Throwback Thursday: The Truth About Virtual Agents

Last year, (October 9, 2013 to be exact) "X" company posted a blog with the opinion that self-service technology is declining. Essentially, the blog post aimed to challenge Virtual Agent (VA) vendors with a list of reasons why VAs are not the future of customer service. If these statements hold true, the following companies are wrong: Leading analyst firms, the top device manufacturers (Apple, Google, etc.), IBM and its Watson division, and more.

Let's take a look at the list of reasons why said company disagrees with Virtual Agent technology, and set the record straight.

Claim 1: Virtual Agent setup takes months since questions and answers are manually added, managed and incorporated into scripts.

Truth: Training a Virtual Agent to represent your brand takes care. A true Virtual Agent does not require 'scripting.' Natural Language Processing (NLP) coupled with an Inference Engine allows the Virtual Agent to drive the conversation. It's not necessary to write up every single possible phrase that the end user will ask your company. Patented technology takes the scripting out of VA creation. Further, a typical VA can be ready to go in 6-8 weeks.

Claim 2: The accuracy rate is not as high, the tool does not learn anything automatically, etc.

Truth: Traditional Artificial Intelligence (AI) learns on its own. AI is at the core of a true VA. The reason why customers do not opt for automatic learning is the same reason why you wouldn't let call center agent learn on his own. Similar to your best agents, VAs require care, and training. For example: A company in the PC industry uses a VA to solve issues related to BSOD or Blue Screen of Death. The root of this problem can be related to multiple options. Is it a driver? Is it a new installed software? Is there a single solution that can be learned on a whim? Tools exist in the back end to 'turn on' automatic learning. Rote memory watches end user behavior, and provides the most relevant solution based on its confidence level. In addition, accuracy results are based on statistical analysis. The reporting is conservative and based solely on votes from the end customer. Virtual Agents prove their success by deflecting up to 50% of calls when positioned
correctly and achieve (on average) 85% success rate.

Claim 3: The cost to create and manage answers is high(er) and could be up to $1 per contact because of the amount of manual work needed.

Truth: noHold reports on this metric for many of its customers. Specifically, a Fortune 500 company in the networking industry reported that the cost per contact is less than the price of a gumball for each session or conversation with the VA. Another company in the PC industry was within the same range.

Claim 4: Conversations, questions, and answers must be pre-written, pre-programmed according to a certain predicted script.

Truth: As mentioned in claim 1, there is no scripting.

Claim 5: VAs do not support automatic translation.

Truth: Yes, they do. The reason most VA vendors do not typically offer 'automatic translation' is for this reason: Global languages are structured differently. Automatic translation is great, and easy to do however, lacks accuracy and does not take the NLP into account. A true NLP looks at the roots of words and how groups of words are related. In order to translate in this environment, tokenization and lemmentization are key. According to online resources, tokenization is useful both in linguistics (where it is a form of text segmentation), and in computer science, where it forms part of a lexical analysis. In response to Lemmatization: In many languages, words appear in several inflected forms. For example, in English, the verb 'to walk' may appear as 'walk', 'walked', 'walks', 'walking'. The base form, 'walk', that one might look up in a dictionary, is called the lemma for the word. The combination of the base form with the part of speech is often called the lexeme of the word. Lemmatisation is closely related to stemming. The difference is that a stemmer operates on a single word without knowledge of the context, and therefore cannot discriminate between words which have different meanings depending on part of speech. However, stemmers are typically easier to implement and run faster, and the reduced accuracy may not matter for some applications.(wikipedia.com, 2014)

Claim 6: VAs are usually placed on the home page or certain landing pages as it is too complex to create different conversation scripts for each page. As a result, VAs are used mostly for lead generation or routing.

Truth: Virtual Agents are light weight, and again do not require scripting. A single Virtual Agent can be diagnostic and interactive (offer troubleshooting) for complex issues, and at the same time, be conversational. Many trusted brands position the same VA on a Facebook site and community forums that they use on support pages and contact us pages.

In summary: According to respected analyst firms, as well as trusted brands, the Virtual Assistant market is expected to grow exponentially. Whether for customer service, technical support, or as a butler for your device, adoption is undeniable. A true Virtual Agent uses NLP, and can troubleshoot issues just as well as it can answer conversational questions. Powerful reporting tools empower award winning brands to listen to the voice of the customer while providing a snapshot that can be shared company-wide.

Happy Thursday!

Business Case: Leader in Security Software Becomes a Global Success with a Multilingual Strategy

Did you know "1 out of 5 people living in the United States speaks a language other than English in the home?" (RedLine) Not only do big name companies marketing their brand all over the world need to be prepared; companies marketing to consumers in the US need a multilingual strategy, too. Offering support for your products/services in multiple languages is imperative for your company to be a global success. noHold Virtual Agents are language independent, meaning they can operate in any language to suit global needs. We have implemented Virtual Agents in many languages such as: English, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, German, and Russian.

Here is a quote written in a previous blog from a noHold customer offering their Virtual Agent in Japanese.

"The noHold Virtual Agent has allowed Webroot to expand its support offerings in the Japanese market. With a small team in Japan, we are committed to continuously identifying ways to improve our customer’s experience while managing our support costs. In just the past few months since implementing our Japanese Virtual Agent we have already seen a significant return on our investment and improved customer satisfaction. Our customers expect only the best service from Webroot and we have an obligation to deliver nothing but the best possible experience to our customers. The noHold Virtual Agent is an integral part of our support operations and key to helping us uphold this standard of excellence." - Michael Davies, Manager Technical Support Operations at Webroot.

Living in such a diverse market, trusted brands need to make sure they are creating an excellent customer journey for ALL their consumers. Appealing to customers in their native tongue makes them feel valued as a customer. This multilingual strategy applied by a Security Software leader reduced support costs, increased customer satisfaction, and in turn, created loyal customers. 

Cheers!

Behind the Scenes Interview: Virtual Agent Reporting for the top PC, Consumer Electronics and Networking Device Manufacturers

Preface: Recently, our marketing department sat down with Rachel Hernandez, noHold's very own Knowledge Platform Specialist, to ask her some questions about reporting metrics for trusted brands in multiple arenas of the electronics industry. Reporting and analyzing metrics is an important component to the success of a Virtual Agent; it's a chance to really hone in on what consumers are asking. Read more to find out what Rachel has to say.

Sarah: Today I’m here with Rachel Hernandez, Knowledge Platform Specialist at noHold. Rachel, tell me about your role at noHold and some of the clients you interface with on a daily basis.

Rachel: My client base ranges from Internet Security to Networking to PC Manufacturers. A few examples would be a leader in networking solutions and one of the top 3 PC and device manufacturers. As a Knowledge Portal Specialist,
 I build web based intelligent Virtual Agents that are designed to help answer troubleshooting issues and pre-sales questions.

Sarah: Your expertise is in understanding the goals (on a strategic level) of some of the most trusted brands and making them happen on a tactical level. What would you say is the biggest challenge?

Rachel: Wow, great question. A few things come to mind…
One challenge I see is analyzing the voice of the end user and creating the right kind of content. Sometimes you really have to drill down to find out what the consumer really needs and wants based on short phrases or sometimes lengthy explanations. Another challenge is helping my clients realize that their consumers are sometimes looking for more of a personalized customer service experience, like that of a call center agent, and we can fully provide that. For example, a consumer may be looking to buy an antivirus product, but are not sure which product is right for them. Based on specific, personalized questions, the Virtual Agent can ‘listen’ to responses and recommend the best product.

A third challenge is helping my clients to grasp the “best practices” as seen throughout our diverse clientele. We are interaction experts and have a wide range of experience on what may or may not work; however, every customer is different and has different needs, so it does make for quite a challenge.

Sarah: Consumer Electronics, PC and Device manufacturers are tasked with constant innovation. How can a Virtual Agent keep up with the frequent release of new products while continuing to support older models?

Rachel: There are a few key ways to accomplish this. One, it’s important for the Virtual Agent to provide the most recent updates for any product or feature as they are released. Let’s face it; consumers always want the latest and greatest version of anything, right? We keep these new and hot products at the forefront of our VA with what we call a “HotList”. This is a great way to engage consumers with the Virtual Agent.  Also, it’s vital to offer information for those older models that some consumers still have. You don’t want your consumer feeling left out, and possibly lose their loyalty by leaving them hanging. Providing consumers with “end of life” information is a great way to answer their questions, as well as, nudge them into an upgrade. 

Sarah: Part of your role is to look at the Virtual Agent reporting for your customers, and provide recommendations. What would you say is the most important metric to a leader in the PC/ Consumer Electronics industry?

Rachel: I believe there are two really important metrics for my PC clients to look at. The first metric would be completion. Completion is a word we use to describe a completed conversation with the Virtual Agent. It’s really important to see that consumers are actually getting to an answer. This type of interaction would be counted as a completed session. The second metric would be effectiveness. Effectiveness is essentially when a user votes “yes, this solution was helpful” after being provided with an answer. The Virtual Agent can quickly tell if content is working or not based on the effectiveness vote. The effectiveness also helps to determine if content needs updating or needs to be developed further. 

Sarah: Similarly, what metric is the most meaningful to security software providers?

Rachel: Things move pretty fast in the Security Software world, with  new viruses, spyware, and malicious attacks daily. So, I would have to say the most important metric for them is also effectiveness. Abandonment is another important metric, as it monitors when a conversation with the Virtual Agent is abandoned. Some users will close the session before being provided with an answer; this is one of the top metrics we report on. Analyzing and understanding when a conversation is abandoned quickly helps us to see what’s a hot topic – An example might be hacking scams, infections, and so forth.

Sarah: The ability to integrate a Virtual Agent (or any self-service application) into an existing ecosystem is imperative. If you think about your clients, what has been the most popular integration? What about the most popular metric that measures the success of that integration?

Rachel: Luckily my clients are very open to trying new things and making enhancements to the customer experience. The mobile integration has been pretty exciting because now consumers can get the VA on any device they have. I think that’s really a key component to showcasing my clients’ commitment to their consumers’ needs – If we see that the majority of end users are coming from a mobile browser, there’s proof that the end customer wants that type of support. With any new integration, whether it is with a new or existing client, the most popular metric to measure the success is the effectiveness. Again, the effectiveness metric will pretty much always tells us what needs to be improved and what is working.

Sarah: I've listened in on a few client conversations, and one of the questions I hear often is about sharing best practices. How does noHold share best practices and tips and tricks with its clients? For example: If you implement a feature/practice that is beneficial to one client, how do you share the idea with other clients?

Rachel: I am finding more and more that clients want suggestions on best practices, which is a great. I also do my best to suggest certain features that I see working in other environments. One of the great things about Virtual Agents is that we can quickly plan, implement,  test, and then analyze the results. However, the same practices don’t always work for every client.

Sarah: Virtual Agents can help increase revenue for customer service and support organizations. Can you tell me about a scenario where one of your customers has been able to accomplish this? What metric do you use to report back to the customer?

Rachel: All of my PC and Security Software clients have been really successful with up-selling. A few examples would be solutions that address areas such as “I want to replace my battery” or “I want to renew my antivirus subscription.” In these cases, not only are we able to generate sales, but we can place the product of interest in their shopping cart. We use a tool called a ‘route’ to track how visitors use these features. It helps the client see just how many people are coming to the VA specifically to upgrade or sometimes purchase for the first time.

Sarah: Rachel, thanks so much for your time today. I want to finish off by asking you one final question: Working with trusted brands is a demanding, yet rewarding role. What is the most rewarding part of your relationship with your clients?

Rachel: Trust. Once I gain my clients trust, I know that we can succeed at making the Virtual Agent meet their goals and meet the needs of their consumer. Plus it makes for a long-lasting, great partnership.

Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and More are Validating the Artificial Intelligence Market

Here is a short clip from "What's the Big Deal?" talking about Google's plan to move toward Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). Google is not the only one interested in A.I., though. Big name companies including IBM, Apple, Microsoft, Nuance, and Facebook are also making an investment into A.I. business units. With this sudden spike of interest in A.I., the future is looking bright for intelligent super computers! 

What do you think about these major companies investing in A.I.? 

Throwback Thursday: Do Your Customers Want a Virtual Agent? Why Don’t You Ask Them?

Happy Throwback Thursday all!

This past Tuesday we shared a blog on leveraging social media to promote self-service tools (i.e. Virtual Agents) and how it can increase usage, and in turn save companies hundreds of thousands of dollars. Click here to read the entire blog.  For Throwback Thursday, we wanted to share another example of a leading PC manufacturer for gaming systems, quickly tweeting and engaging their audience about their self-service tool.

Staying connected through social media is one of the most popular methods to communicate in today’s market. This company is not only using social media to promote the use of their VA, but also asking end users for their feedback to enhance the experience. After all, understanding what the customer will use for support is critical in promoting self-service.

This is another idea to inform and engage consumers to utilize self-service options.

This company used a community forum page as another way for customers to voice their opinions. Instead of simply using the forum to answer support questions, they encouraged people to try out their VA to find answers and provide feedback on how they liked it or what could be done to improve it. It was a great way to start interactions with their customers and provide an outstanding customer experience.

Social media channels have been around for a while, and are becoming invaluable tools for businesses. Listening to your audience about products/services allows your company to get closer to the voice of the customer. I’ll leave you with this quote from Bill Gates,

“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” Cheers! 

Business Case: Leading PC Manufacturers Enhance Interactive Self-Service and Reach an Average 850% ROI Per Month

In 1983, Steve Jobs and a few others filled a time capsule and buried it at the Aspen International Design Conference. Over 3 decades later, the show Diggers helped organizers finally uncover the buried treasure. The unveiling of the time capsule will be aired on the National Geographic’s channel, February 25.

One of the items in the time capsule is the Lisa mouse. This mouse is considered to be a significant part of tech history. “Jobs used it at the conference where he predicted many innovations we use today. He envisioned the future of computers and the Internet, the creation of the App Store, wireless networking and other Apple technologies.” (Steve Jobs Time Capsule Finally Uncovered After 30 Years) Thanks to the innovation of the Lisa mouse, it has set the bar high for top PC manufacturers to provide cutting edge technology to their consumers. The inception of the box mouse “Lisa”, helped lead to innovations like the wireless mouse, touchpads, touch screen/tablet, holographic keyboard, and much more. 

Virtual Agents are also making an impact on tech history. Companies in today’s market are utilizing automated self-service tools for more than just support . Since the conception of the Internet of Everything, noHold Connect Virtual Agent’s advanced technology allowing them to communicate with multiple Virtual Agents (noHold Connect), providing a “butler” to keep users connected to all their devices from a single User Interface (UI).   

Here is an example of one of the top 3 PC manufacturers who is also recognized as a company that develops, sells, repairs computers and related products and services. The company began using a Virtual Agent to provide a better customer experience. This company wanted to gain insight into the top issues their customers were inquiring about and be able to solve these issues. Instead of using a standard approach to self-service and offering a long list of articles with answers to an infinite number of questions, they implemented an “empty” VA (EZintel) to keen in on what customers were having the most trouble with. After understanding the questions through reporting analysis, they began providing interactive and diagnostic solutions (InstantSupport) across multiple product lines (printers, mobile devices, gaming, etc.). In addition, integrating the Virtual Agent with their existing support ecosystem has reduced the need for human intervention. By preempting live chat with the VA, customers have the opportunity to get a quick answer through the VA before engaging a live agent. As a result, the company recently reported a chat avoidance metric of 11%. Using this front line technology has saved companies hundreds of thousands of dollars. Companies in the PC industry report an average ROI of 850%.

Times have definitely changed since the Lisa mouse, but the constant need to innovate is timeless. There will always be a new way to do things, but adapting is key to staying competitive and successful. What do you think the next big technology break through will be? What would you want in your time capsule?   

www.nohold.com

Virtual Agent Tips and Tricks: Now Trending… #VirtualAgents

Social Media is one of the most popular ways to communicate with your audience. From top Fortune 500 companies to the local corner shop, staying connected to your customer is a top priority. More and more companies are turning to social media to do so.  It’s fast, it’s easy, and (in most cases) it’s free!

With more than half the population connected to social media (Social Networking Statistics), quick tweets and updates can promote self-service. Companies across multiple industries have discovered that sending quick messages to a connected audience is a great way to spread awareness and remind clients that self-service is available 24x7. In the example below, one company tweeted about one of their Virtual Agents, and provided users with a link directly to “Emma.” This in turn increased the use of the VA. 

Marketing your Virtual Agent to your consumers is a great tip to maximizing usage. Check out the blog written yesterday for more advice about embedding your Virtual Agent directly to your social media sites.

www.nohold.com 

Enhance Your Social Media Platform by Adding a Virtual Agent

Social media is a great way to connect with your consumers and hear what they have to say about your products or services. Here is a video explaining how social media to enhance your business.

With nearly one in four people around the world connected to social media today (eMarketer), your company’s social channels are where a lot of people refer to when faced with support questions or to talk about a complaint. To handle some of the questions, companies opt to implement a Virtual Agent on their social sites (e.g. Facebook), so customers have the option to answer their own questions, on their own time. Companies are still engaging the customer via social media, but doing so in a more time efficient manner.

Top Reasons to Show Virtual Agents Some Love: #VirtualAgentLove

A support site without a Virtual Agent (VA) is like going to Disneyland and not seeing Mickey Mouse; the two simply go hand-in-hand. VA’s are gaining popularity in the market, and in light of Valentine’s Day, I wanted to share with you a few reasons why you should show VA’s some love this year. 

1. Virtual Agents reduce support costs

• In many cases, the use of a VA has cut incident rates in half, thus saving companies hundreds of thousands of dollars per month. 

2. Predictions are positive for Virtual Agents to be the next big technology trend

• According to a top analyst firm, the future for IT organization’s strategies includes VA’s. Staying ahead of the curve is going to save companies money and give them the edge to surpass their competitors. Fortune 500 companies are agreeing with this trend. Microsoft is expected to launch Windows Phone 8.1 with a personal Virtual Assistant programmed into it (Meet Microsoft’s Virtual Personal Assistant) and IBM has invested over $1B on a new business unit for the super computer, Watson (IBM to invest $1 Billion to Create New Business Unit for Watson). 

3. Virtual Agents eliminate long “hold” times for customers

• Consumers expect a speedy response to their problems. VA’s give the power to the consumer to find the answer to their problem on their own time. Call Center agents can also utilize a VA to reduce Average Handle Time and get to more customers, faster. 

4. Virtual Agents make for happier customers

• All companies rely on happy customers to make a profit. Implementing a VA has been proven to put brands at the top of their industry in customer satisfaction. 

5. Virtual Agents have the ability to be a butler or central hub for multiple Virtual Agents to connect to one another

• The Internet of Everything is coming to fruition. Applications are being used to control smart machines connected to the Internet. But what happens when you have too many devices/applications to manage? It is hard to take full advantage of what each device has to offer if you don’t know what to do. Leveraging a VA as a “butler”, where you can control all your connected devices from a single user interface (UI) will help simplify your future. Find out more about noHold Connect by clicking here. 

There is an endless list of reasons to fall in love with them. VA’s continue to impress me with all their features and how they progressively enhance over time. Be sure to share with us all the reasons you love Virtual Agents! I hope everyone has a great Valentine’s Day, as well as a great weekend.

Cheers! 

Throwback Thursday: The Shift From Search to Cognitive Interaction

Long ago before Virtual Agents existed,

People were forced to use search engines with no diagnostic features,

No interactive component,

Photo credit: money.cnn.com

And no escalate to contact options. 

How many people remember "Ask Jeeves”? How about Clippy, the Question and Answer, animated paper clip at the bottom of a PC? These search engines have been around for quite some time. Before Virtual Agents, these popular tools were cutting edge. Today, the end user requires the interactive element that Virtual Agents possess. Companies are realizing the importance of implementing a diagnostic and interactive approach.

Photo credit: Wayback Machine

Transforming automated support into a cognitive interaction has always been the basis of noHold's technology. The use of a Natural Language Processor (NLP) coupled with an Inference Engine (IE) allows our Virtual Agents to interpret end-users words and drive a conversation instead of a simplistic question and answer session.

Unlike a typical search, Virtual Agents also have the capability to seamlessly activate another Virtual Agent.  Back in 2011, we discussed “A.I. vs. A.I.: The Need for Virtual Assistants to 'Talk' to Each Other.” On a lighter note, here is a funny video of two chatbots talking to each other courtesy of  CornellCCSL.

Fast forward to today, it is more important than ever for Artificial Intelligence (AI) to be interactive and diagnostic, as well as to "communicate" with other AI. With so many things connected to the Internet, the human experience is key. 

What do you think? Tell us if you believe that a typical search will become a cognitive interaction.  

Happy Throwback Thursday!

Business Case: One of the Top 3 Security Software Vendors Increases First Contact Resolution (FCR) in the Contact Center with the Help of a Virtual Agent.

One of the world leaders in security software has experienced major success by empowering call center staff with a Virtual Agent. The initial goal was to reduce Tier 1 escalation by 35%. After implementing a Virtual Agent, the average FCR rate is currently estimated at 50% across all products, exceeding their goal by 15% . This Virtual Agent is being used as the primary tool for resolving customer issues by an entry level support team. By utilizing the Virtual Agent in the Call Center the company has benefited by

1. Reducing average handle time (AHT)
2. Reducing training time for agents working in the Call Center
3.  Improving consistency all around

This proves that having an interactive and diagnostic Virtual Agent  that can be accessible by entry level Call Center agents will decrease the time to resolution in the call center, while reducing costs. It also provides a better experience for the customer because of the fast and consistent interactions. I think we can all agree that in a customer-centric world, it is important to provide the end user with a memorable and pleasant encounter to keep them coming back for more.

Cheers! 

Virtual Agent Tips and Tricks: This Valentines Day, Give the Gift of Virtual Agent Love

Have you ever wondered how to gain the most from your Virtual Agent? Virtual Agents are capable of doing so much more than just providing answers to consumer questions. One tip to getting the most out of your Virtual Agent is by sharing it with you partners. It is equally important for partners to feel special, as well as customers. Extending the Virtual Agent to them will build a stronger relationship with them all while seeing an increasing ROI. Here is a slideshare we have presented before about how a company in the medical field made a customer support Virtual Agent accessible to all their partners and reaped great benefits, such as

• Generating about $5M in revenue per year
• Building a powerful relationship and making partners feel apart of the inner circle.

 

A Real-Life Example of the Internet of Everything

Happy Monday! Hope everyone is having a great start to their week. 

I came across this video that might bring a smile to your Monday morning. Cisco explains how the Internet of Everything can augment your life. 

If your life was connected to the Internet of Everything, what kinds of things would you want to happen automatically? How could the IoE simplify your life? 

Flashback Friday: The Artificial Intelligence Movement

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is appearing in the tech news more and more. AI is more than just a trend though; it is a growing movement being embraced by the World. Leading analyst are validating the market (BLOG LINK TO GARTNER PREDICTS) and Fortune 500 companies such as IBM with Watson, Apple with Siri, and Google with Google Now, are in agreement that AI is continuing to grow exponentially and has no plans to stop. Now, Microsoft is on board with the AI movement as well. It is rumored that the release of the Windows Phone 8.1 is going to come equipped with an AI virtual assistant (much like Siri) code-named “Cortana.” The name Cortana come from the Xbox game series Halo. Cortana is an AI hologram character used throughout the game as a co-partner to fight off the enemies. Halo fans are very excited to see one of their favorite characters’s become a Virtual Assistant (Microsoft May Breathe New Life into Halo’s Cortana AI).

Microsoft’s co-founder Paul Allen is also on board with the AI movement. He is realizing that AI is not just a childhood fantasy anymore; with today’s technology anything is possible. Allen and others are doing research on developing an AI that can understand language and use reasoning skills to interact with its surroundings (Paul Allen and the Machines: Teaching the Next Generation of Artificial Intelligence).

Due to a busy week, we decided to do Flashback Friday this week. In light of Flashback Friday I wanted to share Microsoft’s early uses of a Virtual Agent.

1    1. We all remember Clippy in the corner of the screen helping users with their PC problems.

2    2. Here is a screenshot or a press release from 2007 announcing Microsoft’s implementation of a Virtual Agent.

Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare

Health is a major concern for everyone. Knowing there is nothing wrong with you or your family is a top priority. As technology advances, companies are creating self-service tools to help people monitor their own health. I just listened to an interesting podcast from stuffyoushouldknow.com (click here to listen to the entire podcast) discussing the question, “Will computers replace doctors?” They made some great points on how Artificial Intelligence can benefit the future of medicine.

Today, people are beginning to take charge of their own health and not rely solely on what the doctors say; they are taking things into their own hands if you will. Wearable technology is being utilized in the health field in the form of heart monitors, calorie counters, etc.  Fit Bit and other wearable health trackers make it easy for consumers to trace and record health information. This technology provides users with quantitative data and the ability to determine on their own if a doctor’s visit is necessary.

Smartphone apps are also tapping into the medical field. There are already preliminary apps that essentially make you the doctor. An app called EyeNetra is trying to bring eye care to the public by providing them with prescriptions. Another app called AliveCor measures your ECG scores and can send them to your doctor for less than half the cost. All these apps are still advancing, but eventually you will be able to track all your health information on your Smartphone from different apps. And soon after that, all of these apps will be combined into one app where you can be in control of your own health. View this SlideShare for a visual example of how Virtual Agents can augment the Internet of Everything.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not only being accessed by the public as a self advocacy tool, but also inside the medical field at the hospitals. Artificial Intelligence is in the process of becoming doctors themselves. This is still a new concept with lots of kinks to work out, but the benefits point us in a direction of Virtual doctors in the near future. In the podcast, they mention doctors lacking a consistent bedside manner due to personal problems, being busy, etc. The technology is readily available to create Virtual Agents with consistent, unbiased bedside manner, that people actually prefer interacting with. A study was mentioned about treating anxiety, and it was found that people were more willing to talk with a Virtual Agent avatar than a human therapist.

Another benefit of utilizing a Virtual Agent in the medical field is its ability to look up medical history and family history quickly. Often, doctors make diagnoses based mostly on intuition. They said, “1 in 5 diagnoses in the United States are incorrect or incomplete.” A Virtual Agent relies strictly on data and provides possible diagnoses with a high level of confidence based on previous personal and family history and/or current research.

 In your opinion, what does the future of medicine look like? Do you think doctors are going to be replaced by Artificial Intelligence or just used as aids? Would you prefer interacting with an avatar?

Happy Friday

noHold Announces noHold Connect to Empower Humans to Experience the Internet of Everything (IoE) From a Single User Interface (UI)

February 5, 2014, Milpitas California – noHold Connect will empower humans to experience the Internet of Everything. With much hype around the creation of a standardized platform for devices to ‘communicate’, companies such as Qualcomm & Linux have created the AllSeen Alliance, while others such as Logitech aim to educate and drive awareness with the Internet of Things Consortium. The goal is to advance the Internet of Everything. While these organizations aim to standardize awareness as well as the technological aspect, noHold aims to create the experience.

Cisco defines the Internet of Everything (IoE) as bringing together people, process, data, and things to make networked connections more relevant and valuable than ever before-turning information into actions that create new capabilities, richer experiences, and unprecedented economic opportunity for businesses, individuals, and countries (Cisco.com, “Internet of Everything.”). Analyst firms and technology leaders agree that by 2020, over 30B devices will connect to the Internet. Although we are still in the preliminary stages of experiencing the IoE movement, history is being made with the standardized platforms.

Virtual Agents (also known as Virtual Assistants, Intelligent Virtual Agents, Chatbots, etc.) have been leveraged by trusted brands for years, saving millions of dollars and increasing revenue, while enhancing customer service and satisfaction. noHold Connect is the evolution of Confederated Knowledge™, which noHold announced in 2010. noHold Connect is the ability to:

1.   Allow multiple Virtual Agents to connect. For example, a consumer using Telecommunications services must deal with multiple vendors, not just the Telco itself. If Mary has an issue with her wireless device, she will likely have to contact the manufacturer, not her Telco. noHold Connect empowers Mary to start the conversation with her Telco provider, and ‘in place activate’ the Virtual Agent from her device manufacturer without changing websites, or starting her conversation from the beginning.

2.   Leverage a ‘butler’ style Virtual Agent to experience the Internet of Everything. Similar to the above scenario, Mary can interact with one Virtual Agent from her device to ‘talk’ to other Virtual Agents and accomplish specific tasks. Personal Virtual Assistants such as Siri® and Google Now™ are examples of personal digital assistants that leverage apps. For example: If an end user wants to reset his/her NEST thermostat, he will leverage one mobile application. A consumer interested in recording a program on his DVR will require yet another application. Virtual Agents, like noHold, can be leveraged as a virtual butler to ‘connect’ with other virtual agents and help humans experience the Internet of Everything from one single User Interface (UI). The difference is noHold Connect changes the experience and puts simplicity and interactivity back in the hands of the user.

For a visual example of how Virtual Agents enhance the Internet of Everything, please visit: Virtual Agents and The Internet of Everything 

With customers in pertinent industries such as Telecommunications, Consumer Electronics, PC and Devices, Security Software, Networking, and more, noHold Connect is the future of Smarter Self-Service™ and Consumer Interaction.

“I have 48 applications loaded on my iPhone. I had to learn a different paradigm to operate each. What drove us to create noHold Connect was the idea that it is time for machines to adjust to our way of living, rather than the other way around. We are embarking on a journey that will change the way we interact with everything. Having the smart technology to empower your customers today, is table stakes for a competitive customer experience, ” 
Diego Ventura, CEO of noHold.

About noHold Inc.
noHold is a privately held company established in 1999 and is headquartered in Milpitas, CA, USA (Silicon Valley). noHold is the acknowledged leader in Web based Self-service solutions with a mission to deliver real answers to real questions - real fast. Simple to use, easy to implement and as close to human as you can get, noHold turns automated customer support into cognitive customer interaction. noHold customers include Toshiba, Lenovo, Cisco and a host of industry leaders. More information can be found at www.nohold.com.


Press Contact 
Sarah Ramoz 
Marketing Operations Manager
sramoz@nohold.com 
408.946.9200 ext. 305

Copyright © 2014 noHold Inc. All other product and service names are the property of their respective owners.

Virtual Agents Can Reduce Volume at the Contact Center by 50%

Seth Godin says “80% of your inbound calls are about the same ten things.” (Your Call is Very Important to Us, 2013) Virtual Agents have proven to reduce incidents by 50% in some cases. Here is a video explaining how a Virtual Agent can help reduce the volume of emails and phone calls to your contact center by providing answers to FAQs. 

Cheers!