How This AI Chatbot is Redefining Support for More Than 1 Million Developers Worldwide

TL; DR: As a leader in the software development space, Syncfusion is used by more than 1 million developers and 33,000 companies worldwide, including 400+ Fortune 500 firms. Syncfusion offers a comprehensive suite of user interface (UI) components and tools to help developers build robust web, desktop, and mobile apps. Daniel Jebaraj, CEO of Syncfusion, shared with us the details of the recent launch of HelpBot, an AI-powered assistant currently in beta. In our conversation, we talked about HelpBot’s objectives, the challenges faced in perfecting GPT technology, and the developments ahead.

I usually start my day in the same way every morning: I make a cup of hot coffee and mindlessly scroll through my phone until it’s time to start work.

This morning, I came across a Reddit post with a screenshot describing the original poster’s (OP’s) experience with an Xfinity billing chatbot:

The OP kept asking for help regarding their billing inquiry while the chatbot veered off to repeat the same tangent. Commenters on the Reddit thread wasted no time in ridiculing the chatbot’s performance, with one user quipping, “I love that AI [lives] full lives that are as annoying and unrewarding as mine.”

Examples like this can easily lead to doubts about AI intelligence. But unless you’ve spoken with a developer or are one, it’s important to remember that a chatbot’s capabilities are closely linked to the quality of its development.

With clean and accurate data, AI chatbots definitely have the power to amaze. Creating a successful large language model (LLM) involves substantial backend work and expertise.

Syncfusion, a leader in the software development industry, recently launched the beta version of its newest service, HelpBot. HelpBot is an AI-powered support tool designed to assist users with queries related to Syncfusion products.

“Customers can utilize this vast repository of information without having to do the heavy lifting,” said Daniel Jebaraj, CEO of Syncfusion. “I think this chat interface will revolutionize many different things.”

With more than 1,800 components and frameworks, Syncfusion’s HelpBot may be the holy grail countless developers have been searching for.

By providing quick, automated answers, HelpBot saves developers valuable time on research, enabling them to streamline their workflows and — who knows? — unlock new innovative possibilities.

HelpBot is designed to address queries about Syncfusion’s components. All users have to do is specify the platform, framework, and component with their inquiry.

But Daniel reminded us that HelpBot is still in beta mode, so the Syncfusion team monitors logs to identify the most frequently asked queries.

“Those kinds of things we are paying attention to — like the logs — are most important because then we can look at the question, what kind of response was given, and how we can improve it,” Daniel explained.

He also shared some common challenges: maintaining consistent data, managing data chunks with updated information, reducing hallucinations, and keeping interactions context-aware to prevent deviating off course.

“There are questions we do not want to answer, like about the weather,” Daniel chuckled. “However, if there are inquiries related to the product that HelpBot may not yet have enough information on, Syncfusion may refer them to the knowledge base. If the knowledge base doesn’t have the correct information, it may suggest opening a ticket.

The internal team knows the system will improve over time, but users may need some knowledge to address minor inaccuracies.

“There may be times when a customer gets a code sample that doesn’t work as expected. But we believe our audience is capable of tweaking it until we refine it,” Daniel explained.

For example, HelpBot may provide only 80% of a coding solution. While a complete answer is ideal, Daniel believes that since its users are primarily developers, the trial-and-error nature of programming allows for exploration and accurate feedback reporting.

Recently, Syncfusion attended the Microsoft Build 2024 conference.

One of its experts, Michael Prabhu, shared how to build your own custom GPT using Blazor, Microsoft’s frontend web framework, and .NET MAUI, a cross-platform framework for creating native mobile and desktop applications with C# and XAML.

If you’re curious to learn, watch the video below. Michael’s demonstration also touches on how Syncfusion created its chatbot using the OpenAI API.

Now, onto the fun part.

When HelpBot was first developed, the Syncfusion developers used the OpenAI API for grammar correction and response creation tasks.

As they became more comfortable with the API, they concentrated on integrating context using prompt engineering. They began storing data in vector format to provide better context to the backend. After testing various options, they decided to use the Azure API backend.

Using the Syncfusion HelpBot is pretty straightforward. But for best results, here’s how Syncfusion suggests using it:

• Specify the platform, framework, and component when asking your question
  • Example: How can I set the alternate row color of a data grid in Blazor using the Syncfusion components?
• If you want to discuss a new topic or address a different component, refresh the chat session to reset the context
• Provide detailed descriptions to help the bot understand your request
  • Example: I’m using Syncfusion’s DataGrid component in a Blazor application, and I need to change the background color of every alternate row to improve readability. Which properties or methods should I use to achieve this?
• Avoid asking short, vague questions, as they may not provide enough context for practical responses

“Now, you’re capturing intent and then translating it into something executable with some degree of certainty,” Daniel said.

Since Microsoft now powers many backend services, including Azure, Daniel said this opens up many new opportunities for Syncfusion’s lines. This includes its Essential Studio product, which can offer new productivity tools that seamlessly connect to backends, such as OpenAI API.

The OpenAI API acts as a gateway to OpenAI’s advanced machine learning models, making it easier for developers to integrate cutting-edge AI capabilities into their projects. Users can select from flagship models for vision and text tasks to create API endpoints for various needs, including chat completion, assistants, or batch processing.

“The general idea for productivity-related things like chatbots or our other products is that you can take an input and have a system capable of executing that intent,” Daniel explained.

For example, setting up a help desk usually requires manual configuration to route emails correctly and assign them to the right team members based on time zones and group allocations. With an AI-based API, users can simply type their desired setup, such as “set up my support inbox with these time zones and group members.”

“It’s certainly an exciting time to be a software developer,” said Daniel. “The work we do is meaningful because we see it improves so many people’s lives. I think this is similar to the rise in computer power, and perhaps, arguably, will help provide better living standards for the world.”

If you use any of Syncfusion’s nearly 1,800 extensions and frameworks, then you’re in good hands with its HelpBot. Try it out for yourself for free today.