This year in the Netherlands the growth in the number of chatbots, automated chat friends on websites or in Live Messenger, has tripled. Chatbots.org, an ErwinVanLun.com and Mensmerk.nl initiative, has announced this morning via a press release. These statistics have been gathered by analysis and questioning of all Dutch chatbot suppliers. In the future we will more often have contact with, for example, companies, via chatbots. Here follows the full press release. Chatbot
A chatbot is an automated conversational partner, a computer program that enters into a dialog with people. Chatbots can be found on websites and in chat applications like Windows Live Messenger (previously known as MSN Messenger). Chatbots often have a name and a face. Companies often use chatbots to answer simple enquiries or as a central character in a campaign. An example of a chatbot is the Postbank Buddy (Dutch) who answers questions about balance and transactions from customers of the Dutch bank Postbank. Caroline Tensen also has a personal chatbot related to the Dutch game show [‘1 tegen 100’ (1 vs 100).
Research
All the Dutch chatbots that have ever been made are shown at www.chatbots.org/nl (Dutch). From 2002 until the beginning of this year 53 chatbots have been professionally developed for the Dutch market. In 2008 this number will double. This will be a tripling in growth compared to 2007. In the Netherlands chatbots are most often to be found on the front page of website’s and as buddies in Windows Live Messenger. Almost exactly the same number of chatbots have been developed for each of these platforms (26 and 29 respectively).
Arnout Hemel, Senior Product Manager Windows Live at Microsoft in the Netherlands:
The number of chat conversations on Windows Live in the Netherlands keeps growing, currently by 1,3 billion per month. Microsoft expects an explosion in the number of chatbots. We see that they play an ever more important role in the conversation between brand and consumer.
Development
Chatbots have an enormous future. They were traditionally used as entertainment but now are more often used a representative for organisations, also known as ‘brand agents’ they usually have their own name and are able to help the customer quickly and cheaply.
Futurist and trend analyst Erwin van Lun, founder of Chatbots.org:
In the last few hundred years organisations have had to learn how to broadcast and advertise. With chatbots they are now also slowly learning how to listen. The Netherlands is ahead as a result of equal culture, language knowledge and high penetration of broadband internet.
About Chatbots.org
Chatbots.org is an initiative from the future scenario and trend institute ErwinVanLun.com. and Mensmerk.nl Chatbots.org has the ambitious aim of collecting all the chatbots in the world so that chatbots users have an up to date overview to inspire and surprise them. The content of Chatbots.org is created in co-operation with all suppliers who edit their own chatbots.
About ErwinVanLun.com
ErwinVanLun.com is an in an independent future scenario and trend institute with a leading vision on long term trends in media, marketing and brands. ErwinVanLun.com was founded in 2005 and has been available in English since last year. Erwin van Lun provide lectures and workshops where the dialogue is central. Erwin van Lun has been nominated for vision, design and marketing awards.
Note for the press:
Additional information:
Sites:
http://www.chatbots.org/: the Chatbots.org site
http://www.chatbots.org/nl(Dutch): is a direct link to all Dutch language chatbots for the Dutch market.
Backround
http://www.erwinvanlun.com/ more information about ErwinVanLun.com
http://www.erwinvanlun.com/ww/trends/brand_dialogue/ : the long term trend and ‘the brand dialogue’ of which chatbots is a part.
Images
http://www.chatbots.org/analyse/plaatjes: an overview image of all Dutch chatbots.
http://www.erwinvanlun.com/ww/erwinvanlun/pictures: photo Erwin van Lun