RICOH Chatbot Service
: How to use it, features, and the business problems it solves
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What is RICOH Chatbot Service?
RICOH Chatbot Service, from RICOH Japan, is a business chatbot you can deploy just by building Q&A in Excel, and where you choose between a Q&A type and a generative-AI type by purpose. Beyond the traditional dictionary/scenario type, a generative-AI series (Pro / internal knowledge / general knowledge) powered by ChatGPT (GPT-5) on Azure OpenAI has been added, with source display, human handoff, and Teams/LINE WORKS integration. The Q&A type is from ¥18,000/mo (excl. tax); the generative-AI type is by inquiry. 30-day free trial.
Business problems it solves
About "RICOH Chatbot Service"
What is RICOH Chatbot Service
RICOH Chatbot Service is a business chatbot that you can deploy just by creating Q&A in Excel, and where you can choose between a Q&A type and a generative-AI type depending on your purpose. Provided by RICOH Japan Corporation, it bills itself as "an easy-to-deploy, easy-to-operate, hassle-free AI chatbot." In addition to the traditional dictionary/scenario-based Q&A chatbot, a generative-AI line powered by ChatGPT (GPT-5) has been added, covering everything from inquiry response to internal help desks.
It used to center on a "scenario + AI hybrid" Q&A chatbot, but now a generative-AI series (Pro / internal knowledge / general knowledge) has been added. The generative-AI type is built on Azure OpenAI Service and is a secure configuration that does not use input for training.
Choose Q&A type or generative-AI type by purpose
The service's distinctive trait is that you can choose "Q&A type" or "generative-AI type" depending on the use case. Routine inquiries suit the Excel-built Q&A type; answering across internal documents suits the generative-AI type (RAG). The generative-AI type shows the source document for its answers and has a mechanism to suppress hallucinations (misinformation).
01Q&A series
- Dictionary/scenario hybrid — answer with Q&A built in Excel
- Easy deploy & operation — build and update without expertise
02Generative-AI series
- Generative AI Chat Pro — references Q&A + internal docs, escalating to a human if not found
- from internal knowledge — RAG that registers internal documents (build your own generative-AI environment)
- from general knowledge — ChatGPT for business use (secured with Azure OpenAI)
How to Use
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Prepare Q&A
Create question-answer pairs in Excel. You can use industry-specific templates.
-
Upload
Upload the Excel from the admin screen to train it (for the generative-AI type, drag and drop documents or URLs).
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Install
Embed the tag on your site or internal portal; it can also go into Teams and LINE WORKS.
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Operate and improve
Analyze question trends and satisfaction in the admin screen, and update Q&A to improve accuracy.
Features
01Build & answer
- Build Q&A in Excel — deploy and update without expertise
- Source display & hallucination suppression — provide grounds for generative-AI answers
- Handoff to a human — switch to human support as needed
02Connect & expand
- Integrations — Microsoft Teams, LINE, LINE WORKS, kintone, SharePoint
- Multilingual — Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, and more
- Industry templates — manufacturing, healthcare, education, etc.
03Use with confidence
- Input not used for training — mindful of information leakage even in the generative-AI type
- Graphical admin screen — visualize question trends and satisfaction
Pricing
The Q&A series has public pricing; the generative-AI series is by inquiry. All prices are excluding tax, and a "RICOH Cloud Application Start Pack" of ¥5,000 (excl. tax) is required at deployment.
| Plan (Q&A type) | Monthly (excl. tax) | Initial fee | Q&A entries |
|---|---|---|---|
| STARTER | ¥18,000 | ¥5,000 | 50 |
| STANDARD | ¥50,000+ | ¥5,000 | 200–500 (expandable) |
| ENTERPRISE | Custom quote | ¥5,000 | up to 10,000 |
The monthly price of the generative-AI series (Pro / internal knowledge / general knowledge) is not published and is by inquiry. There is a 30-day free trial. Pricing may change, so check the [official pricing page](https://promo.digital.ricoh.com/chatbot/price/) for the latest (as of August 2026).
Adoption and reputation
It was named a "Leader" in both the chatbot-tools and help-desk-tools categories of the ITreview Grid Award 2026 Summer. Among adoption examples, at Sagawa Global Logistics about 70% of users were satisfied with the answers (as of 2019), and Seibu Railway reported cutting phone inquiries by about 30%.
How it differs from other chatbots
RICOH Chatbot Service's strengths are that it lets you choose a Q&A type or a generative-AI type, with the support of a major Japanese vendor and a secure Azure OpenAI configuration. Its ease of deployment and support differ from overseas self-build tools.
| Aspect | RICOH Chatbot Service | ChatPlus | Helpfeel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | Q&A type + generative-AI type | Feature-rich Japanese chatbot | Intent-prediction search (FAQ) |
| Deployment | Easy via Excel; 30-day free | Many configuration options | FAQ-focused |
| Generative AI | GPT-5 / Azure OpenAI | Generative-AI option | Search-focused |
The feature-rich Japanese ChatPlus, the intent-prediction-search-strong Helpfeel, and the generative-AI customer support Fin (Intercom) are comparison points. If you're an enterprise that wants to start quickly with Excel and expand to a generative-AI type as needed, RICOH Chatbot Service is a strong choice.
If your criteria are avoiding per-seat pricing or fixing the cost up front, Customer Support AI Tools Compared: 8 Products summarises how openly each vendor publishes its pricing.
The information on this page is based on what was publicly available on the official site as of August 2026. Please check the official site for the latest specifications and pricing.
![Customer Support AI Tools Compared: 8 Products [2026] | Pricing, Automation Scope, and How to Choose](/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2Farticles%2Fai-customer-support-tools-comparison.png&w=3840&q=75 "Customer Support AI Tools Compared: 8 Products [2026] | Pricing, Automation Scope, and How to Choose")