Technology Imitates Art: The rise of the conversational interface
Conversational interfaces allows you to surface the same content you have on your existing channels, but in a way that is more user led.
By providing the content through a conversational interface you’re able to insert some personality into the interaction between you and your customers. This approach makes the user feel as though they are discovering content tailored for them, rather than a generic page for everyone.
The article below goes a step further — too far in some instances — by inserting conversational element in between the standard text allowing readers to investigate some areas of the topic in more detail.
The future
As we move forwards people will expect conversational interfaces more and more, and not just via a keyboard either. With the mainstream voice controls like Google Home and Amazon Echo we are likely to see this becoming part of the conversational UI as well. We’ve been experimenting with tools like Annyang which allows users to ‘ask’ the website through their computer/phones microphone for content on the site… very exciting times.
For example, if you’re chatting with a friend who’s on one side of the city and you want to meet up, there’s no need to leave Facebook Messenger. You can order an Uber by tapping on an icon and meet your friend in no time. Less friction, same result.
That doesn’t mean people won’t fire up their Uber app. Some people are still more comfortable with dedicated apps and prefer not to mix things up. But an Uber ride is available within the context of your conversation if you want it.
The business opportunity is staggering.
An excerpt from Technology Imitates Art: The rise of the conversational interface
