Digital Conversation - Introduction

Introduction

A Digital Conversation is scripted by a human, uploaded to a server where it can be accessed as a web service by other humans (consumers, employees etc.) and used to impart information to them, whether that information is advising them on the best camera to buy, helping them tailor make a credit card or engaging them in an interactive book.

A Digital Conversation can be undertaken simultaneously from multiple digital channels. In other words no matter what means you are using to access a Digital Conversation by, whether it's a browser or a mobile phone, you are calling the same Digital Conversation. This means that any changes made to a Digital Conversation are reflected across all channels immediately. This allows Digital Conversations to evolve.

Rather than throwing content at consumers, Digital Conversations are designed to engage them in a scripted conversation, to find out what they want and guide them to the outcome they desire. It is this Dialogue Marketing that many perceive as being the way forward, and Digital Conversations provide a solution to delivering this at scale. It moves away from a traditional one way stream of information with a consumers (offering every consumer the same choices) and moves towards a dialogue, finding out what it is they want and giving it to them. This movement is seen as essential by many:

"The past two years have witnessed the first examples of true two-way marketing conversations between customers and some of the world’s leading consumer brands. Driven by a confluence of innovation, competition and big shifts in consumer behaviour, the dialogue between brands and their customers is replacing the traditional marketing monologue" —The Future of Marketing: From Monologue to Dialogue The Economist, September 2006 "I think things are going to get infinitely more complex and the challenge is about taking things that are infinitely more complex and making them simpler and more understandable." —Robert M. Greenberg, Head of R/GA

In the same New York Times article Robert M. Greenberg then states that he wants to "engage (consumers) in digital conversations that are so entertaining, involving and valuable that they won't want to ignore them." The key word here is "engage". Digital Conversations are created to be, in essence, human interactions and dialogue with one human removed. Unlike Bots and Avatars, Digital Conversations are scripted, and this may well lead to more human like interactions.