Chat bots have been the talk of 2016 among developers, who have hailed them as the next advancement in improved online customer service.
But Apple may have just taken the lead in the race to provide the best and most efficient platform yet with the latest upgrade of its iOS 10 system, in particular the changes to iMessaging.
Big brands and savvy marketing departments should take a closer look at these updates and see them as a major opportunity to better target customers. Burger King and Disney have already jumped on the potential of the iOS 10 update, launching their own branded “stickers” which no doubt will be picked up and promoted by brand advocates.
Third party developers could also have the chance to build mini apps that sit within the iMessage tool, letting customer’s complete simple tasks like ordering a taxi or inputting a meter reading. This will be a major benefit to customers who are unsatisfied with current online offerings. Nearly half (46%) of consumers who took part in a survey conducted by myclever said brands were failing to provide basic information online, 40% said they couldn’t get quick answers to questions and more than 30% said current services were poor and unresponsive.
So far chat bots built into messaging service like Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp have been the popular choice for tackling this problem. But Apple’s decision not to open the door to third party chat bots suggests the tech giant is preparing to unveil the next iteration of Siri, which will act as a more advanced personal assistant, directly signposting consumers to iMessage’s new mini apps.
The Siri tool already acts as a virtual assistant, but implementing a more advanced AI version within the iMessage upgrade could make Apple the key destination for companies looking to get ahead in digital consumer targeting. There is already so much information people put in to their phone that an AI assistant could have access to. If two friends are chatting about food the new assistant would be able to recognise that and suggest restaurants based on location or previous purchases.
The same goes with shopping for clothes, furniture, or any other product you can think of, the tool would be able to suggest items right into the conversation and consumers would be able to buy things without ever closing the messaging window. This ability to place suggestions directly into conversation could help brands bypass the issue of ad-blockers, which have become more prominent and a barrier to digital engagement.
Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp have been leading the race in digital engagement, but Apple may have just taken the biggest stride forward we’ve seen for a long time.
By Jim Meadows, head of product at myclever™ Agency
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