One of the biggest advancements in how we use smartphone technology is through virtual assistant apps. Whether it’s Siri, Alexis, or Cortana, you have likely engaged with a personal assistant at some point in recent memory — if not today.
Big Business
The smart virtual assistant market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 26.29% to reach $12.383 billion U.S. by 2024, and they help customers do anything from plan a road trip to follow a fitness routine.
Virtual Assistants use deep knowledge — algorithms inspired by the human brain that learn from large amounts of data — to help understand speech and language patterns as they interact with humans, providing a service to users that matches no other.
One of the fastest growing examples of IoT at work is Amazon’s virtual assistant, Alexa. Released in 2014, Alexa has become a household name thanks to her ability to connect to Amazon products and third-party devices like Sonos One speakers. Users can connect the device to their smart homes and control anything from light switches to the thermostat. Much like Siri, Alexa has become a staple for smart device users.
New Alexa routines are also constantly being added. Alexa’s Routines were first introduced to back in the fall of 2017, so they’re nothing new, but her new tricks this spring are turning heads. For example, Routines can now be connected directly to Gmail or Outlook and even trigger notifications for important messages.
Timing is a big update as well, as users can now schedule an Amazon Echo speaker to play the news or get a read on the weather first thing in the morning, then list any events you might have on your Outlook or Google calendar.
However, despite the incredible technological advancements in the field, mobile app retention is still a metric mobile marketing teams struggle with, and the majority of users still abandon apps within the first month of download.
In order to pique user interest and keep it, you need to be solving a big enough problem or offering enough value to warrant your customer’s continued use.
With limits on data storage space, dwindling attention spans, and bad previous experiences with mobile apps, sometimes even apps from the top providers can fail to grab users’ attention.
In fact, 69 percent of the thousands of Alexa “Skills” — voice apps, if you will — have zero or one customer review, signaling low usage.
This proves the importance of a mobile engagement and retention strategy that goes beyond mere acquisition.
The Limits of App Retention
Nurturing app retention requires establishing a genuine connection with users from the very first impression, and a continuation of that connection over time. For users looking for unique experiences, this can mean investing in something truly new.
One way to connect and retain more users is to push the limits of what an assistant can accomplish through more robust use of A.I. The uses for virtual assistants have essentially no upper limit, and many savvy startups are looking at how to push the tech further.
Above and Beyond
Consider the Toronto-based ROSS Intelligence — one of many FinTech startups based in Toronto — a company that has set out to create the world's smartest lawyer through the application of artificial intelligence.
Essentially a virtual assistant in the form of an attorney, it can recognize patterns of syntax, meaning and context within legal documents, uncovering precise answers to complex legal questions.
The future of A.I. and what it offers to the world of virtual assistants is exciting.
Whether you’re looking to tailor a virtual assistant app to users looking to curate their music collection or looking for sound legal advice, the right mobile app development company can help you to integrate the right A.I. into your virtual assistant app to maximize the overall user experience.
This can be accomplished through creating advanced A.I. responses to consumer queries, tailoring product recommendations, or mobilizing user data to personalize their time on the app.
Speak to a tech-savvy mobile app developer that can help you explore what A.I. can do for you in the virtual assistant space — you may find yourself surprised at just how relevant it can be to your goals.
