Why do Chatbots fail? A Critical Success Factors Analysis
Antje Janssen, Lukas Grützner, Michael H. Breitner
Abstract
Chatbots gain more and more attention, both in research and in practice, and enter several application areas. While much research addresses technical or human-centered aspects, development, and adoption, little is known about Critical Success Factors (CSFs) and failure reasons of chatbots in practice. Design Science Research (DSR) oriented, we first analyze 103 real-world chatbots to examine the discontinuation rate of chatbots in 15 months. With a literature review and 20 expert interviews, we derive 12 specific CSFs and identify failure reasons which are evaluated in a focus group discussion with chatbot experts, afterwards. We explain chatbots’ failure in practice, improve chatbot knowledge in Information Systems (IS) and Human Computer Interaction (HCI), and finally deduce recommendations and further research opportunities.