EFTA01783616.pdf

From: Alex from Boomerang on behalf of Alex from Boomerang Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2016 12:14 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Announcing Respondable — Personal Al Assistant for Writing Better Emails Boomerang Respondable - the first Al assistant=that helps you craft perfect emails. View this email in your browser <http://usl.campaign- archive2.com/?u=3D0eca1021e28f74a9a30df3a88&id=e13df3c996&e=2be669948b> Hello! We write emails for all sorts of reasons. For some of those emails, like=requesting information or asking a coworker to take action, it's import=nt to write messages that are easy to read, process, and respond to.=Until now, there's never been a way to know if your messages are optimi=ed to get a response before sending them. Today, there is! We are delighted to announce Boomerang Responda=le - the first Al assistant that helps you craft perfect emails. Boomerang Respondable uses machine learning algorithms trained on hundreds=of millions of messages to isolate what factors impact response rates. It=understands how different aspects of your writing combine to affect the q=ality of the emails you send. Respondable brings that intelligence directly into your compose window to=help you write more effective emails. Respondable gives you unique insigh= into your writing style and how it impacts the likelihood that the messa=es you send will receive a response. And it's built right into Boomerang.=Just reload your Gmail window, and the new features will appear. Or,=if you need to reinstall Boomerang, click the button below: Get Boomerang for Gmail <http://baydin.usl.list- manage.com/track/click?u==eca1021e28f74a9a30df3a88&id=ela6flac52&e=2be669948b> After reloading=Gmail, Boomerang will add a new bar into your compose window. The displ=y updates in real-time to show you the quality of your message as you wri=e. <https://gallery.mailchimp.com/Decal021e28=74a9a30df3a88/images/cf83ddea-38cb-4197-860e-bla8c19f55ac.png> =/a> <http://baydin.usl.list- manage.com/track/click?u=0eca=021e28f74a9a30df3a88&id=46e87b53bd&e=2be669948b> <http://baydin.usl.list- manage2.com/track/click?u=0e=a1021e28f74a9a30df3a88&id=3c78187e7f&e=2be669948b> <http://baydin.usl.list- manage.com=track/click?u=0eca1021e28f74a9a30df3a88&id=0ce673d29f&e=2be669948b= target=> Click the Respo=dable button to see insights into how Respondable's algorithms analyzed y=ur message. You can see how each aspect of your writing impacted the qual=ty estimate and see where you might want to make changes. <https://ga=lery.mailchimp.com/0eca1021e28174a9a30df3a8Mmages/dfc00ca2-f8fd-4fba-131=5-fa7bd9170c87.gif> <http://baydin.usl.list-managel.com/track/click?u=0ec=1021e28f74a9a30df3a88&id=8639a3efbl&e=2be669948b> chttp://baydin.usl.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0e=a1021e28f74a9a30df3a8881id=b6bd8f2fe7&e=2be669948b> chttp://baydin.usl.list-manage.com=track/click?u=0ecal021e28174a9a30df3a88&id=fa779d2266&e=2be669948b= target=> For more detail= about each parameter, just click the graph associated with it. Boomera=g provides a description of each measurement and an overview of the findi=gs from our research. Each detailed view provides actionable advice, ba=ed on your individual message, about how to adjust the writing to impro=e the likelihood that your message will get a response. </=trong> EFTA_R1_00104374 EFTA01783616 <https://gallery.mailchimp.com/0ecal021e28.74a9a30df3a88/images/e86aa762-8c25-4be2-9b41-68948bd8ad0e.png> <http://baydin.usl.list-managel.com/track/click?u=0ec=1021e28f74a9a30df3a88&id=67aa6acf46&e=2be669948b> <http://baydin.usl.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0e=a1021e28f74a9a30df3a88&id=3a865e143S&e=2be669948b> <http://baydin.usl.list-manage.com=track/click?u=0eca1021e28174a9a30df3a 88&id=6e5701791e&e=2be669948b= target=> We're in=redibly excited about these new features! There are two major reasons why=2E First, a lot of recent news cover=ge about artificial intelligence has focused on the possibilities that ma=hines can someday replace humans. Respondable doesn't try to write import=nt emails on your behalf. Instead, it helps you unlock your creativity.=It's an editor that works alongside you - and one that you can and should=ignore when your judgment says otherwise. Second, we're excited abo=t the prospect of using machine learning to provide actionable writing ad=ice based on data. Historically, authors of writing style guides have n=t had access to large amounts of data or had the tools to process it. Our=company library includes a dog-eared copy of Strunk and White, and we d=n't see ourselves throwing that out. Still, this is the first t=me in history that anyone has ever been able to get an unbiased, data-d=iven, real-world view into what kind of writing is *actually* effective=2E And it's the first time in history that there has been a way to=bring that analysis to bear on your own writing in an accessible way. We=hope you'll find it illuminating - as we've been testing=it, we certainly have. For six years, Boomerang has help=d millions of customers get more responses to the messages they send. Boo=erang can help you send emails at the optimal time, include a read rece=pt that boosts response rates by 25%, and remind you to follow up. The=whole Boomerang team is grateful for your support. Thanks for helping us=keep the lights on so we could take that one step further with Respondabl=. Please take it for a spin, and le= us know what you think. Or, for answers to a bunch of possible questio=s, read on! Productively yours, - Alex and the Boomerang Team <http://baydin.usl.list-manage.com=track/click?u=0eca1021e28f74a9a30df3a 88&id=392e1009db&e=2be669948b= target=> = <http://baydin.usl.list- manage.com/track/click?u=Oecal021e2=f74a9a30df3a88&id=045f5f761b&e=2be669948b> </=d> = Shar= <http://baydin.usl.list-managel.com/track/click?u=0ecal021e=8f74a9a30df3a88&id=9452b9a8da&e=2be669948b> </=cl> </=able> = <http://baydin.usl.list- managel.com/track/click?u=Oeca1021e=8f74a9a30df3a88&id=balOcc7590&e=2be669948b> </=d> = Tweet=/a> </=d> chttp://baydin.usl.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0ecal021e2=f74a9a30df3a88&id=9d47a2523c&e=2be669948b> </=able> = <http://baydin.usl.list-manage.com/track/click?u=Oeca1021e2=f74a9a30df3a88&id=343126d8c0&e=2be669948b> </=d> = Share=/a> </=d> <http://baydin.usl.list- manage.com/track/click?u=0ecal021e2=f74a9a30df3a88&id=6058ba2bf4&e=2be669948b> </=able> = <http://usl.forward-to-friendl.com/forward?u=0eca1021e28f74=9a30df3a88&id=e13df3c996&e=2be669948b> </=d> = Forward <http://usl.forward-to- friendl.com/forward?u=0eca1021e28f74=9a30df3a88&id=e13df3c996&e=2be669948b> </=d> </=able> Q&A=/span> How do I get Respondable? Respondable is included as part of Boomerang. It is immediately available=for all Boomerang users - just reload your Gmail page, and the new feat=res will appear. If you do not see Respondable, try restarting your bro=ser. New users will receive Respondable immediately upon installing Boome=ang. 2 EFTA_R1_00104375 EFTA01783617 Respondable is also available as part of Boomerang for Outlook - if you wa=t to use it in Outlook, visit http://www.boomerangoutlook.com <http://baydin.usl.list- manage.=om/track/click?u=0eca1021e28174a9a30df3a88&id=61f38c8a3b&e==be669948b> t= install. Can I turn Respondable off? Yes. If you'd rather not see Respondable, just click the Boomerang butto= in the top right corner, choose Settings, and then uncheck the box l=beled "Enable Respondable" Is Boomerang reading my emails? No. By default, Boomerang Respondable works entirely within your browser=2E It does not transmit any message data anywhere, for any purpose. If yo= choose to enable advanced machine learning features, Boomerang transmi=s message data using enterprise-grade encryption, analyzes the message=data on a secure server, then transmits the analysis back via encrypted=communication channels. After performing the analysis, Boomerang's serv=rs immediately discard any personally-identifiable information connected=with the analysis. Boomerang employees do not have access to any message=data transmitted as part of your use of Respondable. Do I have to pay? Access to Respondable for unlimited messages is included in the free Basic=plan. Advanced features, including positivity, politeness, and subj=ctivity are available for users on Boomerang for Gmail's Pro and=Premium plans. Because these advanced features require several layers of=machine learning, all calculated in real-time, they are expensive for=us to provide. You can find out which plan you are currently subscribed t= by visiting the Boomerang manage page <http://baydin.usl.list-manage.com/t=ack/click?u=Oeca1021e28f74a9a30df3a88&id=lc2ed8deb6&e=2be669948b> . To upgrade to a Pro or Pr=mium plan, click here <http://baydin.usl.list- manage.com/track/click?u=3D0eca 1021e28f74a9a30df3a88&id=e16e03ecb8&e=2be669948b> . Machine learning sounds complicated. Does Respondable slow Gmail d=wn? Thanks to new technology in HTMLS, we were able to build Respondable in=a way that does not slow Gmail down. All of the calculations for the basis version of Respondable are performed in a background worker thread that=does not interfere with the Gmail UI. Calculations related to advanced fe=tures are performed in the cloud via a proprietary architecture we develo=ed to allow us to deploy machine learning that operates in real-time. It=also doesn't slow down the Gmail UI. If you're interested in the technology behind Respondable, we =8011 be doing a technical talk about its architecture at a later date=2C and we'll also be writing a super geeky blog post about how we=built it - stay tuned! If you're really interested in the technol=gy behind Respondable, we're looking for engineers <http://baydin.usl.list- =anage.com/track/click?u=0ecal021e28f74a9a30df3a88&id=35660cc62d&e==be669948b> ! = I added a rude word, but it said my politeness increased. Or I a=ded a negative word, but Respondable's positivity score increas=d. What gives? You've discovered one of the limitations of artificial intelligenc= in its current form. In any individual email, the machine learning can=arrive at answers that do not make sense. In those cases, trust your ju=gment rather than the calculation. Politeness, positivity, and subjectivity rely on machine learning tech=iques that compare your writing to other samples of text that were used a= training data. Because there's no "objective" se= of data that can translate how positive, polite, or subjective a set=of words is, the machine learning techniques look for similarities betw=en your writing and writing samples that come with an approximate numeric." score for positivity, politeness, or subjectivity. One common sourc= of positivity training data is actually movie reviews - words that appea= in reviews for poorly-rated movies tend to be more negative! As a result, if a bunch of movies about asteroids all got panned by movi= critics, and words about asteroids were not present in other training=data, it's possible that the neural networks could conclude tha= those words add negativity to 3 EFTA_R1_00104376 EFTA01783618 your writing. There are even some names (t=ere is a very polite Tom somewhere!) that can mistakenly affect the measu=ements. As such, you should treat the calculations as a general guidepost rather=than a source of absolute truth. They will usually make sense, but not=always. How did you decide to build this? Long story! I'm so glad you asked! Last September, we brought our entire team to Maui for our fall worka=ay. Twice a year, we take our team somewhere outside the office to=reflect on our culture and to work on projects that are important but not=urgent. One of our projects last fall was to explore natural language pro=essing and machine learning, as they can be applied to email. We experimented with a bunch of technology, found that holiday supp=rt emails are the most positive <http:/=baydin.us1.list-manage.comitrack/click?u=0eca 1021e28f74a9a3Gclf3a 88&id=3D759d0c19dS&e=2be669948b> , and then went back to the office t= resume working on urgent things. And we posted a job listing for a data=scientist. Then, around the holidays, Chris from our marketing team came up with=an inspired idea - let's send a useful, thoughtful year-in-revi=w email to our customers. It took us a while to build it, but if you we=e already a Boomerang user back in February, you may remember getting a= email from us that showed a set of data-backed principles for writing ef=ective emails. We also published the data as a blog post <http://baydin.u=1.list- managel.comitrack/click?u=0ecal021e28174a9a30df3a88&id=c82149f=74&e=2be669948b> , had a=ton of stories written about it, and made our first appearance on the T=day show. Several dozen of you asked if we could build a real-time version of our bl=g post that would apply to emails as you write them. We still had a healt=y appetite for machine learning (and a data scientist), so we decided t= see if we could bring the recommendations from the data to your fingerti=s. I can't wait to see what we'll come up with at our next wo=kaway. Why did you pick these aspects to focus on? Boomerang Respondable makes its predictions based on machine learning algo=ithms applied to a corpus of hundreds of millions of data points in publi= and proprietary (aggregated and anonymized) email datasets and other dat=sets. Our research from the past several months isolated a number of factors tha= correlate strongly with the likelihood of receiving a response to an ema=l: • Message sub=ect length • Message wor= count • Reading Lev=l • Question co=nt • Positivity<=span> • Politeness<=span> • Subjectivit= We looked at several other factors that did='t make the cut. Some of them just didn't correlate stron=ly enough to getting a response. For others, we couldn't find g=od enough data sources to train machine learning algorithms effectively y=t. We'll continue to explore other factors that influence response ra=es and incorporate them into the product in the future. 4 EFTA_R1_00104377 EFTA01783619 Can you tell me more about the machine learning techniques? <=strong> We used a variety of machine learning techniques for Respondable, includ=ng neural networks, deep learning, and decision trees/forests. Respon=able layers these techniques together in a manner that provides a balance=between consistency and quality of results, the ability to translate th=se results into actionable information, and the speed and performance t= deliver results in real-time for a satisfactory user experience. We =8011 write more in an upcoming blog post - once our engineers have a c=ance to rest their fingers from getting ready for today's release= Can you give me one more download button since I read this whole e=ail? You bet! Install Boomerang <http://baydin.usl.list- manage.com/track/click?u=0ecal0=1e28f74a9a30df3a88&id=d4b2ad3f5e&e=2be669948b> P.S. Respondabl= thinks this email is too long. We know... You can lead a horse to=water... P.P.S. Want to work on stuff like this? We're hiring! <http://baydin.usl.list- =anage.com/track/click?u=0ecal021e28174a9a30df3a88&idrefac9a27c0&e==be669948b> P.P.P.S. We are making good progress on an iPhone app for Boomerang - hang=in there, it won't be long now! Our mailing address is: Baydin Inc. 100 View St Suite 112 Mountain View, CA 94041 USA Unsubscribe from these emails <http://baydin.usl.list- manage.com/unsubsc=ibe?u=0eca1021e28f74a9a30df3a88&id=90be35c76c&e=2be669948b&c=e13df3=996> You are receiving this email because you are a=user of Boomerang Our ot=er products: Boomerang for Android <http://baydin.usl.list- managel.com/t=ack/click?u=0eca1021e28f74a9a30df3a88&id=4509366dfb&e=2be669948b> - Advanced=Boomerang functionality for Gmail and Exchange accounts on your Android p=one Boomerang for Outlook <http://baydin.usl.list- managel.com/t=ack/click?u=0eca1021e28f74a9a30df3a88&id=8b7fb8b43a&e=2be669948b> - The ultim=te productivity add-in for Outlook and Office 365 Boomerang Calendar <http://baydin.usl.list- managel.com/t=ack/click?u=0eca1021e28f74a9a30df3a88&id=2bc14b9946&e=2be669948b> - Smart schedu=ing assistant built into Gmail Inbox Pause <http://baydin.usl.list- manage.com/tr=ck/click?u=Oeca1021e28f74a9a30df3a88&id=9a33b88b3c&e=2be669948b> - Stop the flood of in=oming emails The Email=Game - Lightweight Gmail client that helps you handle emails mor= efficiently <http://baydin.usl.list-manage.com/track/open.php?u=Oeca1=21e28f74a9a30df3a88&id=e13df3c996&e=2be669948b> 5 EFTA_R1_00104378 EFTA01783620