Glossary
A chatbot that follows predefined decision trees and keyword rules rather than understanding natural language.
A rule-based chatbot operates on if-this-then-that logic. It recognises specific keywords or presents buttons, and each choice leads down a fixed branch of a decision tree. It does not interpret meaning — it matches patterns.
These bots are reliable and predictable for well-defined tasks like menu navigation, order tracking, or simple FAQs. They never go off-script, which makes them easy to control and audit.
Their limitation is rigidity: anything outside the script falls through, so they often pair with an AI layer or a human handoff for unanticipated questions.
Rule-based bots give businesses total control over predictable journeys, ideal for compliance-sensitive or transactional flows.
Defuser AI's no-code Custom Flow Builder lets you create reliable rule-based flows and layer AI on top — start with the WhatsApp chatbot.
A chatbot that follows predefined decision trees and keyword rules rather than understanding natural language.
Rule-based bots give businesses total control over predictable journeys, ideal for compliance-sensitive or transactional flows.
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