time, data usage, and (because of the light transaction) eliminates second thoughts about opening your app or website. For you as a developer, you can control key aspects of your product experience on your native platforms and satisfy the user needs almost seamlessly.

This is the new type of interaction that bots can provide which cannot be found through other mediums. Botler is designed and built around this concept to make it easy for you to capitalize on this.

Our goal is to allow developers to create useful bots. This meant we looked at each aspect of the bot landscape and we built Botler to fix major issues faced by developers - issues such as security, privacy, and accessibility - which stopped organizations and individuals from delving into the exciting world of bots.

Here are some of the advantages we provide developers:

Accessibility: We dramatically widen the scope of developers who build bots. Almost anyone with some knowledge of web development can start building Service Bots. On Botler, bot building is not a mysterious art left to AI wizards and external bot consultants. In fact, Botler has highlighted that most bots do not even need AI to provide incredible value.

Analytics: Botler proves analytics about your Service Bot or Data Bot so that you can get data on how your users interact with your bot.

Control: Botler will never force you to pick a language to build a bot in. You are free to use any stack you want - yes, even your current one - and your bot lives on your servers! Since this is your server, you can use any external/internal API's you would like as well.

Free Deployment: Hosting a bot on Botler is completely free. Users can reach your bot over the Internet or over SMS, with no cost at all to you. We take care of making sure your message reaches your users.

Privacy & Security: Unlike other bot platforms, on Botler you will never have to give away internal passwords or database access. All your bot code is on your server and all user query processing/data access is controlled inside your servers, Botler simply serves as an interface for users to access your bot universally.

Bots still have not made it to the general population, and it's partly because most bot platforms have not figured out how to seamlessly integrate into people's lives; bots have been tacked on as a plus-one feature to products that provide a vastly different functionality.

Botler is a platform built solely for bots - bots of all kinds. Our main goal is to give users a single, universal channel for hundreds of bots.

For our users, we constantly improve the Botler platform so that using multiple bots an absolute breeze. We also figured out extremely unique ways to interact with bots that make them much more useful. Here are some of the reasons why you will love Botler:

Universal: Using bots on Botler is not limited to the website or the Internet. The Botler experience is tightly integrated to your cell phone. Any interaction you have with a bot on the Botler site can be carried over to text messages. This means any bot on Botler can be accessed in the middle of nowhere - even on a brick Nokia phone without Internet.

One Number: When you make an account, you receive a text message from Botler. That is Botler's number. You can save that number and from it you can text any bot registered on Botler. Unlike other platforms, you do not need to save a new number for every bot. You can even text the number even if you don't have an account on Botler.

Privacy: Botler never gives your phone number or email to bots. Your contact info is kept safely with us so that you can explore bots without worry.