Automated 1-2-1 Communication

The move towards digital communication environments over the past decades has dramatically changed the way consumers and brands interact with each other. When combined with ongoing advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and related technologies, this new (digital) communication environment is proving to be a fertile ground for the rise of automated 1-2-1 communication between brands and consumers.
One of the most prominent examples of automated 1-2-1 communication is conversational agents. These agents often take the form of chatbots or virtual assistantsand allow brands to have automated interactions with consumers in a conversational manner. These conversations can take place on brand websites, on messaging apps on smartphones, or even in the consumer’s living room, via smart speakers. 
This book aims to shed light on how brands can make strategic use of conversationalagents in automated interactions with consumers, with a focus on chatbots for text-based interactions and virtual assistants for voice-based interactions. We combine key findings from earlier academic research with learnings derived frominterviews with 21 managers and developers working for organisations using this technology in the Netherlands, thereby mapping what is known so far – both in academic research and in practice. We complement these findings with the resultsof a survey among the Dutch adult population (N = 901), which focused on the consumer perspective.