A quick rant on bot potential
Innovative technologies have a history of slow adoption.
- Telephones were dismissed as a fad in the U.K. Government officials said they had enough messenger boys to do the same job.
- During World War 1 airplanes were seen as interesting toys, but generals stated they were of no use for the military.
- The internet and its potential was glossed over. Once communication between networks was facilitated, we got web browsers that delivered rich content — and now we have application layers and platforms like Snapchat.
They also tend to come in 3-phase waves.
- The first wave brings with it infrastructure; tools that leverage and facilitate creation. In our case — platforms like Messenger and Slack. Tools like Chatfuel, Octane AI, and TheBotPlatform.
- The second brings with it new applications that drive mass adoption. Google made search easier. Facebook delivered endless content and connectivity.
- Finally, the third wave is where technology is improved and boundaries are pushed. The momentum subsides, paving the way for the next phase.
Right now it’s easy to see we’re in the first wave. Learning from each other, attending meet-ups and conferences, and of course… hacking!
It’s up to us as developers and designers to continuously learn from each others’ insights to build truly great experiences. Check out this article for a recipe on building a winning bot in 2017 (written by MATTHEW BLACK).
The grass is green.
Messaging apps like Messenger bring ease of use. No downloads, a dead simple interface, and a familiar environment. It’s the perfect channel to drive consumer behavior — if done right.
Whenever new technologies make a certain behavior easier, new possibilities are born. Bots have this potential. It’s all about figuring out what prompts the user to take some desired action and ultimately answering the question: What drives engagement on this new channel?
Let’s figure this out together 😎
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I’m Carlos and I generally write about bots, future tech, and entrepreneurship! Hit me up on Twitter: @imthatcarlos
