The Future of Conversational Technology and Broad Adoption of Automation, Eoghan McCabe, Chairman and co-founder, Intercom

When Eoghan McCabe started frequenting one specific coffee shop, he noticed something. Not the quality of the coffee, rather, he became friendly with the owner of the shop, and saw that this man was truly engaged with all of his customers. He knew their names, their preferences, he and that familiarity kept customers coming back, even if he wasn’t offering the best deal in the neighborhood. Eoghan looked at his own company and found that his relationship with his customers was nothing like that. How it was doing outreach was so impersonal and rote, the messages and marketing even bordered on spammy. Eoghan knew there must be a better way. From there, Intercom was born, with a mission to make internet business personal, and create a seamless, direct line between a business and its customers.

Intercom’s key solution was a business messenger tool that allowed companies to connect with customers through their apps and other digital properties. It was a game-changer. But soon enough, the innovation needed to take the next step. On this episode of Future of Tech, Eoghan, the Chairman and co-founder of Intercom, explains how his team at Intercom overcame its initial hesitancy to get into the world of automation and bots in order to level up the company while staying true to its mission. Plus, he discusses how customers are using Intercom technology to find new ways to connect with their consumers, and why he thinks that in the next 10 years we will see widespread adoption of automation and conversational technology.

Main Takeaways:

• Personalized Communication is Key: As consumers are presented with more options than ever in every marketplace, the only way that companies can stand out is through customer experience. If your messaging and communication is standardized, spammy, or otherwise impersonal, customers will notice, and they will choose a company that has invested in more personalized tools. 
• Listen for Solutions: When you are building products or services, it’s important to listen to your customers and get to know exactly what they need. But not every customer will tell you what they need directly or in the same way every time, so you need to create various forums in which customers can provide feedback.
• Adoption Takes Time: We are still so early in the digital revolution that sometimes it can be frustrating to those in the industry who want to see solutions adopted more universally. People need to become familiar and built trust with the technology and the companies offering it before they fully commit, and that takes time.

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