How chatflow is (finally) changing enterprise
In an article for VentureBeat, Nextplane and Intrprtr founder and CEO Farzin Shahidi declares 2018 the year that chatbots join the enterprise. Shahidi calls 2017 “a flop for bots,” and says companies are finally ready to “adopt strategic and unique ways to weave AI into their day-to-day interactions and automate conversations for maximum efficiency.”
Consumers have already adopted chatbots as part of their lives through social media and telephones, and that begs the question, why is enterprise so late to the party?
Blame the hype. Automated chatflow was expected to explode, but very few companies proved the concept beyond the idea of a personal assistant. While it’s helpful to direct a bot to schedule something on your calendar or remind you when your next meeting is coming up, those applications weren’t transformative enough to generate widespread adoption at the enterprise level.
Part of the problem is that the focus for business use went to gimmicky applications, such as the Domino pizza bot that would take your order or celebrity bots that communicate with fans. These use cases automatically sent mindsets down a narrow path, offering one dimension of interaction.
Complexity around more sophisticated uses and a lack of real world applications had a lot of companies adopting a wait-and-see attitude. Understanding the capabilities available using automated chat technology is still in its early days. Implementation is human led, and if understanding is limited then implementation is limited, too.
Getting Past the Fears
As enterprise starts to wrap its head around automated chatflow, one of the hurdles to more widespread use is getting past the sense of fear. Some people believe chatbots will replace humans, causing a loss of jobs. Actually, the technology enables people to be more efficient and innovative in the workplace. Thinking is what sets people apart from machines, and helps them to stand out from competitors. Automated chat flow assists thinking by removing mundane processes in an instant and informal way through conversation.
Another concern is getting to scale. Implementing the technology requires hard work to plan, deploy and govern correctly, according to the Forrester Research report entitled, “Predictions 2018: The Honeymoon For AI Is Over.” Automated chat flow is a new process for the enterprise market, and implementing and adapting will involve a learning curve.
Embracing the Possibilities
While it’s been a slower process than the industry anticipated, a change in mindset is coming. Technology is moving away from the gimmicks, with well-built, well-positioned chatflows that offer multiple uses for innovation and problem solving.
The VentureBeat article cited a report by Grand View Research that states the global chatbot market is expected to reach $1.23 billion by 2025, growing annually by 24.3 percent as “chatbots have proven to reduce operating costs for enterprises.”
ROI is a major factor in adoption, and Converse.AI offers several ways chatflow can impact the bottom line. For example, the technology provides a simple way to build a survey to gauge employee satisfaction at any given time. Large companies spend tens of thousands of dollars on email surveys, with results not available for publication for a few months. By that time, satisfaction could have drastically changed. With automated chat conversations, companies can instantly launch a survey, record the answers and publish results within seconds.
Stockroom employees could use automated chat flow to quickly and efficiently order supplies with just-in-time delivery, ensuring that companies don’t run out or overstock their inventory. And Converse.AI can be used with other business tools, such as Facebook, Slack or Salesforce. For example, a salesman sitting outside of his next meeting can access Salesforce CRM files, confirm details and walk in with the information he needs to make the sale, through asking questions via a chat interface.
It can take time for users to wrap their heads around what the technology is and isn’t, and imagine the possibilities. Until now, enterprise hasn’t focused on best use cases, and that has slowed down adoption. Used correctly, automated chat flow will transform enterprise with practical and logical ways to boost collaboration and productivity — and that’s much more exciting than ordering a pizza.
For more information, or to talk to us about Chatflow for the Enterprise, head to www.converse.ai or email us at info@converse.ai.
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