While many of the “answer engines” from a few years ago are long gone, a few key players remain. One of these players, JustAnswer, is from the same Q&A phase that saw the creation of Yahoo Answers and Quora. These answer sites have long been used by users and brands alike to connect and discuss everything from fashion to technology.
The company, founded in 2003, began while using the same model that Google Answers used, which centered on the paid-advice strategy. Unlike Yahoo and Quora, JustAnswer has been able to perfect the formula surrounding algorithms and answering complicated questions.
The idea behind JustAnswer’s business strategy is that human beings are better for answering complex questions than bots. In a world where consumers need answers and not just links, JustAnswer has been able to effectively provide searchers with their desired results. This provides a good mixture of AI and a human touch.
Their most recent update surrounds their new virtual assistant, “Pearl.” Pearl’s purpose is to answer simple queries and analyze leads to then pass on to the site’s experts. JustAnswer has been testing Pearl for the past three years and the bot has already been trained on answering 16 million questions.
JustAnswer operates by connecting their users with one of their 12,000 experts for a consultation, with the average user paying $30 per consultation. Another unique component of the site is that there are no ads, with most traffic stemming from SEO.
CEO, Andy Kurtzig, touts that the bot can recognize more than 100,000 variables in conversations and even ask follow-up questions. This bot can not only help to isolate the root of the problem but has also increased the number of people who agree to pay for services. Kurtzig went as far as to suggest that this new virtual bot was the future of professional services.
The new bot update from JustAnswer mirrors the growth surrounding bots in general. According to research by Market and Markets, the bot services industry is predicted to reach $1,783.9 million worldwide by 2022.
If you’re wondering how bots can affect or potentially improve your business and how you connect with customers online, reach out to Hall Analysis today to learn more.
