Throwback Thursday: IBM's Watson App: Virtual Agent in Your Pocket?

       I wanted to share some fascinating (old and new) information about IBM's Watson, the supercomputer designed to challenge all-time Jeopardy champions back in 2011. When Watson first emerged on Jeopardy, every one was going crazy that there was a machine that could beat human beings on a QUIZ show. Even though Watson was not the first artificial intelligence created, he sure opened people's eyes to the progress and the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI). To read more about the press release, check out "Virtual Agent Technology to make Mainstream Media Debut in the Form of an IBM Supercomputer."

       I brought up the debut of Watson because he seems to be making a reappearance and is heading straight for your smartphone. The same technology that was "trained on Jeopardy, is headed for your pocket." IBM is finally releasing a product using the technology of Watson, as a customer service agent, working similarly to a virtual agent. In this version of Watson, he searches the web for solutions instead of pulling information from a knowledge platform.

      An "Ask Watson" button will appear on websites and mobile phone applications. This will enable users to ask questions and receive answers instantly with his matured intelligence. This "Ask Watson" button is also capable of using a voice recognition software, making it a more knowledgeable version of Apple's Siri. noHold thinks that this is great news for the Virtual Agent industry. What is your opinion? Is Watson going to be a competitor in the web based Virtual Agent/Virtual Assistant space or do you see Watson as a strategic partner for Virtual Agent/Virtual Assistant providers? We would love you hear your thoughts on Watson and how he might effect today's Virtual Agent industry.

   
     Cheers!



Source: Trained on Jeopardy, Watson is Headed For Your Pocket via MIT Technology Review

Live Chat MVPs: An Insiders Look at the Top Live Chat Vendors and Best Practices

                   

Millions per day? Billions per day? How many customers prefer chat? A recent interview shows that a Fortune 500 company in the Telecommunications industry reaches an estimated 8 million website visits per month. Based on recent chat log statistics, a similar company handled upwards of 7,500 Live Chat conversations in one month, for one product line. The truth is your audience prefers the web, and these visitors expect chat as an option. 

 Leading brands have found a way to shorten the path to a meaningful chat by complementing Live Chat with a Virtual Assistant. Find out what they were looking for in a Live Chat provider, the key features, and get shortcuts to the advice you need to make the best decision for your own brand and your customers. 

Click Here to access the Document: Live Chat MVPs

 

Best Practices for Complementing Live Chat with a Virtual Assistant from noHold, Inc.

 

Cheers!

Throwback Thursday: Paving the Way for Siri

Happy Throwback Thursday!

     

     For this weeks Throwback Thursday, I wanted to shed a little bit of  light on the Virtual Agent industry...before there was even a name for this space! When Siri was still a far off, almost crazy idea and before IBM's Watson was able to be the winner of America's favorite QuizShow Jeopardy, Virtual Agents had already been on the market. noHold has been creating Virtual Agents since 1999 and saw a great deal of publicity in 2001 with the demand for these Artificial Intelligences only increasing. Back in 2001 as well, leading analyst firms did not know what to call such an industry. People were referring to Virtual Agents as self-service solutions, interactive knowledge platforms, service bots, etc. Whatever you wanted to call them, Virtual Agents were making their way to the spot light in the eyes of large PC manufacturers, saving them hundreds of thousands of dollars in a short period of time on customer support. Check out the article to the left which states that in 2001, a Fortune 500 company saved $290,000 in less than 4 months during a pilot program using InstantSupport powered by noHold.

     With the advancement of technology, innovators are always finding ways to create the latest trends that can do pretty much anything you would ever want. But without Virtual Agents or Artificial Intelligence paving the way, there might never have been the creation of Siri or Watson. Being able to learn from the past is a powerful ability and is where most great ideas stem from. "The past is never where you think you left it." -Katherine Anne Porter

Cheers.

Laptop Magazine Tech Support Review

     The web is becoming one of the most popular channels for consumers to find answers to support questions about a product they just purchased. Over half of consumers will make their first attempt to solving their problems by looking online. “75% of surveyed consumers said they would prefer to use online support if it were reliable and provided accurate and complete information; 91% say they would use an online knowledgebase if it were available and tailored to their needs.” (http://www.customerthink.com/blog/12_take_note_online_customer_service_statistics_for_2012) Customers are expecting immediate answers to the questions they need answered. Laptop Magazine conducted a survey on many companies’ customer support methods and gave them a grade based on these surveys/tests. Virtual Agents are becoming more popular and more of the norm now because of their efficient capabilities to lead you to your solution, quickly.

Virtual Agent powered by noHold

     Laptop Magazine surveyed a large PC manufacturer that utilizes a Virtual Agent powered by noHold. This method of customer support helped this company receive such a high grade for web support.

     There are a variety of different strategies when it comes to customer support, especially on the web, but Virtual Agents are becoming the most effective channel for customer satisfaction and reduction of costs. Virtual Agents can provide answers within a few clicks. When end users are in need of fast answers, sometimes there is a ‘hold time’ associated with other channels. In the laptop review, Virtual Agents for customer support require ‘no hold’ (pun intended) and had the quickest and most accurate response. 

To read the whole article and find out how other companies did check out the Tech Support Showdown 2012 

 

Throwback Thursday: Customer Experience Action Plan

Happy Throwback Thursday!

     This Thursday I wanted to take some time to write about a webinar from 2011. This webinar comes from a leading analyst firm and is presented by well known analysts. "Build Your 2012 Customer Experience Action Plan Now" talks about exactly that... creating an effective action plan to increase positive customer experience. I can not emphasize enough the importance of happy customers. And it is not just the sales and customer service departments that make consumers happy, the whole company contributes to Customer Experience Management (CEM), from product design to IT and Call Centers. Even though this webinar is from a few years ago, I believe it still provides relevant/useful information to improve CEM. 

     Towards the middle of the presentation they start to explain how expensive live support is and suggest innovative alternatives to this costly option. One of these alternatives is a noHold solution, more specifically the Virtual Agents from a fortune 500 Telco and a leader in networking devices. Companies that utilize these self-service solutions decrease their expenses because customers will not have to connect with a live person; and also increase positive customer experience because they don't have to wait and speak with multiple representitives (which typically takes forever) that might not know the solution you are in need of.

     In the end, happy consumers = happy company. To check out the full webinar click here. If you do not have an account, you can register for one for free to watch on demand webinars. 

Have a great week!