1、How organizations and consumers are embracing voice and chat assistants Smart 2Smart Talk: How organizations and consumers are embracing voice and chat assistants Introduction Conversational interfaces have woven themselves into the fabric of our lives. Consumers are using them to turn on the lights

2、, to cook an egg to perfection, and to research and buy goods. With consumers building a strong relationship with these interfaces, they also represent a fantastic opportunity for brands to humanize at scale the relationships they have with their consumers. This involves using the learnings from thi

3、s new type of interaction to offer experiences that are contextually relevant, helpful, and personal. With this report showing how consumers are looking for humanized interactions with bots, conversational interfaces offer an exciting opportunity for brands to build a more authentic and emotional co

4、nnection with their consumers, shifting from transactional interactions to deeper relationships. In this study, we examine two types of conversational interfaces: voice assistants (where the input is spoken) and chat assistants (where the input is via a keyboard). The increasing capabilities and ubi

5、quity of voice assistants, in particular, are important drivers behind the popularity of these interfaces: Alexa is reported to have 50,000 skills (functionalities), be compatible with 20,000 connected devices, and is used by more than 3,500 brands.1 Googles voice interfaces support more than 30 lan

6、guages and the company plans to roll out voice capability to 80 different countries.2 Microsoft and Amazon have announced a partnership between their voice assistants Alexa and Cortana to enable additional functionalities and greater reach for their customers.3 At the same time, organizations are al

7、so adopting and rolling out chat assistants. They use them to streamline customer service operations or to get a consumer to the purchase point by providing store, pricing, and product details along the purchase journey. While consumers have embraced these tools, many organizations have not yet caug

8、ht up with expectations. We will see in this report that leaders in this domain, with a mature approach to these tools, are in the minority. In addition, most of the use cases that are being used are anchored in delivering convenience. However, consumers (once trust is established) are ready to go t

9、o the next level of engagement they want to see higher levels of personalization, emotional connection, and value. To understand consumers views on conversational interfaces and how their expectations have evolved since our research on voice assistants released last year,4 we launched this latest co

10、mprehensive research project. In addition to conducting one-on-one interviews with executives, we surveyed consumers and executives from three different industries consumer products and retail, financial services, and automotive. We talked to: More than 12,000 consumers who have used and continue to

11、 use either voice assistant or chat assistant or both. 1,000 executives from these three industries, including pure-play digital players. As well as providing insight into consumers needs, we also looked at deployment levels across the different sectors, the benefits realized, and what differentiate

12、s successful companies from the rest. In this report, we look at: 1. How consumer appetite for conversational interfaces is growing and how organizations are reacting to this 2. How voice is emerging as the preferred medium of interaction in many parts of the consumer journey 3. The myriad benefits

13、that companies are reaping from voice and chat assistants 4. How organizations should think about implementing conversational interfaces to give themselves the best chance of driving growth and return. 3 For the purpose of this survey, Voice Assistants refer to mediums(with or without screens) that

14、can be accessed through voice commands and inputs. They help users perform a variety of tasks not limited to researching products and services, purchases, provid- ing information, query handling or integrating with other connected objects to perform tasks. These computer-generated applications also

15、learn user preferences over time and gradually personalize interactions suited to the user. Examples include Siri, Google Home, Alexa either on smart speakers or embedded in an organizations app, website, or contact center For the purpose of this survey, Chat Assistants refer to mediums that can be

16、accessed through written commands and inputs. They help users perform a variety of tasks, not limited to researching products and services, purchases, providing informa- tion, or query handling. These computer-generated applications also learn user preferences over time and gradually personalize int

17、eractions suited to the user. Examples include chat interfaces embedded in an organizations app/website or in social media platforms like Facebook Voice AssistantsChat Assistants What are Voice Assistants and Chat Assistants? 4Smart Talk: How organizations and consumers are embracing voice and chat

18、assistants Key findings Conversational assistants are going mainstream Voice is fast becoming consumers preferred way to interact Many organizations are already driving significant benefits from conversational assistants Less than 30% of companies show conversational interface maturity Many consumer

19、s are highly satisfied with their conversational assistant experience. 76% have realized quantifiable benefits from their voice and chat initiatives. We found a small group of high-performing companies the “Leaders” who outperform the rest of the sample on two critical dimensions: Customer centricit

20、y, including areas such as developing these tools capabilities, transparency, and personalization Organizational capability, including areas such as a defined strategy, employee knowledge and training, and effective processes. We found that the Leaders, who realize greater benefits than others, focu

21、s their efforts on consumer-related factors. These include, for example, gaining trust, understanding preferences, and better meeting needs. These success factors were highlighted in our previous research on AI in CX as well.5 Compared to last year, the number of consumers using voice has shown a me

22、aningful increase. Most organizations consider conversational assistants to be crucial for customer engagement, and indeed the overall customer experience. 58% say that these benefits met or exceeded their expectations. Consumers like voice assistants as they allow for multitasking; and they like ch

23、at assistants because their level of personalization evolves over time. Benefits come from a variety of areas, from reducing customer service costs to increased NPS. Consumers in key geographic markets from the UK to Germany have increased their use of voice. Our research points to customers increas

24、ingly preferring to use voice assistants across the consumer journey by 2022. Four factors are critical if organizations want to leverage this growing consumer appetite for conversational interfaces Find the right balance between human and robotic interactions to drive greater engagement Equip the c

25、onversational assistants with additional features, such as images/videos Develop talent along three key areas: experience design, architecture/technology and legal/compliance. Focus on gaining consumer trust by solving consumer pain points and being contextually relevant when selecting use cases for

26、 conversational assistants. 5 Conversational assistants are going mainstream Conversational assistants are the busy consumers trusted companion Across sectors, more and more consumers are using conversational interfaces. For example, close to three- quarters of consumers (74%) say they use conversat

27、ional assistants for researching or buying products and services, and other functions (see Figure 1). The reasons for this popularity are not difficult to see: With voice, 68% of consumers say that it allows for multi- tasking and accomplishing tasks hands-free With chat, 59% say that it keeps impro

28、ving its personalization over time Satisfaction levels are also healthy: For voice, 71% said they were satisfied with their smartphone voice assistants, such as Siri For chat, 62% said they were satisfied with the chat assistants they find on a companys website. Figure 1. Consumer use of conversatio

29、nal interfaces, by different functions, global data Source: Capgemini Research Institute, Conversational Interfaces Research, Consumer Survey, April 2019May 2019, N= 12,247 consumers using voice/chat assistants. Have you ever used a voice/chat assistant for the following activities? Researching and

30、buying products and services, creating shopping list, checking order status Play music, check directions, booking an appointment for a car service, booking a cab (e.g., Uber) Learning about banking/ insurance products, checking account balance, paying credit card bills, transferring funds 74%53%58%

31、6Smart Talk: How organizations and consumers are embracing voice and chat assistants Consumer acceptance is mirrored by the importance that organizations place on this concept. The vast majority of organizations (74%) said that conversational assistants are a key enabler of the companys business and

32、 customer engagement strategy. Despite recognizing the strategic importance of conversational assistants, organizations/brands lag behind in deployment However, the importance attached to the concept is not yet reflected in actual deployment levels. As Figure 2 shows, out of the top 100 organization

33、s globally, less than half of the top players in automotive, consumer products, and banking and insurance have voice assistants, and the same is true of chat. In consumer products, less than a quarter (23%) have voice assistants and chat assistants. Figure 2. Out of the top 100 organizations, percen

34、tage that has conversational assistants Sources: Company websites, news articles, Capgemini Research Institute analysis. These are firms that are working on conversational assistants at any stage of maturity: pilot, multi-site deployment, and full-scale deployment. % of organizations deploying voice

35、 assistants Out of top 100 organizations in each sector 48% 17% Retail Banking and Insurance Automotive 23% Consumer Products and Retail % of organizations deploying chat assistants Out of top 100 organizations in each sector 49% Retail Banking and Insurance Consumer Products and Retail 23% Automoti

36、ve 15% 7 Automotive: Players are using voice assistants to allow drivers to control the vehicle and access concierge- driven functionalities. “Soon, Volvo drivers will have direct access to thousands of in-car apps that make daily life easier and the connected in-car experience more enjoyable,” says

37、 Henrik Green, senior vice president of Research and Development at Volvo Cars (referring to Volvos in-car voice assistant, which acts as the central interface for operating the vehicles infotainment system, from adjusting temperatures, navigation, music, to sending messages).6 Retail Banking and In

38、surance: Financial services firms have been steadily streamlining their customer services and replacing the routine and FAQ-type queries with chat assistants. “Bots have a very important role to play in the future of customer service as they are an efficient way to deliver a consistent outcome for r

39、epetitive tasks” says Daniel Bergan, director of omni-channel transformation at Australian-based Westpac Banking, about the chat assistant introduced to answer consumers financial product- related queries.7 Consumer Products and Retail: Retailers are keen to leverage the opportunities these assistan

40、ts offer. “Customers are increasingly using voice commands in their everyday lives to check the weather, play music, or find out the latest news,” says Matt Kelleher, online director at UK-based Morrisons. “It is important we follow this emerging trend and make Morrisons an easier and more accessibl

41、e place to shop for groceries online. Its exciting that our customers can now shop without even needing to login to a computer or mobile phone.” 8 It is worth noting that the trend of text and chat increasingly replacing people making calls or sending emails has driven the adoption of chat assistant

42、s. However, voice assistants are a relatively newer technology compared to chat assistants. As a result, many deployments will not be at scale. But we did find that across the three sectors, organizations are actively deploying both voice and chat assistants regionally and also globally. In “Voice a

43、nd chat in action,” we outline some key examples. 8Smart Talk: How organizations and consumers are embracing voice and chat assistants The voice assistants of US-based Best Buy offer product information, nearby- store locations, and even a tailored list of product recommendations based upon previous

44、 customer profile.9 The voice assistant of German supermarket player Rewe provides value-added services, from searching for recipes to reading out lists of ingredients when people cook their favorite dishes.10 Nordstroms chatbot, introduced for the holiday season, provided users with personalized gi

45、fting suggestions by interacting with them and understanding their preferences.11 7-Elevens chatbot helps shoppers with their loyalty programs providing information on points earned, new programs, and redemption.12 Consumer Products and Retail In India, automotive player Maruti Suzuki rolled out a m

46、arketing program for a car launch which included a video with an embedded chatbot. Its aim is to answer first-level queries from consumers interested in the new car model.16 Automotive Volkswagen provides in-car infotainment and navigation requests through voice assistants with advanced speech recog

47、nition systems.13 Toyotas in-car voice assistants integrate with at-home voice interfaces so users can control the functions of the at-home interfaces (such as setting the temperature before entering the home) from the car.14 In China, Daimler, Audi, and Volvo cars use native voice assistants to mon

48、itor fuel levels, mileage, and engine and battery status, as well as to control car doors and windows.15 Voice and chat in action: industry examples Santanders UK customers can make payments, check account balances and report lost cards using voice interfaces.17 UBS Groups consumers can use their vo

49、ice-enabled speakers to ask questions such as “What is inflation?” or “How is the economy faring?” to enhance their financial literacy.18 Zara, a chatbot from Zurich UK insurance, helps customers file non-emergency home or car insurance claims. It collects the information online and passes this onto the human handler, significantly reducing claims- processing time.19 Retail Banking and Insurance Less than 50% of the top players in automotive, consumer products and retail, and banking and insurance h