This document discusses the rise of conversational agents and virtual assistants. It notes that artificial intelligence is becoming integrated into many industries and aspects of life. Virtual assistants are described as the third technological wave after the internet and smartphones. Key players in the virtual assistant space are highlighted as Amazon's Alexa, Google Home, and Apple. The document outlines how virtual assistants will change customer expectations around customer service. It also provides best practices and strategies for brands to leverage virtual assistants.

1. The 101 on Conversational Agents

2. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS STARTING TO
INFUSE EVERY INDUSTRY AND EVERY ASPECT
OF THE WAY WE LIVE, CONSUME AND
WORK...

3. KEY STATISTICS

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...AND VOICE IS CONQUERING THE
WORLD

5. A VOICE-FIRST DEVICE IS AN ALWAYS-ON,
INTELLIGENT PIECE OF HARDWARE WHERE
THE PRIMARY INTERFACE IS VOICE,
BOTH INPUT AND OUTPUT.

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2017 IS THE YEAR OF THE THIRD
CONNECTED ERA

7. VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS ARE THE THIRD TECH TSUNAMI
The Internet → The iPhone → Virtual Assistants
1997 2007 2017

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What are VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS?

9. AI ASSISTANTS HAVE STARTED TO SPECIALIZE.
SPECIALIZATION IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE
CONSUMERS LIKE TO BUY DELIGHTFUL
EXPERIENCES.

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THEY COULD EVEN DISRUPT GOOGLE
DOMINANCE

11. ALEXA DOMINATES VOICE COMPUTING...
(for now)

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AMAZON’S ALEXA

13. ...BUT GOOGLE HOME IS CLOSE

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IS APPLE REALLY FALLING BEHIND?

15. VOICE CONTROL IS THE KILLER UNIFYING APP
FOR ALL THINGS CONNECTED
IN THE SMART HOME AND ELSEWHERE

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HARDWARE

17. VOICE APPLICATIONS WILL BE THE DRIVER OF
CONSUMER DEMAND

18. CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS: THE NEW NORMAL

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WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR
MARKETERS?

20. EVERY BUSINESS IS GOING TO HAVE A BOT
Respond instantly Communicate with
any number
simultaneously
Cost effective

21. BOTS WILL BE FASTER THAN WEBSITES AND APPS
Bots vs Websites
Instantaneity
Bots vs Mobile Applications
No need to download

22. BOTS ARE THE CONCIERGE OF THE FUTURE

23. 3 WAYS FOR BRANDS TO USE VIRTUAL AGENTS

24. BEST PRACTICES FOR BRANDS

25. BEST PRACTICES FOR BRANDS
Expect failure
Understand your
potential users
Clarify your goal
Identify correct use
case scenarios
Choose the right bot
development platform
Connect the relevant
systems required
Lucid conversation
Tone of chat

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QUANTITY vs. QUALITY

27. WHAT MAKES A ROBUST ECOSYSTEM?
1. DISTRIBUTION
2. RETENTION
3. MONETIZATION

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A NEW GENERATION OF CREATIVE
STORYTELLING IS RISING

29. A.I. AND VOICE WILL CHANGE CUSTOMER
EXPECTATIONS ON RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
AND CUSTOMER SERVICE

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WHAT THE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE

31. ECOSYSTEM SERVICES WILL SEE THE
INTRODUCTION OF DISTRIBUTION,
ADVERTISING TECHNOLOGY, AND
MARKETING AUTOMATION PRODUCTS...

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...BUT NEW STANDARDS STILL NEED
TO EMERGE

33. AS VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS GAIN MAINSTREAM
MOMENTUM, CONSUMERS WILL GET MORE
COMFORTABLE RELYING ON VOICE AS AN
INTERFACE FOR SEARCH AND DISCOVERY.

34. WHAT VIRTUAL AGENTS STILL NEED TO PROVIDE
→ A unique and true personalized experience for each consumer
→ A human-level comprehension of context, input, and intent
→ The possibility for users to voice random open-ended Q&As
→ A wider variety of functionalities
→ Bot-to-bot sharing of information protocol