Tag: conversational ui

Expedia Launches Alexa Skill To Offer Travel Updates

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Travel site Expedia has launched an Alexa skill that let Amazon Echo users ask for updates on flights, hotel bookings, and rental car reservations without lifting a finger. Expedia customers can use it to check their loyalty points balance. At launch, the skill does not support booking flights or hotels via Alexa directly, but Expedia says it is working to add the feature soon.

This is not the first time Expedia has seeked to connect with travellers via conversational interfaces. In June, the popular travel booking site launched a Facebook Messenger bot, which allows users to search for hotels via chats and can direct them to the Expedia site to complete booking once an option is selected. At the moment, Expedia and its competitor Kayak remain some of the few skills in the Alexa Skills Marketplace that can track flight information and plan a trip.

What Brands Should Do
This serves as the latest example of how voice-based assistant services may transform customer experiences in hospitality. As Amazon continues to improve Alexa’s functionality and 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: VentureBeat

Lingerie Brand Gets Intimate With Customers With A Holiday Campaign On WhatsApp

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Lingerie brand Agent Provocateur has launched an innovative holiday campaign that leverages the private nature of messaging apps to connect with shoppers in an intimate way. Customers are invited to add Agent Provocateur’s number in WhatsApp and start a group chat with their partners and an Agent Provocateur agent, who will guide the couples through a conversation to help uncover their holiday wish list and recommend items from the Agent Provocateur Christmas collection that best suit their personality. As part of its “Naughty or Nice” holiday campaign, the brand also created a themed interactive video that showcases the dual styles of its products and lets viewers tap on the screen to switch between the dual perspectives.

What Brands Should Do
This campaign serves as a good example of brands using messaging apps as a marketing channel to connect with customers in an intimate environment. While Facebook still has only just started to make WhatsApp more brand-friendly, this campaign shows that brands can find a way to tap into the millions of users on the popular messaging app. Given the intimate nature of this campaign, it makes sense for Agent Provocateur to opt for a human agent rather than a chatbot. In most cases, however, chatbots present a much more viable and scalable solution for brands looking to reach customers on messaging apps that are popular among mobile users.

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: Mobile Marketing Magazine

Amazon Launches Bot Framework Lex To Extend Deep Learning To Developers

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Earlier today at its re:Invent developer event, Amazon announced a series of updates to its  Amazon Web Services (AWS), the biggest public cloud infrastructure provider at the moment. Most notably, the Seattle-based company also introduced Amazon Lex, a bot framework akin to the one Microsoft debuted earlier this year, to extend the deep learning technologies that power Alexa to developers. With Lex’s deep learning functionalities of automatic speech recognition (ASR) and natural language understanding (NLU),  brands can work with developers to build sophisticated conversational interfaces into any application using voice and text.

What Brands Should Do
What truly sets Amazon Lex apart from the existing bot-building frameworks is that it allows developers to tap into the deep learning technologies powering Alexa, Amazon’s leading voice-based personal assistant service. The ecommerce giant has reportedly sold more than 5 million Alexa-enabled Echo smart speakers since launch, and as the company continues to make strong pushes for its hardware products, more and more mainstream consumers will soon become reachable via Alexa. By leveraging Lex, brands will be able to build advanced applications with highly engaging user experiences and lifelike conversational interactions.

The Lab has extensive experience with building chatbots and Alexa skills for brands. The new Messenger bot we build in collaboration with Ansible for Kia delivers comprehensive product information about the all-new Niro model via friendly chats. We are very excited to explore the new possibilities that Amazon Lex is set to unleash and work with our clients to navigate the new realities that conversational interfaces are set to bring. 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: VentureBeat

Amazon To Lure Holiday Shoppers With Alexa-Exclusive Deals

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Amazon is set to lure more holiday shoppers to try out its Alexa-enabled Echo devices with exclusive deals. Starting with the upcoming Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and lasting until the rest of the year, Amazon will be offering customers special deals available only through its digital assistant service. In addition, Amazon is also offering customers who purchase an Alexa-exclusive deal between now and Cyber Monday a bonus $5 Amazon gift card. Earlier this year, the ecommerce giant offered similar Alexa-exclusive deals during its Prime Day sales event, which proved quite popular with Alexa users.

What Brands Should Do
As Amazon continues to integrate shopping capabilities into Alexa and incentivizing more shoppers to try it out, it is familiarizing millions of its customers with voice-based conversational commerce as well as locking in their customer loyalty. With Alexa-enabled devices gaining traction with mainstream consumers, voice ordering is something that retail and CPG brands need to look out for.

For other brands, the popularization of voice-based digital assistant devices like Echo or Google Home also opens up a new channel for brands to reach customers in their living rooms. For instance, Amazon recently created an audio game for Alexa to promote its upcoming original auto show The Grand Tour, showing the potential for companies to connect with customers through similar conversational branded content.

The Lab has extensive experience with building Alexa skills and helping brands navigate the new realities that conversational interfaces are set to bring. If you’re interested in learning more about our take on this topic, please reach out and schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: AdWeek

Ansible And IPG Media Lab Launch NiroBot On Messenger To Introduce New Kia Model

Posted on by Lab Team

Kia Motors America (KMA) on Thursday launched NiroBot, a chatbot for Facebook Messenger, to deliver instant access to comprehensive product information about the all-new 2017 Niro hybrid utility vehicle, making it among the first automotive brands in the U.S. to utilize Facebook Messenger.

Developed and implemented by Ansible, KMA’s agency partner, in collaboration with IPG Media Lab, the NiroBot aims to introduce consumers to the new model through automated, engaging conversations. You can start chatting with the NiroBot yourself to get an hands-on experience with this next-gen customer engagement tool by clicking here.

The NiroBot is packed with helpful features and eye-catching visual designs, including full-screen galleries, guided vehicle discovery, rich product specification menus, deep linking to kia.com, expansive technical information regarding the vehicle, step-by-step tutorials, and test drive scheduling calendars on a user-friendly interface. Additionally, the NiroBot can connect the user to a live Kia representative at any time during the chat.

convos-screenshot

Besides its comprehensive product-related functions, the NiroBot also comes with a charming personality that is designed to optimize the chat experience. It can tell jokes, offer witty answers to some driving-related questions, and greet customers with various phrases depending on the time of the day. These touches of personality truly elevate the experience and make the NiroBot fun to chat with.

Facebook Messenger is used by more than one billion consumers worldwide monthly, and those accessing the NiroBot for Messenger will benefit from comprehensive product information, multimedia product overviews and the ability to schedule a test drive of the first Kia vehicle to make use of an all-new, dedicated eco-car platform.

As consumer habits shifts, more and more customers are opting to communicate with brands on social and chat apps. Therefore, it is imperative that brands follow their audiences and look into ways to connect with them on those messaging platforms.

The Media Lab and Ansible have considerable experience with building chatbots and working with brands to apply conversational experiences to marketing. The One Direction fan experience The Lab developed for Sony Music on messaging app Kik earned a Smarties Award from the Mobile Marketing Association.

Please get in touch with the Lab’s Client Services Director Samantha Holland ([email protected]) or Ansible’s Account Director Merrell Middleton ([email protected]) if you’d like more information or have a client opportunity.

 

Source: PressWire

Hyundai Extends Alexa Integration To Its Connected Car App

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Back in August, Hyundai became the first mainstream auto brand to integrate with Amazon’s digital assistant service with an Alexa skill for its Genesis models. Now, the South Korean automaker is extending the Alexa integration to all Hyundai models compatible with its Blue Link connected car app. With this expansion, Hyundai owners can now ask Alexa to carry out most of the remote control functions that Blue Link app serves, such as starting/stopping the car, setting in-car AC temperatures, and locking/unlocking the doors.

In related news, Hyundai is also teaming up with a car-sharing startup WaiveCar for an ad-supported car sharing pilot program in L.A. that allows interested consumers to drive the IONIQ, Hyundai’s first electric vehicle, for free.

What Brands Should Do
With this Alexa integration, Hyundai has found a way to plug their connected cars into the smart home space and open up new possibilities for them to connect with customers at home. As automakers experiment with smart home device connectivity to expand the reach of their services, other brands should take note and start exploring this space to reach customers at home as well.

The Lab has extensive experience with building Alexa skills and helping brands navigate the new realities that conversational interfaces are set to bring. If you’re interested in learning more, please reach out and schedule a visit to the Lab.

 

Source: Engadget & TechCrunch

Facebook Launches Analytics Tool For Messenger Bots

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Facebook is introducing a first-party analytics tool for bots within its Facebook Analytics for Apps dashboard to help developers and brands better track the performance of their Messenger chatbots. The new analytic tool will provide detailed information about user interactions with the bots, such as the number of messages sent and received, the number of blocked messages, and the number of users who engage with a bot but are later transferred to a human agent. In addition, Facebook is also opening its developer program FbStart to bot developers to give them access to tools like Facebook ads credits and other tools from third-party partners such as Dropbox or Stripe for their bot campaigns.

What Brands Should Do
In combination with News Feed ads for bots that became available last week, this new analytics tool allows brands making Messenger bots to track and target users based on demographic metrics and locations. With over 34,000 developers having made Messenger bots since the platform launched in April, it is imperative that brands should leverage the available Messenger tools to effectively reach their desired audience and track user activities to optimize their bots.

The Lab has extensive knowledge about building chatbots. 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: TechCrunch

PayPal Integrates With Siri To Let You Send Money Via Voice

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
PayPal has integrated with Siri to let iOS users send and receive payments via voice command. The feature is available for PayPal app users in 30 countries starting Nov. 10 and supports a variety of languages. This capability is made possible thanks to Apple’s recently launched SiriKit, which allows developers to integrate Siri with their apps in iOS 10. Payment is one of the six types of functions that SiriKit currently supports, which also includes messaging, photo, and restaurant reservations. Other third-party apps that have integrated with Siri so far include Lyft, LinkedIn, and PayPal subsidiary Venmo.

What Brands Should Do
This update continues the trend of conversational interfaces that has been proliferating consumer tech devices. As more brands embrace digital assistants and chatbots in order to better serve their customers, brands that wish to stay ahead of the curve should start working with developers to figure out how to improve the customer experience with hands-free, voice-based interactions.

For additional information on how brands can effectively reach consumers on conversational interfaces, please check out the first section of our Outlook 2016.

 

Source: VentureBeat

Header image courtesy of PayPal’s YouTube

Facebook Updates Messenger Platform To Help Brands Drive Conversations

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Facebook has updated its Messenger platform to add a few useful tools to help developers and brands reach users and drive conversations on its messaging app. To begin with, the social network is rolling out sponsored messages to all advertisers. Facebook has been testing this feature, which allows businesses to re-engage users who have an existing conversation with them on Messenger, with select brands since June. Developers can now also advertise their bots with News Feed ads that directly send people to Messenger to start a conversation.

In addition, a new list and checkbox plugin provides developers with an alternative to Messenger’s typical horizontal carousel layout, which should be useful for surfacing sign-up forms and lists of retail items. The company also confirmed that it continues to roll out mobile payment capability for chatbots in a closed beta.

What Brands Should Do
With these additions, Facebook is making it easier for brands and developers to create more functional chatbots and reach more users. With 1 billion people now checking Facebook only on mobile, it is important for brands to leverage the available Messenger tools to effectively reach the massive mobile audience on Facebook.  

The Lab has extensive knowledge about building chatbots. 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: Facebook for Developer

Google Creates Custom Voice Commands & VR Game To Promote New Harry Potter Movie

Posted on by Lab Team

What Happened
Warner Bros. Pictures is working with Google to promote its upcoming Harry Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them with custom voice commands that let fans control their phones with “magic spells.” Integrated into its Google Assistant service, these new commands allow Android phone users to turn their phone’s flashlight on and off by saying “OK Google” followed by “Lumos” or “Nox.” Following it with “Silencio” will put the phone on silence mode. Warner Bros. showcased a similar voice-activated magic wand experience at the New York Comic Con last month. 

Building on this cute voice activation, Google also created a Fantastic Beasts-themed interactive VR experience that invites fans to explore the movie’s world and cast some more spells. The experience will become available when Google’s mobile-powered VR headset Daydream View goes on sale in November.

What Brands Should Do
This partnership between Google and Warner Bros. serves as a good example for brands seeking to engage with fans using emerging technologies such as VR and voice-based digital assistants. Making the custom voice commands accessible to all Android users is a clever way to hype up the upcoming VR game, setting a precedent for how brands may work with Google to integrate their intellectual property and branded content into Google’s services.

On Monday, Samsung announced it will launch its own digital assistant service to compete with the likes of Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, and Google Assistant. As voice-activated assistant services continue to alter the way consumers interact with their personal gadgets and how they access information, brands should seize the opportunities they bring to connect with consumers via voice-based interactions.

The Lab has extensive experience with building Alexa skills and helping brands navigate the new realities that conversational interfaces are set to bring. If you’re interested in learning more, please reach out and schedule a visit to the Lab.

Source: Google Blog