The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented changes worldwide. Amid prolonged social distancing and shifting economic paradigms, companies have been compelled to reassess their operational methods. In this process, the importance of digitalization has become more prominent, with chatbot technology emerging as a key element in business communication.
Chatbots have already become essential across various industries over the past several years. From customer support in online shopping malls to healthcare, transportation, finance, and education, there are increasing fields where imagining operations without chatbots is difficult. Initially started as a simple tool for Q&A, chatbots have now transformed into strategic business partners and vital communication channels between consumers and companies.
The year 2023 is expected to be recorded as a significant year of change in the chatbot industry due to the emergence and rise of generative AI such as ChatGPT. ChatGPT is a conversational AI model trained on vast amounts of text data, capable of generating human-like responses to a wide range of questions. Especially when integrating ChatGPT into chatbot solutions, it can offer ways to improve user experience and provide more accurate and prompt conversations tailored to specific situations.
In this way, the chatbot industry is continuously and rapidly evolving. Makebot, an AI chatbot specialist company leading the chatbot industry by developing chatbot solutions for hundreds of major companies domestically and internationally, annually publishes the ‘Chatbot Trend Report’ that reflects the overall direction of the chatbot industry in line with the rapidly changing era marked by the emergence of new AI chatbot technologies. This trend report covers chatbot development trends in APAC (Asia-Pacific) countries including Korea, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and India, forecasting trends accordingly. Notably, as the only report investigating and forecasting chatbot trends in the APAC market, it has consistently attracted attention both domestically and internationally.
The 2023 APAC Chatbot Trend Report contains growth potential regarding how the emergence of new technologies post-pandemic will impact the industry, especially as the ChatGPT craze?a game changer in the chatbot industry?has intensified interest in chatbots, making this a year with expected high demand and necessity for chatbot services.
- 74% of respondents reported having experience with chatbot services
Similar to last year’s survey results, this report confirmed that the APAC region is becoming increasingly familiar with chatbots, with 74% of respondents stating they have experience with chatbot services, surpassing the majority.
In particular, regarding usage frequency, 61% of APAC respondents reported using chatbots 1 to 3 times in the past month, and they expressed positive outlooks on utilizing chatbots for communication with brands.
- ‘Fast response provision’ cited as the greatest advantage of chatbots
When asked about the positive aspects based on their chatbot usage experience, 64% of respondents cited the fast response provision of chatbots as an advantage and strength. Additionally, a significant number of respondents highly valued chatbots’ ability to support customers outside of fixed service hours, with 42% viewing this as a positive aspect.
Furthermore, 36% of respondents selected the option to transfer to a human agent, which was regarded as one of the positive aspects with a relatively high ratio.
- Majority of respondents indicated chatbots are most useful for product/service inquiries
Regarding what chatbots are most frequently used for, the report showed product/service inquiries ranked first at 62%, followed by problem resolution at 44%, delivery/return inquiries at 42%, and reservations at 40%.
Compared to other countries, India showed higher usage rates for chatbots in purchasing (47%) and complaint filing (36%).
- Rising expectations for chatbot innovation due to ChatGPT and generative AI emergence
Thus, the chatbot industry has established itself as an essential service for customers in Korea and the APAC region, and with the emergence of ChatGPT this year, significant industrial innovation is anticipated. According to recent data from Gartner in the U.S., over 70% of global companies are considering adopting generative AI technologies such as ChatGPT. Notably, the area with the highest expectations for ChatGPT is customer experience improvement and retention (38%), indicating major investments and innovations are forthcoming in the customer service sector of chatbots.
Makebot CEO Kim Ji-woong stated, “Since publishing the APAC Chatbot Trend Report in 2018, 2023 has been an indicator confirming the high maturity of the industry with significant increases in awareness and recognition of chatbots across the entire APAC region.” He added, “Chatbots, now established as essential solutions, will continuously enhance customer service experiences through integration with new technologies such as generative AI.”
He continued, “Makebot closely monitors and forecasts the needs and trends of major domestic and international clients across various industries, and through continuous development and investment in chatbot technology, we will provide excellent chatbot services combined with new technologies to our clients.” He further added, “We will relentlessly pursue the advancement of chatbot services and accelerate sustained growth.”
Meanwhile, Makebot is building and advancing chatbots optimized for industries such as finance, aviation, education, and healthcare, and annually publishes the Chatbot Trend Report based on research from various countries including Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and India, presenting the flow and direction of the chatbot market.
Detailed contents of the Chatbot Trend Report can be viewed and downloaded through the website.
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