Six ways Messenger Bots deliver value
On the eve of Facebook’s F8 conference, many are awaiting the announcement of Bot Store for Facebook Messenger. This will open the messaging platform to third party developers, much like Apple’s App Store did for its phones in 2008, and later for its iPads, computers, watches and the Apple TV. App Store generated over 20 billion for brands and the developer community last year, out of which Apple takes a 30% cut.
One of the big reasons bots are raising a lot of interest just now, is that cognitive computing and machine learning are presently developing faster than many predicted. This enables AI-powered bots to act as personal assistants, concierges, analysts, super forecasters, and otherwise powerful enhancers of human capabilities, as the world around us becomes further available and controllable by our smartphones. As they understand natural language, these new servants can be easily accessed via messaging or speech interfaces, paving the way to a future without apps. You can already see the promise of frictionless, conversational interaction happening: Tell your friend you’re going to “cab it” on Facebook Messenger, and it instantly offers you an Uber option.
Tell your friend you’re going to “cab it” on Facebook Messenger, and it instantly offers you an Uber option.
The Bot Store will bring a huge new wave of opportunities for startups and brands. Many are saying the Bot Store will be as big, if not bigger than the App Store, and the phrase “Bots are the new Apps” is heard often. Overall, there are many reasons to believe that bots will have significant impact:
- Many people already have Facebook’s Messenger, which will be the only download needed to access all of the (Messenger) bot world.
- Messaging as an interface is familiar to most of people using the internet today, and messaging apps are still on the rise.
- Messenger Bots won’t be restricted to messaging only, but can embed graphical user interfaces whenever needed, expanding their possibilities.
- Many bots will run on cognitive computing architectures, learning about their users and domains, and getting better the more people use them.
- Facebook already has a massive and well used infrastructure in place to promote the Bot Store and individual bots.
But what could and should we do with all these bots? To support a business, bots, as apps, need to be valuable to the users first and foremost. At the core, bots will bring value much in the same way that the internet and apps have so far, with ever more emphasis on personalization, context and speed. Read on for a look at six sources of value for bots.
1. Education
Hit up Wikipedia, Quora or Wolfram Alpha bots, and they’ll give you an answer in a blink, in natural language. Instead of “page not found”, bots can ask you more detailed questions to refine what exactly it is that you need.
How can your brand bring users the knowledge they need, when they need it — even if they don’t know they need it?
2. Optimization
Bots will save you time, and you can use them to talk to many services at once. For example, ask Uber to arrange a ride, get Seamless to bring you your regular, and Nest to heat up your home — all within the same message.
How can your brand, on its own or with other brands, work to save your customers’ time, effort and money?
3. Empowerment
Bots can enable you to do new things previously very hard or unimaginable. With spoken language interfaces, they can e.g. walk you through a space or a building by talking you through it, keeping your hands free for tools.
What novel or previously hard things can you enable your audiences to do with bot-enabled super powers?
4. Expression
Bots will come to know you very intimately. They can help you personalize the world for you, and even express yourself in new ways. They can help you refine your business writing, or assess your outfit and give you clothing tips.
How can you get insights into your customers’ personalities, and how can you build tailored experiences around them?
5. Connection
Messaging is about connections after all. Bots can connect you to people or resources you need, or things you care about, without the need to figure out their contacts, or even who or what you need to contact.
How can your brand connect your customers to people and things they care about, and enable tighter relationships?
6. Entertainment
A lot of the app world is about killing time by content or gaming. With bots, I’m wondering if we’ll see the rise of text-based games again. One thing is for sure: new, unprecedented types of games and entertainment will pop up.
How can your brand help your customers spend their time delightfully, by enjoying content or competition?
So there you have it, when thinking about your bot strategy, start with the six sources of value for the user first: Education, Optimization, Empowerment, Connection, Expression, and Entertainment.
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