
Why People Use Chatbots
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is on the record for saying, “Chatbots are the new apps.” During the last few years, tens of thousands of chatbots have been deployed on a variety of online platforms, including but not limited to Facebook Messenger, Skype, Slack, Discord, and others. Companies are using chatbots for customer service automation and countless other tasks. Some researchers have formally studied the reasons why people use chatbots. We share one such study below. Chatbot questionnaire on usage Petter Bae Brandtzaeg and Asbjørn Følstad are two of the few who have taken a scientific look at exactly why people are interested in chatbots. They surveyed 146 people from the United States aged 16 to 55 about the technology. Participants were asked 17 questions about their chatbot use, including motivations for using the technology and experiences with chatbots. Demographic information was also collected. While a substantive amount of research has

Customer Service Chatbots Ready to Enter A Golden Age
Just a few short years ago, customer service chatbots were stilted affairs, little better than the scripted agents they were supposed to replace. As AI has grown in stature and usefulness, those chatbots are now serving millions of customers for brands big and small. And the agents are still here, focusing on complex issues or those that require a human touch, and as 2020 beckons chatbots will be ubiquitous. Back in 2017, the likes of IBM were quoting estimates that Chatbots will save businesses $8 billion each year by 2020. And it looks like that number won’t be too far off, as bots augment and replace traditional customer services. And that was in the very early days when virtual assistants and chatbots were starting to scope each other out as best buddies in the race for digital engagement. More recent research shows it costs $8,800 to hire and train agents,

Conversational AI Gets Its Own Trade Event
Chatbots continue their rise up the IT and business agenda, with an increasing presence at business events, technology expos and in the keynotes of thought leaders. VentureBeat’s transform is going all AI with its upcoming Transform 2019 event. Whenever there’s a technology roadshow or event on the go, AI and chatbots are at the cutting edge of the business conversation. SalesForce Basecamp events are currently touring Europe, helping business leaders get up to speed on all sorts of technologies to drive growth and innovation from digital employees, who are likely the final form of chatbots with a full personality. Follow the hashtags and see all types of businesses discussing how AI will change how they work, and work smarter. The idea isn’t only about revenue growth but having happier, more loyal customers, who are willing to spend regularly. On with the show For a longer look at the issues affecting

What Should Hospitality Industry Chatbots Offer to Guests?
Chatbots are growing in popularity in the hospitality industry, which is unsurprising as they can provide 24/7 information and booking services that are always on message. What other features should hospitality chatbots offer, though? The following infographic from Killarney Hotels shows where AI can fit with customer expectations. With chatbots, immediacy is key. One of the chief advantages of chatbots over human support is the instant response that a chatbot can deliver, so it is crucial that they utilise every means possible of delivering quick replies to guests. Messaging apps are a great way of replying to guests within seconds, so chatbots should be developed for utilisation on a range of social channels. That helps your hotel to win custom over a competitor if you can deliver the quicker response to a prospective guest at the booking phase. In the same way that airlines now allow passengers to check in

Chatbots as Part of a Digital Transformation Initiative
Digital transformation is the latest effort huge numbers of businesses are making to modernise, following on from cloud, web 2.0, digital business and others. As part of the drive to make all data part of their analytics foundation to help the business act faster and react to changing conditions, with chatbots just one of the many tools to that can help. Digital transformation is being touted by just about every vendor, all of them offering solutions to modernise traditional processes. They aim to help businesses add AI and cloud services to make data more accessible, to rationalise and streamline processes, and help the company compete in the upcoming 5G, Internet of Things era. Already, businesses are showing positive results from transformation initiatives, and as businesses look at another round of upgrading their IT, adopting cloud and becoming more data and digital-first, digital transformation seems like the road that most will

Chatbots Drive the Agenda at Call & Contact Centre Expo
London’s recent Call & Contact Centre Expo was home to a host of businesses selling solutions and services to keep customers happy with 20,000 visitors checking out the latest products. As those solutions expand to encompass the automated future, lots were talking about their chatbot powers. Call centre operations is big business, large enough for the likes of Oracle, Microsoft, Google, Salesforce and plenty of others to be keynoting or presenting as they tout their vision of the future. That includes lots of big, expensive services delivering customer management and friendship tools among other trends, while encouraging all sizes of business to adopt AI and chatbot services. Beyond the big brands, there are the likes of VoIPCloud offering a mere £3.99 per seat with a Google Chrome extension allowing contact agents to be located anywhere, far beyond the traditional office switchboard, ideal for small biz and startups. A vision that

Chatbots and the Arts Show a Different Side to Technology
From L.S Lowry’s industrial paintings to Fritz Lang’s Metropolis from endless sci-fi comics and stories to movies, the arts help play a major part in setting the landscape for the future of technology and the general population. See how “AI: More than Human” presents the world of bots and other AI-powered systems to the non-tech world. In London, England, the Barbican Centre is hosting “AI: More than Human” over the summer, inviting visitors to explore our relationship with artificial intelligence. While AI might be something that feels like a part of our daily lives, especially if your work or hobbies involve technology, smartphones, digital services etc., there are millions to whom the concept is still probably just as alien. Art can reach those people in ways that a white paper or game never can. Offering the opportunity to “experience the capabilities of AI in the form of cutting-edge research projects

Airlines and Banks Continue to Roll Out the Chatbots
Not a day goes by without a major new chatbot release around the globe. This week, Lufthansa and South African bank TymeBank are among those looking to broaden and improve their customer service platform. Chatbots are a key part of most airlines customer service offering, with KLM’s BlueBot noted for leading the field. However, things are changing fast with the Lufthansa group launching not one but three English-language bots for the carrier and its partner airlines, Swiss and Austrian Airlines. The move helps bring their customer service off the web page or app and into Facebook’s Messenger App – a product due for a big overhaul as FB revealed at its recent F8 event. The bots will provide support for passengers in the event of the usual flight delays, gate changes, booking and luggage queries. In a world first, the bots also enable rebooking if a passenger has missed a

How to Ensure Your Chatbot Is a Welcome Addition to the Company
Concerns over AI, job losses and privacy are all issues surrounding the rise of artificial intelligence, machine learning and any service that uses them like chatbots. Some basic best practices should keep your staff onside when it comes to chatbot development and deployment, possibly even excited about the possibilities. Recent research has to come to light highlighting the concerns of developers when it comes Ai developments that they consider may do harm in the workplace, or more widely in the battlefield or when used for spying or criminal investigations. The research is from doteveryone, Martha Lane Fox’s new tech and social responsibility think tank. The report, People, Power and Technology cites the need for guidance and skills to help navigate new dilemmas surrounding IT, and a need for clear government regulation so they can innovate with awareness. Yet, companies are starting their chatbot projects every day, and can’t wait around

The Importance of Video Content in the Dialogue of Marketing Chatbots
A prospect watches his favorite Youtube video. A highly relevant ad comes along that is better than the video they watch, they visit the landing page and the next thing you know, a chatbot closes the deal and process their card details. This is a story all too familiar for us who work behind the scenes with chatbots and analytics. So how good has video advertising become to feed the sales funnel? There is ample evidence that businesses can benefit tremendously from video advertising which is making use of the best tricks and tools available today. The fact is that YouTube videos should absolutely be part of your marketing efforts. Extensive research has been done over the last couple of years which has discovered that over 80% of consumers have made the decision to purchase after watching a video which has been released by a business. There has been a
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