The AI hype cycle is raging all around us and if your news feeds are anything like mine you’ll be seeing regular updates on the many ways AI is disrupting classic business models.
For the most part the advances in AI and machine learning are helping process “big data” to offer insights into mass behaviour or market trends. At the consumer layer we are only just starting to see where AI will visibly affect our day to day lives. Over recent years, with the advent of ‘Siri’, ‘Google Assistant’ and the blinding success of Amazon’s ‘Alexa’, natural language assistants have really started to show us the path to the future of where AI really meets the customer.
Use cases have been relatively simple to date but the tide is turning and over the next couple of years we expect to see a tidal wave of ever more compelling digital assistants helping us complete a wide range of tasks. It is projected that 25% of customer service operations will use virtual customer assistants by 2020 (Gartner) and by 2025, an estimated 95% of customer interactions will be supported by AI technology ” (Forbes). Brands are realising this is a powerful weapon in gaining market share as an assistant improves Net Promoter Scores by 25% (Cap Gemini)
Assistants are gaining market share faster than the internet or smartphones at the time of their launch (see graph below):
Here are what I believe to be the 5 principal drivers of this growth:
“The best interface is no interface” - Golden Krishna
When you visit a website or an app for the first time you have to work out how do get to your desired outcome. There are 8.3 Trillion SMS messages sent per year and a lot more spoken words. People know how to use natural language already so this interface takes friction out of any first engagement, delighting the user and making them more likely to come back.
The assistants are coming, how will you use them to your greatest advantage? Please get in touch with Dazzle who will be delighted to answer any questions you may have.
Charlie Cadbury is Co-Founder of Dazzle, the conversational platform that helps Travel Operators communicate and build relationships with their customers who, in turn, can buy and experience their end-to-end journey simply and conveniently using digital messaging and voice channels.