LinkedIn has introduced a smart reply feature for their messaging system, senior product manager Arpit Dhariwal announced Tuesday in a blog post.

Using machine learning, three options will be generated based off of the message’s content, the post noted. The responses appear as buttons, offering a one-click option to quickly respond to messages. For example, if a user posts about their promotion and another user messages them a note of congratulations, one of the response options may be “Thanks.”

SEE: Social media policy (Tech Pro Research)

The new feature shows an uptick in tech companies using machine learning to create custom features with a business focus. Google added a similar smart reply feature to Gmail earlier this year, giving three customized responses to incoming emails.

Such features allow users to accelerate the communication chain. Smart replies can be used in small situations when a reply is necessary to confirm you saw a message, or a reply is used as a courtesy or to avoid seeming rude. They can also help expedite making plans, which can involve several small questions or statements like “What time?” that don’t take a long time to type, but may take time to respond to.

Having a smart reply feature on LinkedIn, where a lot of business networking takes place, can help professionals keep and build business connections. Without thinking about what to say or typing a message, a user is able to respond quickly, even when they are busy.

LinkedIn’s new feature is the next in a line of revamps for the site’s messaging system this year. The updates include being able to see when your connections are online and send messages anywhere on the site instead of just under the messages tab.

The site has started a global rollout of the feature, starting with responses in English on the mobile app and the desktop version. English-speaking users can go to their LinkedIn settings page to set up or turn off smart replies. Other languages will be added, but a timeline hasn’t been released. The smart replies are set to become further customized soon, adding names or other things to better fit the response to the conversation, according to Dhariwal’s post.

The 3 big takeaways for TechRepublic readers

  1. LinkedIn now gives three custom auto responses for messages on the employment-based social network, much like smart replies on Gmail.
  2. Using machine learning, users will have three responses determined by the message’s content, all that send in one click. LinkedIn plans to increase the customization to include personal features like names.
  3. The smart reply feature allows users to quickly respond to messages, keeping connections and responding to everyone while saving time.

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