Chatbots were trendy because people thought they were AI and could do the same work as a human. They were wrong and now chatbots have become nothing but a fad.
What's more useful are live chats where users can contact someone for help live on a chat screen. This is the future, not stupid chatbots.
The issue becomes when the human at the other end of a chat or phone conversation is limited to the same fixed set of responses and solutions that the bot is. So, they in effect become not much better than the bot because they are not allowed to use any non-scripted actions or reasoning. I have been encountering that more and more.
What's more useful are live chats where users can contact someone for help live on a chat screen. This is the future, not stupid chatbots.