The communication industry has undergone many changes over the years. Today, conversational user experiences, in the form of chatbots and voice interfaces, are overtaking many of the traditional ways we interact with our machines. Consequently, the concept of Human to Machine (H2M) communications is accelerating rapidly. This year has seen many of the industry’s players struggle and vanish under COVID-19. Only a few true, global industry-platform players will remain. UIB is one of the top 10 global, industry-agnostic platform leaders in the H2M space.
UIB Founder and CEO Toby Ruckert founded UIB in 2014 to simplify H2M communications. Toby started playing around with voice recognition when he was in school. “It is incredibly satisfying to look back now and see my question of ‘Why can’t we just talk to our things the same way we talk to people’ grow into the global, multi-billion-dollar H2M communications industry,” he said. Fueled by its ongoing investments in R&D, UIB is set to lead the H2M industry with its multi-patented, conversational AIoT platform and network of global channel and reseller partners.
Leading H2M Communication Solutions
UIB was created with the core mission of making human to machine communications as simple, and as natural as human to human communications. The company provides omnichannel messaging APIs for developers who use them to create AI-powered chatbots. It also provides its partners with the platform to create virtual assistants and unified chat solutions for customer service, e-commerce, facilities management, smart home device manufacturers, and many others.
UIB’s customers can use natural language text and voice on over 30 different messaging platforms and connect to both IoT devices and software systems. UIB’s partners use their platform to connect to other chatbots for bot-to-bot communications (with UIB serving as the “master bot” talking to other chatbots) for clients who need 100% data ownership with local hosting and control, on-premise and in the cloud. The company also offers them a complete technology stack with AI, IoT, and messaging.
An Innovation-Driven Entrepreneur
As Founder and CEO, Toby leads the company from the front. While he simultaneously serves UIB’s customers, team members, resellers, partners, investors, and board, his main role is attracting and retaining the people the company needs to achieve its ambitious growth objectives. Toby is committed to keeping a broad view and open mind towards all things in life, which drives his ability to constantly innovate.
UIB keeps invention at the core by continually investing in R&D to satisfy the demands of its customers. Toby loves to bring ideas from one industry vertical to create results in another. Along with using it to successfully drive the company’s growth, he also leverages his industry experience to mentor other startups and entrepreneurs.
Leveraging Technology’s Capabilities to Make a Difference
“The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we go about our daily lives. It’s driven us to reassess our priorities and our businesses,” adds Toby. UIB leveraged its technology’s existing remote collaboration and contactless communication capabilities to help other businesses survive as well as thrive in these challenging times.
When the pandemic first hit, UIB’s team came together to brainstorm how it could use its technology to flatten the curve and help businesses to cope. The team came up with a large number of solutions, ranging from using a chatbot to find the nearest testing site with open testing slots to enabling small businesses — without mobile apps or e-commerce websites — to contactless serve their customers on any communications and in any language.
Additionally, UIB formed new strategic partnerships in the wake of the pandemic. It combined its contactless, conversational AIoT and chat builder platforms with temperature scanner-equipped robots. This enabled the company to meet the rapidly changing local requirements, social distancing rules, and even create moments of fun in these unprecedented times.
Increasing Remote Collaboration
The pandemic made business leaders realize the importance of remote collaboration to enhance communication across their organizations. With engineers, sales, and staff people collaborating remotely since the company’s inception, UIB found itself repeatedly being asked when the company would come together under one roof. However, the same people who raised questions about remote collaboration are now lauding Ruckert for having such a forward-looking strategy that not only ensures business continuity but enables team members to be close to the company’s customers.
Supporting Local COVID-19 Efforts
UIB’s team members in Singapore, Malaysia, India, the UAE, Germany, the US, and Canada support the local COVID-19 efforts in their communities. Through it all, the UIB team follows Ruckert’s lead to help others by paying it forward.
A mentor for the German-South-East-Asia-Accelerator program, Ruckert says, “Do it immediately, do it without hesitation, and do it without expectation of anything in return. I have done this throughout my career and the impact it has had on me and my businesses has been invaluable.” UIB also sponsors an open team on Kiva to help local entrepreneurial efforts through microloans for impact investments. While not all investments are tech-related, they all create a deep, lasting impact through grassroots movements in their respective communities.
Solving the Next ‘Impossible’ Problem
From the Coronavirus to climate change, the problems currently confronting the world are more systematic than ever. Toby believes that it is important for a leader to look back and remind himself how much he has accomplished to inspire him to solve the next ‘impossible’ problem on the list. He is convinced that we are in the “golden age of collaboration between human intelligence and artificial intelligence.” In short order, UIB aims to be the H2M communication exchange, a universal translator, offering complete H2M operability between all connected users and connected devices.
Read Full Magazine: The 10 Prominent Communication Services and Solution Providers of 2020
