Simply put, technology started, and has constantly changed, the landscape of messaging. In 1997 when AIM started, it brought color to what was a very black & white world of messaging. The buddy list that they brought was revolutionary ๐ฏโโ๏ธ! When the early 2000s came, the instant messaging and SMS world incorporated the sharing of photos, videos, and more. Eventually, social media platforms like MySpace and Facebook launched massaging platforms within their social media channels. Fast forward to the mid-2010s when messaging became more targeted. Companies like Slack, Snapchat, WeChat, Skype, Viber, and Facebook Messenger positioned their platforms to specific users for specific purposes. Well now, expect another shift in messaging trends for 2020 ๐
Chatbots
According to Amanda Pressner Kreuser, chatbots are “chatty computer programs… respond to texts or digital chats, effectively carrying on quasi-conversations with the humans (your current and potential customers) on the other end” via Inc. These AI bots are able to listen to your consumer messages and easily put them through a pre-defined flow that takes the customer to exactly where they need to be! This streamlined system of communication is predicted to increase customer service productivity in 2020, which ultimately decreases the number of phone calls customer service representatives receive. Two examples of companies that do a great job with their chatbots are Drift and HubSpot.
85% of consumers will engage with businesses without ever interacting with another human being by the end of 2020
Source: HubSpot
Along with increased customer service efficiency, chatbots can also be a great way to receive feedback from customers on your products and services. You can personalize the messages that customers receive as they open the bot, and even have the bot prompt folks right when they get to your page.
Group Messaging
The need and desire for messaging more than one person have evolved into a category of its own. Companies like Slack have created messaging platforms geared directly towards the workplace. This allows for more collaboration across people, teams, and departments. They also have a ton of integrations, allowing them to do things like creating channels specifically for notifications!
Joy Labs is also changing the group messaging game by building a product called Memo, which incorporates group messaging, group email, and group texting, into one conversation, in one inbox. This has the potential to make traditional forms of communication irrelevant. Instead of needing multiple apps and platforms to talk with friends, family, and coworkers, you would only need one โค๏ธ(Click here to get your early access to Memo!)
The increased ability to customize your group messaging has also evolved and will continue to do so in 2020. Naming your group message, changing the topics and categorizing them, changing the theme of the message, and also being able to control who enters and leaves your groups, are all popular features in messaging platforms nowadays.
User Control
In 2020, it’s all about giving back control to the user. Control of who messages them, and who doesn’t. Control of what sort of messages come in, and which don’t. Products like Memo seek to perfect this, giving the user the ability to easily update their preferences on such subjects.
Another big part of user control is the privacy and security aspect. 2020 brings an increased ability for things like Two Factor Authorization and end-to-end encryption. Today’s users understand the importance, and their right, to privacy. This will continue to be more defined this year as companies continue to improve user policies and secure user data.
If you’re interested in getting early access to Memo to help us test, iterate and provide real user feedback so that we build something you’ll truly love and trust, we welcome you with open ๐ค
If any of the information in this article is inaccurate or you have a copyright complaint, please email privacy@joylabs.com.
Featured photo by Meghan Schiereck on Unsplash
