June 7, 2017
On May 30-31 we held our MARCOM Annual Conference (more on that in a future post) where I moderated a roundtable discussion on bots. I thought I’d share a few notes from my handout.
Working Definitions (sometimes used interchangeably)
- Bot: A piece of software that is designed and created to automate the kinds of tasks we would usually do on our own such as making a reservation, adding an event to your calendar, opening a program or displaying a summary report (e.g. general personal assistant bots such as Siri [Apple], Cortana [Microsoft], Echo [Amazon], Google Assistant [Google])
- Chatbot: A computer algorithm typically built within a messaging platform that is designed to simulate an intelligent conversation with one or more human users via conversational interfaces (e.g. Hyatt chatbot on Facebook Messenger or H&M chatbot on Kik)
Global Drivers of Bot Adoption
- Over 50% (3.7 billion) of the global population now has internet access
- Of this group, 78% access the internet via smartphone and 76% use some form of social networking
- Instant messaging has now surpassed social networking as the top daily online activity. It has simplified how we interact.
- Websites can be complicated and tend to suffer from way too much info for today’s quick consumption habits
- People are tired of apps (65% of smartphone users download no new apps; 7 used on average). Also, apps need to be downloaded and most are poorly designed and require new UI learning each time
- Advancements in natural language understanding and rise of voice and image based search
Common Bot Traits
- Specific to Each Messaging App (e.g. Quick replies, buttons, persistent menus, list templates, carousels)
- Enriched UI Elements (e.g. Predefined elements used to enrich UI and UX, HTML5 webviews give app-like look and feel)
- Supportive Conversation (e.g. Structured inputs and predictive text to minimize typing effort for users)
- Streamlined interface (e.g. All interaction and history in one stream, growing ability for bots to connect to other bots)
- Group chat (e.g. Ability to add bots to a group or bring a bot into a conversation through an in-line reference).
Bot Monetization Models
- Subscription (freemium model)
- Offering data/analytics insights
- Selling actual tangible goods
- Referral fees (e.g. Airline Bot talking to Car Rental Bot)
- In-bot virtual goods
Finding Bots
- Search within a supporting messaging app (FB Messenger, Skype, Kik, WeChat, Slack, etc.)
- Featured in a messaging app (e.g. Bot Discovery in FB Messenger)
- External bot listing sites and stores (e.g. Botlist.co, Chatbottle.co, Topbots.com/brands, Chatbots.org)
- Shortlinks /QR codes posted on print materials
Evolution of Bots and Predictions Going Forward
- 2015: First bots launch on select messaging platforms
- 2016-2017: Bot compatibility integrated into most messaging platforms (Over 100K bots on FB alone)
- Next 1-2 years: Users learn to adopt and use bots as bot ecosystem grows
- 2-4 years from now: Most daily mobile tasks are bot assisted in some way, while bots, in general, get smarter through AI
- Ongoing: Human supervision (human takeover/triage when needed)
“Chat apps will come to be thought of as the new browsers; bots will be the new websites. This is the beginning of a new Internet.” -Ted Livingston, Founder of Kik
