The Australian Open marks the start of the tennis grand slam calendar in January every year and the marketing and sales efforts for the event are kicked-off a few months in advance.
For this year, the tournament, which begins on January 15, tweaked its marketing strategy slightly, and within a few weeks witnessed results far surpassing earlier efforts. Tghe organisers; tweak was to introduce a "chatbot", designed to help Tennis Australia directly sell tickets to the Australian Open 2018 via social media. And the results are 170 per cent higher sales conversions than their traditional marketing model.
Chatbots are programmes that use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to simulate human-like message-based conversation with other human users. They are usually embedded within existing chat apps, such as Facebook messenger or other similar apps. The growing development of chatbots is reducing the dependence of companies on their custom apps being downloaded by users – as most of the tasks of any native apps can now be done directly by the bots themselves, as they interact with the users – all the while remaining embedded in the more traditional messaging app. If done well, this could signal the end of the "app-era" and herald the start of the "bot-era".
But, as of now, such times are in the future.
What’s in the present though, is that chatbots are increasingly being employed by companies to reduce their dependence on human interfaces, as well as, increase efficiencies by highly contextualising bot-based conversations. The primary uses these bots are finding are in domains of marketing and customer care.
The case of the Australian Open is just one of the many success stories that are emerging from the chatbot arena. A prime example of this is the chatbot XiaoIce developed by Microsoft and deployed on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform. Since its launch (in 2014), individual users have been speaking to XiaoIce, meaning "Little Ice", on an average about twice a day and it has over 850,000 followers, making it one of Weibo’s top influencers. A key reason behind XiaoIce’s success is its ability to hold meaningful and fluid conversations in a language as difficult as Chinese Mandarin, as well as its highly sophisticated image recognition capabilities, allowing users to ask image specific queries.
Similarly, the bot DoNotPay helps users in the UK and US to fill out basic legal forms in over 1,000 different categories (such as maternity leave, landlord contract violations for instance) and contest parking tickets and fines using a chat-like interface. The free service was launched in 2015 and has been dubbed the "world’s first robot lawyer". So far, the bot has helped fight over 375,000 cases and saved people over US$9.3 million in incorrect fines and fees.
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The key reason chatbots are taking off is that they help at both ends of the spectrum – the end users as well as the companies. They help users feel spoken to in a human way – making the conversations feel natural and easy. Similarly, on the enterprise side, of course, the most obvious benefits are in the increased efficiency of dealing with customer conversations, but there are quite a few other advantages as well. Bots are great also for tracking customer requests and cataloguing those needs to best fit products – resulting in potential sales uplift. Plus, they are quicker at identifying customer issues and offering proactive (almost preventive) customer care.
However, despite these obvious advantages, quite a few challenges still remain in the further integration of chatbots into our daily lives. The first and foremost is that bots rely on holding natural human-like conversation with actual humans, but for a computer program to really understand the nuances of spoken language is very challenging.
This process, called Natural Language Processing (NLP), is still in its infancy as compared with a real conversation between two people. A case in point is Facebook, which in March this year, announced that its chatbots had a 70 per cent failure rate in correctly understanding user requests without some human intervention.
Still, whatever its shortcomings, the trend of the bots is catching on the Middle East as well. Within the UAE, firms have already started to experiment with chatbots, as is the case with the courier company Aramex. The company’s Facebook-based bot offers highly customised conversations in both English and Arabic and answers shipment related questions and assesses customer satisfactions. Then there is EVA, Emirates NBD’s voice-activated chatbot for users' banking and customer care needs, which was introduced a year ago.
Similarly, in the public sector, the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has its own chatbot – called Rammas – which works with Facebook and Amazon Alexa. Dewa is one of the first UAE government organisations to use chatbots and Rammas has the aim of reducing the number of visitors to Dewa offices by 80 per cent next year.
As these examples show, the wave of chatbots is really gaining momentum in the Middle East region as well as the wider world.
And the coming year or so is expected to bring a new raft of AI-powered natural language and chatbot applications, revolutionising the way we live and work in the region, forever.
Abhinav Purohit is a UAE-based strategy consultant specialising in telecommunications, smart-city and information and communications technology.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
Seven tips from Emirates NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately
Moonfall
Director: Rolan Emmerich
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Halle Berry
Rating: 3/5
What%20is%20cystic%20fibrosis%3F
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3ECystic%20fibrosis%20is%20a%20genetic%20disorder%20that%20affects%20the%20lungs%2C%20pancreas%20and%20other%20organs.%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EIt%20causes%20the%20production%20of%20thick%2C%20sticky%20mucus%20that%20can%20clog%20the%20airways%20and%20lead%20to%20severe%20respiratory%20and%20digestive%20problems.%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPatients%20with%20the%20condition%20are%20prone%20to%20lung%20infections%20and%20often%20suffer%20from%20chronic%20coughing%2C%20wheezing%20and%20shortness%20of%20breath.%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ELife%20expectancy%20for%20sufferers%20of%20cystic%20fibrosis%20is%20now%20around%2050%20years.%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Sunday's Super Four matches
Dubai, 3.30pm
India v Pakistan
Abu Dhabi, 3.30pm
Bangladesh v Afghanistan
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
