Tag: conversational ui

GEICO Introduces Conversational Virtual Assistant “Kate” In Mobile App

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Auto insurance company GEICO has become the latest brand to join the conversational service craze with its own virtual assistant Kate. Now available via the iOS GEICO app and coming soon to its Android app, Kate can help users navigate the app and answer basic questions about their auto insurance, such as the current balance or the next payment date. Aiming to facilitate a friendly and natural interaction, GEICO opted to add some personality to Kate by designing it to answer some personal questions as well. Users can initiate a conversation with Kate either by text or voice.

What Brands Should Do
This is the latest example of how conversational virtual assistant services may transform customer experiences in financial services. In October, Bank of America announced it started working on a virtual financial adviser named Erica for its mobile apps to help customers better manage their personal finances. With Alexa dominating the IoT devices at this year’s CES and more and more brands embracing virtual assistants and chatbots to improve customer service, brands need to start developing a conversational strategy to figure out how conversational interfaces may improve your customer experience.

How We Can Help
The Lab has extensive experience in building chatbots and Alexa Skills to reach consumers on conversational interfaces, which we’ve leveraged to develop a dedicated conversational practice called Dialogue. The NiroBot we built in collaboration with Ansible for Kia is a good example of how Dialogue can help brands build a conversational customer experience supercharged by our stack of technology partners with best-in-class solutions and an insights engine that extracts business intelligence from conversational data.

If you’d like to learn more about how to effectively reach consumers on conversational interfaces, or to leverage the Lab’s expertise to take on related client opportunities within the IPG Mediabrands, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: Business Wire

 

You Can Now Ask Alexa And Google Assistant To Order Pizza

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Alexa and Google Assistant both added “pizza-ordering” to their growing repertoire of capabilities this week as two national pizza chains launched support for the two AI-powered, voice-based digital assistant services. Amazon Echo users can now activate the Pizza Hut skill to access their favorite menu items and previous orders for a convenient reorder, whereas people using Google Home can order their pizzas from Domino’s by logging into their Domino’s profiles. Besides, Google Home also added several new functions to let users control Netflix playback or access information on CNN and WebMD.

What Brands Should Do
Domino’s is no stranger to getting its service on emerging conversational platforms, as the company launched a branded Alexa skill in February and created a pizza-ordering chatbot on Facebook Messenger this August. As more and more consumers become addressable via these voice-based smart home devices, it is up to brands to take the initiative to explore the shifting paradigm of brand-customer interactions they bring and find an authentic brand voice in order to connect with consumers. For more actionable suggestions on this topic, check out the Conversational Interfaces section in our Outlook 2016.

How We Can Help
The Lab has extensive experience in building Alexa Skills and chatbots to reach consumers on conversational interfaces. So much so that we’ve built a dedicated conversational practice called Dialogue. The NiroBot we built in collaboration with Ansible for Kia is a good example of how Dialogue can help brands build a conversational customer experience supercharged by our stack of technology partners with best-in-class solutions and an insights engine that extracts business intelligence from conversational data.

If you’d like to learn more about how to effectively reach consumers on conversational interfaces, or to leverage the Lab’s expertise to take on related client opportunities within the IPG Mediabrands, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: Engadget & TechCrunch

 

Wynn Las Vegas Hotel To Upgrade Every Room With An Amazon Echo

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Amazon announced on Wednesday that it is partnering with the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel to put Amazon Echo smart speakers in its over 4,700 rooms by the summer of 2017. At launch, hotel guests will be able to talk to Echo’s Alexa voice technology to control the room’s lighting, temperature, TV, and curtains. More features are planned to be added in the future, including a Wynn Las Vegas personal assistant and music streaming.

What Brands Should Do
This is a great marketing move for both parties as it not only provides Wynn customers with a frictionless, modernized hotel room experience that makes it stands out from the peers, it also helps Amazon introduce Echo and Alexa to a wider range of consumers. Conversational smart home device is a natural fit for hospitality brands looking to update their customer experience. Brands need to start exploring these conversation-driven platforms for integrations today as more mainstream consumers will soon become reachable via these voice-based devices.

How We Can Help
The Lab has extensive experience in building Alexa Skills and chatbots to reach consumers on conversational interfaces. So much so that we’ve built a dedicated conversational practice called Dialogue. The NiroBot we built in collaboration with Ansible for Kia is a good example of how Dialogue can help brands build a conversational customer experience supercharged by our stack of technology partners with best-in-class solutions and an insights engine that extracts business intelligence from conversational data.

If you’d like to learn more about how to effectively reach consumers on messaging apps and other conversational interfaces, or to leverage the Lab’s expertise to take on related client and learning opportunities within the IPG Mediabrands, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: VentureBeat

Microsoft Working With Third-Party Manufacturers To Make Echo Competitors

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Microsoft is looking to take on the likes of Amazon Echo and Google Home as the company announced on Tuesday it is releasing a Cortana Devices SDK to allow third-party OEMs to integrate its digital assistant service into hardware devices such as speakers, smart home appliances, and even connected cars. Smart devices integrated with Cortana will have “real-time, two-way audio communications with Skype, e-mail, calendar, and list integration,” according to Microsoft. The first of such conversational devices will be a Cortana-enabled speaker made by Harman Kardon set to launch in early 2017.

What Brands Should Do
This announcement indicates Microsoft’s third party-sourcing strategy in competing with Amazon and Google in the conversational service space, which should help push Cortana into more products. As the tech giants continue to push their respective conversational services into the consumer market, more and more mainstream consumers will soon become reachable via these voice-based devices. Brands that wish to stay ahead of the digital curve should start exploring opportunities in building advanced applications for these emerging platforms with highly engaging conversational user experiences.

How We Can Help
The Lab has extensive experience in building Alexa Skills and chatbots to reach consumers on conversational interfaces. So much so that we’ve built a dedicated conversational practice called Dialogue. The NiroBot we built in collaboration with Ansible for Kia is a good example of how Dialogue can help brands build a conversational customer experience supercharged by our stack of technology partners with best-in-class solutions and an insights engine that extracts business intelligence from conversational data.

If you’d like to learn more about how to effectively reach consumers on messaging apps and other conversational interfaces, or to leverage the Lab’s expertise to take on related client and learning opportunities within the IPG Mediabrands, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: Ars Technica

Mall Of America And Nordstrom Launch Chatbots To Better Serve Holiday Shoppers

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Retailers continue to explore new customer experiences powered by chatbots as two more prominent U.S. retailers launched their respective bot services. Mall of America, the nation’s largest shopping center located just south of Minneapolis, worked with IBM to leverage Watson’s cognitive computing power to develop a chatbot service that can help visitors navigate the sprawling shopping center and suggest routes and activities according to user input on how much time they have and what they are looking for. The chatbot is accessible via MoA’s Facebook Page as well as via a mobile web browser.

Similarly, Nordstrom launched its first chatbot on the Facebook Messenger and Kik on Monday to help holiday shoppers pick out gift items. The bot will start by asking a series of questions about who they are shopping for and then suggests appropriate gifts from Nordstrom’s online store accordingly. Nordstrom says the chatbot will available to consumers up until December 24.

What Brands Should Do
This is the latest example in retailers exploring chatbots’ potential in conversational ecommerce. Earlier this week, Sam’s Club also launched a “gift genie” chatbot that aims to help shoppers select holiday gifts. The rise of conversational commerce points to changing consumer behavior on mobile and a shift in brand-customer interaction.  According to a recent research from DigitasLBi and Harris Poll, more than a third of U.S shoppers surveyed said they’d be willing to make a purchase through a chatbot and spend as much as $55.80 on each order. As more brands start to realize the vast potential of chatbots, it is imperative that they find the right partner to work with to develop effective conversational customer experiences.

How We Can Help
The Lab has extensive experience in building branded chatbots to reach consumers on conversational interfaces. So much so that we’ve built a dedicated conversational practice called Dialogue. The NiroBot we built in collaboration with Ansible for Kia is a good example of how Dialogue can help brands build a chatbot experience supercharged by our stack of technology partners with best-in-class solutions and an insights engine that extracts business intelligence from conversational data.

If you’d like to learn more about how to effectively reach consumers on messaging apps and other conversational interfaces, or to leverage the Lab’s expertise to take on related client and learning opportunities within the IPG Mediabrands, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: VentureBeat & Business Insider

Sam’s Club Launches “Gift Genie” Chatbot On Facebook Messenger

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Members-only retail chain Sam’s Club launched its first Facebook Messenger bot today to make it easier for customers to find the right gifts for family and  friends. Dubbed “gift genie,” the bot is created by Rockfish Interactive and Conversable and uses a combination of both natural language conversational exploration and random gift idea generation to help Sam’s Club shoppers quickly find suitable gifts by categories.

What Brands Should Do
This is the latest example in brands exploring chatbots’ potential in conversational ecommerce. Previously, eBay and TGI Fridays launched their respective Messenger bots to sell directly on the messaging app whereas fashion brands such as Burberry have used Messenger to launch new product lines. The rise of conversational commerce points to changing consumer behavior on mobile and a shift in brand-customer interaction. Therefore, other brands should take note and start developing a strategy for conversational commerce.

The Lab has extensive knowledge about reaching consumers on mobile messaging apps and building branded chatbots. The new NiroBot we build in collaboration with Ansible for Kia delivers comprehensive product information about the all-new Niro model via friendly chats. If you’re interested in reaching your audience on messaging apps and better serving them with a chatbot, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) for more information or to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: VentureBeat

Google Invites Developers To Build “Actions” For Google Home

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Google announced on Thursday that it is now allowing select developers to create pre-approved “conversational actions” for its smart speaker and Echo competitor Google Home. The “actions” are essentially Google Home’s version of Alexa Skills, which allows users to activate new capabilities made by third-party developers for Google Assistant. Google is recommending services like its own API.AI to help simplify the “action-building” process for developers. and says open access will roll out to all developers in early 2017.

It is worth noting that Google Home handles two type of “actions”: direct and conversational. It’s only the latter that are open to developers to work on. Direct actions — commands that don’t require a conversation, such as turning on your connected lights — still require a partnership with Google.

What Brands Should Do
This announcement marks the gate-opening for brands to get into Google’s digital assistant service and smart home ecosystem, a first step in making Google Home a brand-friendly platform as Amazon’s Alexa. As Google and Amazon continue to make strong pushes for their respective conversational products, more and more mainstream consumers will soon become reachable via those emerging voice-based devices. Therefore, brands will need to explore opportunities in building advanced applications for these emerging platforms with highly engaging user experiences and conversational interactions.

The Lab has extensive experience with building chatbots and Alexa skills and we are excited to explore the new possibilities that Google Home is set to unleash. To help brands navigate the challenges and opportunities that the rise of conversational interfaces brings, we developed a proprietary system for building, maintaining  and analyzing conversational experiences called Dialogue that can guide you through every step of building conversational customer experiences. If you’re interested in learning more about this or have a client opportunity, please reach out to our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: The Verge

Starbucks Previews Chatbot Service; Partners With WeChat For Mobile Gifting

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
After turning its U.S. stores into sponsored locations in Pokémon Go to drive visits, Starbucks is doubling down on its mobile initiatives with two big moves. First, the Seattle-based company previewed a conversational chatbot service called “My Starbucks Barista,” which uses MindMeld’s AI engine to understand and place complicated orders in natural language via text or voice. The mobile pre-order service is set to roll out in Starbucks’ mobile apps starting early 2017.

Meanwhile, Starbucks also forged a strategic partnership with Tencent to tap into mobile commerce in China, an increasingly important market for Starbucks. The two companies launched a new social gifting feature on WeChat, the No.1 messaging app in China with over 846 million monthly active users, allowing customers to give Starbucks products to friends using WeChat. The partnership also includes payment integration, which lets Chinese customers pay for Starbucks purchases both online and in-store with WeChat wallets.

What Brands Should Do
These two initiatives indicate Starbucks’ ambition in conquering mobile by building user-friendly conversational services that are growing prominent in consumer-brand interactions (read more on this trend here). The partnership with Tencent to leverage WeChat to reach Chinese consumers could be a strong indication of what it has in store for U.S. messaging platforms such as Facebook Messenger. The upcoming chatbot service leverages the power of AI to make mobile ordering more convenient and user-friendly, which should significantly improve its customer experience on mobile. As mobile becomes integral to the customer journey for most brands, more brands should take notes and start exploring how incorporating conversational interfaces may help improve the customer experience.

The Lab has extensive knowledge about reaching consumers on mobile messaging apps and building branded chatbots. The new NiroBot we build in collaboration with Ansible for Kia delivers comprehensive product information about the all-new Niro model via friendly chats. If you’re interested in reaching your audience on messaging apps and better serving them with a chatbot, please contact our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) for more information or to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: GeekWire & China Daily

GE Unveils A Futuristic Circular Lamp With Alexa Integration

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
GE has unveiled a futuristic circular lamp that will be able to respond to voice command thanks to its integration with Amazon’s Alexa. Essentially an Echo Dot with a funky LED light hoop on top, the lamp also comes with a speaker that allows Alexa to respond to your requests and commands, as well as built-in voice control over the lamp. GE says it is expecting to ship this product in Q2 2017.

What Brands Should Do
As Amazon started allowing third-party companies to build Alexa into their own products, We expect to see more Alexa-enabled smart home and IoT devices in the coming months. This would no doubt push conversational interfaces more deeply into consumer’s daily lives, upending the way that consumers interact with digital devices and creating a new paradigm for brand-consumer interaction. As Amazon continues to expand the underlying deep learning technologies to more services, it is time for brands seeking to stay ahead of the digital curve to start exploring how incorporating conversational interfaces may help improve the customer experience.

The Lab has extensive experience with building Alexa skills for brands. If you’re interested in learning more about this or have a client opportunity, please reach out to our Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) to schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: The Verge

Lead image is a promotional image courtesy of GE

Google Updates Android Auto With “OK Google” Voice Command

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Android users will soon be able to activate their in-car infotainment system by saying “OK Google,” the same hot-word command used for Google Home and Pixel phones, as the search giant start rolling out voice command to Android Auto. With supported models, drivers will be able to get directions, check the weather, or change their music hands-free, which makes for a safer, more convenient driving experience. In addition, the updated Android Auto app also comes with a streamlined interface for driving and the options to have your incoming text messages read aloud and to respond to them using voice.

Why Brands Should Care
Compared to Apple, which added Siri support to its CarPlay in August 2015 and updated in-car Siri features this June, Google may seem a bit behind in introducing its digital assistant service into cars. Nevertheless, now with this Android Auto update, more car owners will get to interact with their in-car infotainment system in a conversational manner.

Besides Google and Apple, auto brands are also actively pursuing the potential of in-car conversational interfaces. For instance, Hyundai became the first auto brand to integrate with Amazon’s voice-based digital assistant service Alexa this summer. As more and more consumers become familiarized with the type of voice-based interfaces, brands will need to seize the initiative to navigate the emerging opportunities and challenges of the changing forms of digital interaction.

 

Source: The Verge