Attack of the Bots: Cool New Tech Has Invaded Skype

Earlier in the year, Skype released a preview of Skype Bots, which Skype calls “intelligent helpers” making communication and the day-to-day running of a business easier and more exciting.

Following the April unveiling of the new Skype platform, the Skype Team now says they have released a series of partner-inspired bots into the Skype Bot directory on iOS, Web apps, Mac, Windows and Android.

“We are focused on creating Skype Bots in our directory that deliver interesting experiences, in a variety of scenarios,” the Skype Team said in a post on Skype’s official Garage & Updates blog. “You can communicate with a bot by having a regular chat conversation, in the same way you would when talking to another person. The more you use bots, the better they get at anticipating your needs. We want bots to become the quickest way to handle simple tasks, like shopping or managing your calendar, and the most effortless way to complete complex tasks, like planning a vacation from scratch.”

Skype says that it has over 30,000 developers building bots on its platform and some of the recently added bots to the Skype directory would be beneficial to business owners.

A Skype Bot can be Fun as Well as Useful

The IFTTT Bot, for instance, will keep you informed with automated messages from the websites, devices and apps you designate. The bot will send you messages on the weather, breaking news, social media notifications and more.

StubHub Bot provides you with easier options for finding tickets to an event. StubHub is a large online ticket marketplace and claims to make finding tickets for important events easy. So obviously the new bot could help you find tickets for important business events in your industry or popular entertainment or sporting events when entertaining clients.

Do you make frequent business trips? Don’t let the planning process drive you nuts. Hipmunk Bot will help you with general travel advice, best hotel and flights based on your specific preferences such as price and “minimizing travel agony.”

Finally, this one is really a bit more for entertainment value. If you’re a Star Trek fan, let Mr. Spock, second in command of the USS Enterprise, help you brush up on the finer points of Vulcan logic. (Who knows. Maybe it’ll help you with your next sales call?)

To try out any or all of these bots, ensure you have the latest Skype app on your preferred platform to get started.

Bots Photo via Shutterstock

This article, "Attack of the Bots: Cool New Tech Has Invaded Skype" was first published on Small Business Trends