What is a conversational interface?

You feel a little stressed from work. So, you lean back in your chair, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and say, “Alexa, play some relaxing music.”

Talking to devices has become routine nowadays, thanks to conversational interfaces.

AI conversational interface lets us interact with computers using natural language. This technology is on the rise and is rapidly changing how businesses operate and connect with customers. Companies are using it to boost customer engagement and build stronger customer relationships.

It’s no surprise that the conversational AI market, valued at USD 9.9 billion in 2023, is expected to reach USD 57.2 billion by 2032.

Read this blog to learn what is a conversational interface, its different types, and how it can accelerate your business growth.

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What is a conversational interface?

Since the dawn of humanity, communication has been central to our existence. It’s how we share ideas, build relationships, and work together as a team. 

From cave paintings to the printing press to the internet, we’ve constantly innovated ways to connect and exchange information. Conversational user interfaces are the next step in this evolution.

Conversational interface is a technology that lets us interact with computers and devices using natural language, either through text-based messaging or voice commands.

These smart interfaces have made talking to machines more natural and engaging. Instead of clicking buttons and browsing web pages, you can simply speak or type your requests. For instance, you can ask your voice assistant about the weather, or you can talk to a conversational interface chatbot to find out the price of a company’s product. 

This concept of talking to computers isn’t new. Early attempts at conversational interfaces happened in the 1960s with programs like ELIZA, the first chatbot in the history of Computer Science. However, these early systems were limited by the technology of their time. 

In recent years, massive leaps in Artificial Intelligence (AI), specifically Natural Language Processing (NLP) and machine learning, have brought conversational UI into the mainstream. 

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How conversational interfaces work?

Talking to a machine might feel easy, but there’s a complex process happening behind the scenes. Let’s look at this to understand how conversational interfaces work.

Well, it starts with you. Your input– something like “What’s the weather today?” – is the first step. The computer then uses Natural Language Understanding (NLU) to understand your command. NLU helps it grasp not just the words but the intent and feelings behind them.

The ability to identify the intent is what makes these interfaces smart. They can remember your past requests and adjust their responses. For example, if you ask, “How does that compare to yesterday’s?” after checking the weather, the system knows you’re still talking about the weather.

Next, the system collects the weather data and uses Natural Language Generation (NLG) to translate it into our language. So, you hear it say something like, “Here’s today’s weather forecast...”

The coolest part? Intelligent conversational interfaces use machine learning models to constantly learn and improve. That means your conversations with them will only get more natural over time.

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What are the different types of conversational interface?

There are two main types of conversational interfaces:

Text-based interfaces

These systems let you type your questions and get written responses. Conversational interface chatbots are a classic example, often used on websites or messaging apps. 

Thanks to AI, chatbots have become much smarter. They can understand complex questions and provide answers that feel almost human. 

In fact, 90% of people surveyed said AI chatbots helped them solve problems faster. That’s why businesses use them for 24/7 customer support, improving user experience. There are also advanced chatbots that can capture inbound leads and boost sales.

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Voice-based interfaces

You’re likely familiar with these from smartphones and smart speakers. Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, and Google Assistant are popular examples. 

They use voice recognition to understand what you say and give relevant responses. Businesses are using voice assistants to make customer service smoother. Now, customers don’t have to wait on hold to ask simple questions. 

Voice interfaces can also remember preferences and previous conversations, making the experience feel more personal and satisfying for customers.

Some conversational interfaces are hybrids, they can use both text and voice. For example, Chatsimple’s AI Nav lets you ask a question using voice command and receive a text response. This flexibility makes interactions quick and convenient.

Now that you know what is conversational interface and how it works, let’s see…

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How does conversational interface help businesses?

Conversational interfaces show a promising future for your business. They can improve customer experiences, save you money, streamline operations, and ultimately drive business success.

Consider the example of an AI copilot. This smart tool is an AI-powered search engine for your website. Users can easily type their queries on its search bar and get hyper-personalized responses.

Here are 5 use cases of conversational interfaces like AI copilot:

• Customer support: Answer FAQs and handle customer issues 24/7. This frees up your team to tackle tougher problems.
• Personalized recommendations: Help users find the perfect product or service based on their needs. This improves user experience.
• Smooth onboarding: Guide new employees through resources, company culture, and processes.
• Inbound lead generation: Qualify potential customers through strategic questions and collect their contact details. Your sales team gets quality leads.
• Book more meetings: Tell users what your product does and how it can change their lives, encouraging users to schedule sales calls.

No doubt, this kind of technology can give you a serious edge over your competitors.

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Upgrade your business with a smart conversational interface 

Communication is the key to building strong customer relationships. Chatsimple offers innovative conversational interface as a service to streamline how you communicate with your customers.

Take AI Nav, for example. This smart AI copilot provides quick, helpful, and personalized responses around the clock, making your customers feel like VIPs.

AI Nav transforms your website into a lead generation machine. It speaks over 175 languages, integrates seamlessly with platforms like WhatsApp and Gmail, and can be trained within 6 minutes – no coding required.

Overall, AI Nav helps you stand out from the competition and achieve your business goals. Visit this page to learn more about AI Nav.

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