Conversational user experience (CUX)
What is conversational user experience (CUX)?
A conversational user experience is an interaction between a human user and a computer system through a conversational interface, such as voice or text. CUX aims to make the interaction feel as natural as conversing with another person. This allows users to communicate in natural language to accomplish a variety of tasks, from customer service requests to account management.
Conversational UX is a fundamental component of modern customer service strategies, supporting advanced automation, self-service capabilities, and more intuitive interactions. Users can find support or take action even outside regular business hours. With the right approach, conversational systems can even offer personalized recommendations tailored to individual users.
The experience a user has with a conversational interface is an opportunity to reinforce a brand’s voice and values. Effective CUX delivers high-quality results and responsive customer service. Today we find CUX applications in many spaces, from digital voice assistants on smartphones to business chatbots on websites.
What are the benefits of good conversational UX?
A well-designed approach to CUX offers numerous benefits for businesses, often leading to broader improvements and even positively impacting the bottom line. Key advantages of strong CUX include:
- Improved availability for customer support: Users can receive real-time assistance in a conversational environment of their choice, available almost anytime. With CUX, you can continue delivering high-value, personalized customer service even when the human support teams aren’t available.
- Enhanced customer engagement and increased satisfaction: A well-designed conversational experience is easy to navigate and provides the outcomes users need efficiently. When users find the solution intuitive and see it meets their expectations, overall satisfaction improves.
- Reduced operational costs: By adopting automated conversational experiences, businesses can reduce staffing demands, especially at scale. This approach enables you to maintain a high service standard without significant capital investments and payroll expansions.
What are some best practices for crafting CUX?
A thoughtful strategy is essential for the development of conversational user experiences that deliver the engagement and utility users want. Adopting best practices early in the design process is essential. Here are some core principles to consider:
- Be clear and concise: Use straightforward, simple language that most users understand. Craft responses that convey essential information without unnecessary details or complex language. Clarity ensures users can follow and engage with the conversation.
- Set clear expectations: Particularly with chatbots, users should understand what they can and cannot accomplish with the tool. A welcome message explaining the capabilities and possible requests helps clarify expectations. Avoid over-promising.
- Guide users to their destination: Guided prompts help clarify conversations and their purpose. Build chat flows that address common needs or concerns, offering prompts based on typical responses or user input to guide users to their next step.
- Keep it natural: The conversation flow should feel smooth, not robotic. Strive to replicate human dialogue with a friendly tone. A more natural interaction closely resembles a human support experience, enhancing user engagement.
How do the current and future landscapes of CUX look?
The scope and approach to conversational user experiences are continually evolving. Users increasingly want to accomplish more through conversational customer interactions. Beyond basic customer service, CUX now enables users to ask detailed questions, get price quotes, make appointments, and even complete purchases. The technology behind these experiences is advancing, and with the emergence of more capable AI models, users will likely have even greater capabilities soon.
While chatbots remain popular and are likely to continue playing a central role in CUX, the importance of voice interactions is also growing. Users have become accustomed to voice interfaces on devices from phones to speakers like Alexa. The next generation of conversational UX will be shaped by advanced capabilities that interpret voice input and create valuable, interactive experiences.