AI built in to the heart of user interfaces

Within a few short years, some companies and organisations will have adopted Artificial Intelligence (AI) in at least one part of their work: interfacing with their customers. (I’m using customers in the widest sense of the word: it could be students in education, or patients in healthcare for example).

Imagine the following:

Instead of having to log in to a website or an application, the application simply recognises the user’s face or voice
Instead of having to click on a menu to navigate the app, the user can just talk to it, either by speaking or using a chatbot type interface.
Instead of calling customer service (and being told “you are currently number two in a queue” or “Our business hours are 0900 to 1700 Monday to Friday, please call back during those times” ), they can get an immediate response (24 hours a day, 365 days a year) from a chatbot.

If customers have a choice between interacting with one organisation in that way, or another in the more traditional way, I think they will vote with their feet.

It’s a straightforward matter of economics

Adding a chatbot to your organisation’s website can provide a more interactive experience for your users while at the same time reducing demands on your staff’s time. Chatbots can help to:

free your team to deal with more complex enquiries or tasks
speed up employee training by providing a very accessible and intuitive source for staff to obtain information internally
automate complex workflows (such as providing quotes or booking services)
provide availability 24/7, 365 days a year
provide an alternative user interface for your apps than the traditional point and click menu/button system

Once written, your chatbots can be made widely accessible to your staff via various channels, e.g. Microsoft Teams in Office 365, Skype for Business, Facebook and email. This means that when your staff or customers need information, they can obtain it very quickly via the most convenient route for them.