Communication has drastically changed over the years. For a long time you had 2 options, call the person, or email them. We started being presented with more options as technology grew. Instant messenger apps became a popular form of communication, and now we are evolving even beyond that.
If you use Gmail at all, you may have already seen smart replies within your email application. If the email you have been sent has keywords the app recognizes it offers you a few suggestions of what to write back. These responses can range from “I’ll be there!” and “Thanks for the update”. These replies use machine learning to suggest these responses for you.
Now the same type of technology is being implemented within LinkedIn’s messages. This is great news for professionals, especially those who receive a lot of messages like those in the HR department.
The way it works within LinkedIn is pretty similar to Google’s implementation of the technology. For those who have not already experienced how easy it is to use, let us give you an example. You receive a message from a potential employee asking if you have time to meet this week. LinkedIn will then pop up a few different responses such as “Yes I can”, “what time?” or “no, I’m sorry”. You then select which response you want to send, and then you can add any follow-up information to the response, or send it as is.
These smart replies seem like such a simple thing. So simple, in fact, you may be inclined to think that it is not that useful, or that it won’t actually save you any time. We guarantee as you start to use it, you will soon wonder how you ever lived without it! If you don’t enjoy it though, you can always turn it off within your LinkedIn settings.