The rise of conversational interfaces: chatbots and AI assistants

WhatsApp needed seven years to reach 1 billion monthly active users, whereas Facebook Messenger hit that milestone in under four years.

Facebook Messenger had zero bots in February 2016. The number jumped to 18,000+ by July 2016. It had taken Apple more than seven months to reach that mark with apps.

Unprecedented uptake of new digital devices and experiences coupled with the explosion of messaging apps and growth in artificial intelligence techniques like deep learning, natural language processing, neural networks are fueling the rise of chatbots and conversational interfaces.

• Today 44% of American consumers prefer chatbots for customer service
• More than one-third of customers prefer social media over phone conversations for customer support
• 59% of American consumers are willing to communicate with chatbots to receive offers or coupons

Conversations are the next interaction layer: 41% of US adults use voice search daily, Google voice queries have risen more than 35x from 2008 to today, and by 2020, 50% of all searches will be voice searches. Invisible, conversational, and voice-based interfaces like Siri, Google Now, Cortana, and Alexa are set to unleash conversational mobile moments, expanding the range of digital experiences beyond multi-touchpoint brand presences.

The future of your brand lies within consumer interaction points that are too numerous to count. And the brands that deliver thoughtfully crafted digital strategy for the faceless interface will be the ones that WIN the battleground for deeper, profitable customer engagement. Foreseeing the BIG future of chatbots and the advantages of putting conversations at the heart of computing, many enterprises are investing heavily in the burgeoning chatbot economy. Many others are exploring proof-of-concept projects to integrate conversational interfaces in their digital strategy to capture critical brand moments.