Consumers today want to communicate with their devices. They expect operating systems to recognize their voices and understand what they are saying. Conversational user interfaces (CUIs), voice recognition, and voice recognition are not new technologies. However, they have come a long way since their inception back in the 1980s. Conversational interfaces have become a standard feature in UI/UX design and are quickly taking over the web. Learn more about this technology and how it can be used by websites to connect with users on deeper levels.

Learn the facts about conversational interfaces

Artificial intelligence (AI), has revolutionized the way people communicate with technology. Conversational AI interfaces like Siri and Alexa made language-based technologies mainstream. They also opened the doors to unique market opportunities back in 2011. UX designers have been experimenting with chatbots and language-based applications since then. This research shows the impact of chatbots and CUIs on modern consumers.

• 95% of customers believe chatbots have the greatest benefit in improving customer service.

• 57% of customers say chatbots are appealing to them for immediate contact with the company.

• 55 percent of consumers want to connect with companies via messaging apps when they are having a problem.

• 48 percent prefer to chat with brands via live chat over any other contact method.

• 47% of chatbot users say they would purchase goods and services.

• 35 percent of customers say they would like to see chatbots used more often by companies.

• Globally, 27 percent of consumers are “very interested in” AI-based tools.

• 21 percent believe chatbots make it easy to contact businesses.

Researchers estimated that the market for chatbots was worth $702 million last year. The market is expected to grow at a 35.2% compound rate between 2016 and 2022. Research predicts that enterprise intelligent assistant investments will reach $4.5 billion by 2022. Chatbots and conversational AI have proven to be powerful marketing tools for companies of all industries. It is now a matter of how businesses can use CUIs in order to generate leads, increase user engagement and seal more sales.

Discover the Most Popular CUI Design Principles

Slack, Skype, and Facebook Messenger are some of the most used chatbots. There are two types of chatbots that businesses can benefit from business-oriented chatbots and consumer-oriented chatbots. Chatbots that are consumer-oriented allow for communication between the company, the user, and the company. Chatbots can be used to replace phone calls, emails, and face-to-face customer service conversations. Companies that use CUI design principles today are focused on increasing consumer engagement and satisfaction. These are some of the most well-known:

• It is important to clearly identify the purpose of the chatbot. This will encourage users to use the communication method. A chatbot for customer service on a legal website could say, “Ask a real attorney and get an instant response.”

• Personalize each conversation. Every modern marketer has personalization as a top goal. Chatbots are still subject to this principle. Online chats are most successful when companies refer to users by their names and have friendly and realistic conversations.

• Combine visuals and communications. CUIs are a way to give users a new experience, like the Amazon Echo Show. To provide a better user experience, they combine the capabilities of voice-based chatbots and video. Visuals are especially helpful during complicated customer interactions.

• Make suggestions for solving the user’s problem. Chatbots should be able to understand the question of the user and offer appropriate solutions. A chatbot that is able to recognize input will quickly give you suggestions on how to proceed.

• To brighten the tone, use emojis. Emojis can give chatbots warmth and personality, making conversations feel more like having a conversation with friends. The best way to build a relationship between chatbots and users is to use emojis in a friendly and casual manner.

• Design for everyone. Your voice user interfaces should be accessible to everyone. To create a comfortable and effective CUI experience, design elements like volume control, multimodal interactions or transmitting to hearing aids via Bluetooth, FM or Bluetooth can be used to avoid ostracizing users who are hard of hearing or deaf.

Chatbots that are consumer-oriented offer many advantages over traditional communication methods. They can provide instant responses and help when you need it. Any type of conversational interface should replace the interfaces that users use to communicate with companies. CUIs should be able to quickly and effectively respond to consumers’ needs and guide them through the sales process.

How to Integrate CUIs into Your Marketing Strategy

CUIs will be the future of consumer interaction with brands. Chatbots will become more intuitive and adaptable to users’ needs, and it is only a matter of time before they are the preferred way to engage and communicate with consumers. Marketers and business owners should think about adding conversational interfaces to their marketing strategies and websites. Modern technology makes it easy to add a CUI to a website. These steps will help you create a simple chatbot for your website.

1. Your chatbot’s goals should be clearly defined. Do not add a chatbot because it is popular. Identify your business goals and build your bot accordingly. Identify the target audience for your chatbot and decide its primary mission. This could be to share information about your company, provide technical support, or simplify e-commerce shopping.
2. Make a plan. Create a plan. Once you have figured out why you are creating your chatbot, you can create a plan to help your customers achieve their goals. You can plan how your chatbot will respond to users who ask specific questions or request actions. Your chatbot’s responses will be determined based on user input.
3. Identify the user interface elements. Next, you will need to design the UI that you want. Your chatbot may look similar to an instant messaging app. Your chatbot will be different thanks to AI. You may have buttons that users can press to reduce the conversation or a “Smart Reply” button that generates pre-written responses based on input.
4. Select your chatbot design. There are two types of CUIs available: retrieval-based or generative. Retrieval-based chatbots use a variety of answers to solve common problems. It’s not intuitive or personal. The self-learning AI machines are very close to what Generative Chatbots can do. They combine natural language processing with machine learning to make them sound more human-like.
5. The framework should be defined. After you have created the UX, move on to the technical aspects of building your CUI. If your team lacks the required skills, you can seek professional help. To make this process easier, there are many common chatbot frameworks that you can use during initial setup and subsequent development.

Your chatbot developers will help you choose the best framework to meet your goals. The ideal scenario is that you can relax and let your chatbot interface do the work for you. CUIs will be the future of consumer-brand interaction. Get on board, and you will reap the benefits with a well-executed chatbot of your very own.