Virtual Agents Get Praise Directly from End Users

We love hearing positive comments back from our clients about their success stories with our Virtual Agents. It is also rewarding on a different level to hear from the end users directly (our clients’ customers). Having people who actually interact with the Virtual Agent say great things about their experience further validates the benefits of a Virtual Agent.  

Here is a quote that we found on a community forum page coming straight from someone who used the Virtual Agent:

“Wow, that’s a pretty great innovation. Nice job Alienware!”

–User of Computer Hardware Virtual Assistant.

Receiving praise is always good, but getting feedback from Virtual Agent users is invaluable. Who knows better than the user if the VA is meeting their needs. In one instance we asked a user of a computer software Virtual Agent how we can improve this tool:

"I like the instant answers. After I got used to it, I considered it a very useful troubleshooting tool (in some regards better than live chat)."

To view more testimonials about noHold's Virtual Agents please follow this link. 

http://www.nohold.com/kudos.html 

Virtual Agent Tips and Tricks: Using a Virtual Agent to Enhance Your Product’s User Manual

User manuals tend to have a love/hate effect on consumers. They are full of useful information and insider knowledge about the products, but it can be a headache having to read through it all to try and find one piece of information.  An example of a cumbersome user manual is for vehicles; hundreds of pages that are filled with so many terms, it is hard to find the information you are looking for. Cars are getting more advanced in today’s technology driven world, too, adding more capabilities to your car than ever before. But to figure out how to utilize these special features you have to find it in the manual and in some cases, go to a support site if you are having problems. 

Compared to car guides, phone manuals have continuously gotten shorter and shorter, with mostly the “common” features provided on a small flip book. Even though the physical user manuals have been cut down, the online versions of the user guides can exceed hundreds of pages, with no interactive and diagnostic features to aid your experience.

While these manuals don’t provide the most intuitive responses, a Virtual Agent can help enhance them to be more user friendly. Instead of handing consumers a huge book, a link to the Virtual Agent can empower users to to simply type in a question such as, “How do I connect my phone to my car?” and get an immediate solution without having to sift through many pages of information.  

Another example of how a Virtual Agent can be used is for registering a product. Typically, when a customer purchases software or any other computer related devices, the manufacturer encourages registration. That process tends to be tedious, informing you to do this and then click that. With a Virtual Agent, registering a product can be streamlined making the experience more interesting and interactive. Doing this provides consumers with that personal, interactive element they are expecting when seeking online assistance, while increasing the chances of repeat visits to the Virtual Agent in the future.

Would customer feedback surveys get better responses if they were part of a Virtual Agent interaction? Would you be more inclined to complete a credit card application through a Virtual Agent than through multiple screens of questions?  What are some other scenarios where an interactive conversation would improve a cumbersome experience? 

www.nohold.com

President Obama meets ASIMO, Honda’s Humanoid Robot

During a youth science event at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (AKA Miraikan) in Tokyo, Japan, President Barack Obama was introduced to ASIMO, Honda’s humanoid robot. For those of you who don’t know, ASIMO is an acronym for Advanced Step in Innovative MObility. For 14 years now, Honda has been developing and enhancing ASIMO’s capabilities of interacting with its physical surroundings. ASIMO has improved so much since its inception; it can now walk up stairs, pour and serve a cup of juice, run, recognize faces, and talk.  

President Obama also saw a demonstration of Atlas, DARPA’s (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) creation of a humanoid robot designed to save lives from the rubble of natural disasters. As advances are being made in robotics, the technology that are fueling these parts are being widely utilized in other aspects of innovation; driver-less cars, wearable devices, drones, and more. People are becoming increasingly more optimistic about the future of high tech.

“…Obama professed his belief in the importance of science and math programs, telling students they ‘have more technology and more power than even the greatest innovators of previous generations, so there is no limit to what [they] can achieve,’ he said" (President Obama Plays Soccer with ASIMO the Robot). The power of technology gives future generations the ability improve innovations and create things that we never thought possible. What do you think the next capabilities for ASIMO are going to be? What would you like a humanoid robot to be able to do? 

www.nohold.com

Throwback Thursday: Interns Learn How to Manage Virtual Agent Content within Weeks

Around this time two years ago (2012), we announced the launch of a Virtual Agent for the Italian Consulate of San Francisco. This Virtual Agent is bilingual, responding to frequently asked questions in English or Italian. Virtual Agents are created to be extremely user friendly, not only for the general public asking the Virtual Agent questions, but also for back end administrators that maintain the content. The Italian Consulate of San Francisco employed two part time students to create the first instance of the Virtual Agent and User Interface (UI), with minimal training required. Since the tools are easy to use, the Consulate gives the responsibility of maintaining the content each semester to new interns.

“This is the first time that an Italian Consulate has used this Virtual Agent technology. It immediately turned out to be very efficient and a very useful tool.  Both the Consulate and the users are really satisfied. It is likely that other Consulates will follow our example.” Fabrizio Marcelli, Consul General of Italy. (2012)

To read the full press release, click here.

Just about a year after the implementation of the Consulates' Virtual Agent (2013), Diego Ventura, the CEO and founder of noHold, was awarded the special honor of the Order of the Star of Italy by the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano. This honor is given to Italians, both abroad and foreign, who promote friendly relations between Italy and other countries and create ties with Italy as well. Click here to read about noHold Being Knighted.

For future news, an award-winning leader in networking is following a similar path to the Italian Consulates’, handing some of the responsibility of maintaining the Virtual Agent to interns. Managing a Virtual Agent shouldn’t be tedious. We make it so entry level associates can effectively support the Virtual Agent with minimal training needed. The interns enjoy being part of a team, are excited about maintaining a 'cool' and effective technology, and the companies have found compelling ways to 'gamify' the whole process. How does your company maintain its Virtual Agent or self-service options? Tell us your story about using gamification to encourage contribution. 

www.nohold.com

Top Networking Company's Winning Self-Service Solution

A leading American manufacturer of consumer electronics that specializes in connectivity devices has seen great advances with the use of self-service augmented by a Virtual Agent. In the previous month (March), there have been a couple major highlights for this company; the Virtual Agent assisted hundreds of thousands of users in seven different languages with almost one million knowledge base views.

In addition to providing the company with access (behind a secure login) to automatic dashboards and reporting, we provide a monthly value card from our team including a section for the most commonly used solutions. The top 5 solutions used for last month were…

1. What to do if you forget your router’s password 
2. Connecting a printer to your router 
3. Setting up or viewing the router’s password 
4. Resetting the router to factory default settings 
5. Setting up a password (WEP/WPA/WPA2) for the wireless network of your router 

As you can see, questions about 'password' are a common issue and the Virtual Agent provides users a self-service method to answering these problems and more. Self-service is more cost effective than employing a live agent to respond to every phone/email/chat question, and the Virtual Agent increases customer satisfaction more than FAQ’s because it provides an interactive experience for the consumer. For this company, using a Virtual Agent has saved them hundreds of thousands of dollars a month on support costs. 

Does your company automate Frequently Asked Questions such as password issues? How do you measure the success of your self-service solution across multiple languages? 

www.nohold.com 

Virtual Agent Tips and Tricks: Near Field Communication, Digital Payments, and Virtual Agents in Your Favorite Store?

New technologies are developing to create unique experiences for customers; Near Field Communication (NFC) is one of those technologies. NFC allows companies to know when you are in the store and monitor your interactions with different products. These “sensors” give companies the ability to provide you with a personalized experience. Here is an example from an article written by David Marcus, President of PayPal, about Near Field Communication and wearable devices…

“For example, we have a pilot running in our on-campus Starbucks that combines Beacon, with an app built for the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2, and Gear Fit devices. Walk into the area covered by the Beacon, your watch notifies you you've checked-in, the barista, greets you by name because your photo shows up on the point-of-sale system, and when she rings you up, you get another push notification. Tap on the watch to confirm the payment, and go. This is one of the most transformative payments experience I've had. No wallet. The phone never leaves my pocket. And I'm in control” (Three Trends that MightTransform the Retail Payments Experience).

This example combined NFC and wearable technology to create a completely personalized shopping experience. In the future, Virtual Agents will be incorporated into virtual retail experiences - For example, if you are interested in buying a router, you can scan the box and a Virtual Agent will pop up on your phone to tell you everything you need to know about that product, acting as a personal “shopping advisor”. While this is happening, your data (interactions with different products) are being sent to a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for sales associates to interpret your history and cater promotions or messaging specifically to your interests/needs. 

There is a lot of controversy surrounding NFC, specifically related to security issues. What is your opinion on NFC? Would you opt to share your 'in-store' activity resulting in a more personalized experience? 

www.nohold.com

Virtual Agent Helps Handle Call Volume Peaks During Tax Season

As always, tax season is a stressful time, full of questions and concerns. It is also a time that tax accountants, stock managers, and the IRS get a high volume of calls flooding call centers about similar questions. Not only does this cost a pretty penny for the company answering the phones, but it also wastes the time of the consumer because they have to wait on hold until an agent is available to help them.

This season, Penny, a Virtual Agent from a leader in global stock transfers, helped to reduce the volume of phone calls/emails to their call center by answering questions regarding taxes. The top question asked this month was, “How do I get my tax statement/1099?” In addition to looking at the top trending questions, we compared this month’s number of interactions to a previous month’s and found a significant increase of over 20% more interactions.

Virtual Agents benefit the customer because they won’t have long hold times, and also benefit the company because the cost of support does not sky rocket during peak seasons. Virtual Agents like Penny also increase Customer Satisfaction and loyalty by providing quick, consistent, and compliant responses. 

Virtual Agents can help reduce traffic to the call center during tax season, and also during Christmas/holidays, health care reforms, company promotions, etc. When you need a quick response to a question, it is best to try self-service options first before waiting to get in contact with a live agent via phone or chat. 

How does your company handle spikes in volume at the call center? Do you promote self-service options first? 

www.nohold.com 

Throwback Thursday: The Progression of Smart Appliances

     Just about a year ago, LG talked about their futuristic refrigerator that has multiple “smart” capabilities. Since the fridge is connected to the Internet through a WiFi connection, it can help manage the contents inside. It includes features such as when your food is expiring, provides you with recipes that incorporate those perishing foods, creates an electronic grocery list of the items you need, and has the ability for you to order groceries right through the screen on your refrigerator (LG Smart Fridge Spots Spoiled Food, Orders Groceries).

     Today, most manufacturers of appliances are continuing in the direction of the future by connecting them to the Internet. Similarly, Google started their virtual shopping experience with Google Shopping Express. So many new technologies are enhancing the user experience with traditional items. For example, you may not even need to go to the store anymore; your fridge will tell you what you need, communicate with an app like Google Shopping Express, and automatically order it for you.

     The future of smart appliances is looking bright and adding a Virtual Butler to the mix will further simplify the experience of the Internet of Everything - i.e. coffee machines, washing machines/dryers, dishwashers, air conditioners, etc. The Virtual Agent comes into play to help manage all these appliances from one user interface. Instead of having to go to multiple apps, you can go to a "Siri-like" Virtual Agent and be able to turn on the washing machine that you forgot to turn on in the morning from your phone and in the same moment turn off the coffee pot that you forgot that morning as well. 

     If a Virtual Butler was within your arm's reach today, what would you use it for? Can you imagine a world where the butler provides troubleshooting, support, and sales advice in the same user interface that you use to control your connected home and devices? 

Happy Throwback Thursday!

www.nohold.com

On-the-Go Virtual Agent: Trusted Brand Launches Mobile Virtual Agent

                           Reference: Mobile Apps Overtake PC Internet Usage in U.S.

Internet and App usage on mobile devices is continually growing and has already exceeded PC Internet usage in 2014. "Mobile devices accounted for 55% of Internet usage in the United States in January. Apps made up 47% of Internet traffic and 8% of traffic came from mobile browsers, according to data from comScore, cited Thursday by research firm Enders Analysis. PCs clocked in at 45%" (CNNMoney). Consumers are using their mobile devices for virtually everything now; shopping, looking up directions, banking, etc. Furthermore, users now have access to their smart devices via their mobile applications. It seems like having a mobile strategy for your company is required in today's world, instead of just a bonus feature.  

For example, one of the top providers for telephone service in the North East Central States, recently enhanced their mobile support presence. They estimated that about a quarter of their users are mobile, and they wanted to adopt practices that will cater to the needs of these users, as well as PC users. One way they responded to customer demand was by launching a mobile version of their Virtual Agent. Now that the Virtual Agent is easily accessible from mobile phones, users can get the solutions to their problems from the palm of their hand. 

Is your company mobile friendly? What are some of your best practices within the mobile scope?

www.nohold.com

Virtual Agent Tips and Tricks: Leading Analyst Predicts Top Customer Service Trends for 2014

A few months back, Kate Leggett (Principal Analyst at Forrester) wrote a blog titled “Forrester’s Top Trends for Customer Service In 2014.” She suggested 12 new developments to adopt this year to keep customers satisfied and coming back to your business for more. Here are just a few of her tips that really hone in on how to provide over the top customer service.

“Trend 1: Customers Demand Omnichannel Services”
noHold's opinion:
People like to have multiple options when it comes to customer service. Although voice is still the most used channel of communication, it is still important to offer other preferred channels, such as self-service, to balance out the company’s support ecosystem.

“Trend 6: Knowledge Will Evolve from Purely Reactive to Giving Advice”
noHold's opinion:
It is going to be crucial for your company to invest in a knowledge management solution this year. “67% of consumers use web self-service to find answers to their questions” (Forrester's Top Trends for Customer Service in 2014). Since customers prefer self-service, it is important to have the company’s knowledge easily organized, shared, and analyzed so people can find the right solutions on their own time, quickly. Analysts foresee an increased use in Virtual Agents to support a more natural conversation. This will help create an enjoyable experience for the customer, instead of sending lengthy, irrelevant documents.

“Trend 7: Decisioning Will Power Offers, Actions and Connections”
noHold's opinion:
Predictive analytics is a growing trend this year. Brands are analyzing what you look at and your past purchases to try and predict what it is that you would want/ need. Predictive analytics is a great resource for cross-selling/ up-selling. For example, if someone buys something online and encounters  a problem, they can pull up the Virtual Agent, get the answer they need and the Virtual Agent will be able to provide them with the right content personalized for them.

“Trend 10: The Agent Experience is No Longer an Afterthought”
noHold's opinion:
Another top trend for this year is to increase Contact Center agent efficiency by simplifying their work space. One way to accomplish this is by implementing a Virtual Agent into the Contact Center directly. By doing this, your company will improve the Average Handle Time (AHT) per phone call, increase consistency, improve churn, and even new trainees can effectively give solutions to customers with the help of the Virtual Agent.

These are just a few of the top trends talked about in this article; there are many more predictions that can help your company exceed your customers expectations. To read the full blog, click here.  

How do you plan to keep customers satisfied and increase loyalty? 

Cheers!
www.nohold.com 

Creating an Excellent Customer Experience with Virtual Reality Technology

There has been a lot of talk circulating the media about Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus VR, the company that developed the virtual reality headset called Oculus Rift. Most people consider virtual reality technology to be specifically for gamers only, so there is a lot of confusion as to why Facebook wanted to invest into this company. According to an article from nojitter.com, Oculus Rift: The Future of Customer Experience, “The clues to why Facebook made this investment lie in what else Zuckerberg had to say in his announcement. Virtual reality was once the dream of science fiction. But the Internet was also once a dream, and so were computers and smartphones. Is this what the acquisition was all about--chasing a dream? Is it possible that this $2 billion bet is not about ‘science fiction,’ but will instead be part of bringing the ‘future to the world, and to unlock new worlds for all of us,’ as Zuckerberg concluded?”

It is apparent that as time progresses we are adopting new, more immersive technologies every day. For example, holographic images are becoming more wide spread. Holographic avatars are used as “greeters” in airports or retail stores, providing individuals with a warm welcome and pertinent information to their visit. Holographic keyboards for your smartphone are also gaining popularity. We can bet it is not going to stop there, though; Facebook, along with trusted analysts, envision a future that completely immerses reality with virtual reality. Here is a video from CORNING, the world leader in specialty glass and ceramics, demonstrating what such a world would look like.

This idea posed in the video above of an interactive world does not seem too far off. In fact, for many years companies have already been using “virtual” technology to enhance their customer’s experiences. Virtual Agents(VA's) are a great example of such technologies that provide the desired interaction the consumer wants, while keeping costs down, and increasing satisfaction. Not only do VA’s offer exceptional customer support, but they are also used to augment ecommerce sales. For more information on Virtual Agents for Sales, please click here.

Our reality is continually being enhanced with technology. Do you think Facebook has validity in investing in what is considered to be a “niche” market? How do you feel about blurring the lines between virtual reality and actuality? 

Throwback Thursday: According to a Leading Analyst Firm, 50% of Online Self-Service Will be Via a Virtual Assistant

     In the early days of the Internet, CallCenter.com published an article, "What’s in a Name? noHold Rebrands Self-Help Software." This article was written back in October of 2001 (just about 13 year ago) sharing the multiple benefits of using a Virtual Agent. One of the paragraphs cites compelling predictions about on-line service for 2005....

“If cost savings aren't enough to sell you on the product, consider also that, according to Jupiter Media Metrix, the number of individuals seeking on-line service will jump to 67 million in 2005, up from 33 million this year.”

     When looking at the numbers of people seeking online service today, this prediction has been far surpassed. Billions of people are connected to the Internet and web-based customer support is quickly becoming the preferred channel for customer support. 

     The future of Virtual Agents is predicted to keep growing. According to a leading analyst firm, “By 2015, 50% of online customer self-service search activities will be via a virtual assistant for at least 1500 large enterprises” (Intelligent Virtual Agents for SMBs, smbnow.com) Looking at the pattern from 2001 up to today, it is apparent that continuously more and more people are interested in web self-service. What will the future of Virtual Agents/web self-service look like in 10 more years? Will the current predictions be surpassed yet again?

Behind the Scenes: An Exclusive Preview of noHold's Virtual Butler

Augmenting the Internet of Everything     

     

     Lately, there has been a lot of talk in the news about the Internet of Everything (IoE). Just recently we announced the arrival of noHold Connect, the technology used to empower humans to experience the IoE from a single user interface. Diego Ventura, the CEO and founder of noHold, made a short video showing a raw, exclusive preview of the Virtual Butler for wearable devices.        

     According to a recent article published by Computerworld, “Analysts expect not only an explosion of wearable devices in the next three years, but an explosion of mobile apps of all kinds. Research firm Gartner last year predicted that wearable devices will drive half of all app interactions by 2017, a startling prediction, but one that Gartner believes was reinforced by the flurry of wearable devices shown at International CES.” One analyst mentioned that “virtually all vendors are choosing mobile apps to interact with the way we will use a wearable device.”(Computerworld.com)

     The scenario that noHold described in a Press Release about noHold Connect and the IoE, is coming to fruition. noHold connect augmenting the IoE is about focusing on bringing the human element to the future of interconnected living, while making consumers less dependent on multiple apps.     

     We are not stopping at wearable devices, though. Soon, multiple vendors from a variety of industries will connect to the Virtual Butler, encompassing all aspects of the IoE. These include companies in the telecommunications space, automobile industry, smart appliance manufacturers (i.e. coffee machines, refrigerators,etc.), and much, much more.

     As you can see from the preview above, the goal of the Virtual Butler is to simplify our lives. There are so many apps on our smartphones that control devices/services that are connected to the Internet. For example, mobile banking apps, apps that control your DVR, home security apps, etc. Having an individual app for each of these connected items can become a bit chaotic, but imagine a life with a Virtual Butler that can help you manage and get the most out of your devices, all through a single user interface (UI). It creates an enhanced interactive experience that users are demanding.      

     The best is yet to come for the Virtual Butler! For more information on the IoE and the Virtual Butler check out this slideshare presentation, Connecting the Internet of Everything to the Human Element. 

The Secret to Reducing Average Handle Time While Maintaining an Excellent Customer Experience

Here is a business case of one of the top security software companies in the industry. They were interested in reducing Average Handle Time (AHT) for call center agents, reducing churn, and reducing second tier escalation  by 35%. Check out the slideshare below to find out how implementing a Virtual Agent into their Call Center helped them to exceed their expectations. 

To learn more about Virtual Agents in the Call Center click here. 

Robot Breaks Record, Solving a Rubik's Cube in 3.253 Seconds

     Have you ever wondered how to solve a Rubik's cube? In the 80's, it was a great accomplishment just to solve the puzzle; today, it is all about who can solve it the fastest. Below is a video of the Guinness World Record Holder for solving a Rubik's cube...a robot! This robot (the Cubestormer 3) is built from Lego's and powered by a Samsung Galaxy S4. It set the new record for solving a Rubik's cube at 3.253 seconds, cutting off about 2 seconds from the previous record holder. Check out the demonstration video to see for yourself.

     Robots are utilizing today's technology to accomplish things no human can accomplish (i.e. solve a Rubik's cube in 3.253 seconds). How do you feel about this? Are we stepping into dangerous territory with the advancement of robots or are they our friends? 

     To read more about this recording breaking achievement click here. 

www.nohold.com

A Global Stock Transfer Company Reaches Huge ROI With Virtual Agents

A few weeks ago noHold posted a blog about The Most Commonly Used and Most Effective Virtual Agent Solutions. We talked about the monthly value card of a leader in the PC industry and the metrics they report on. To clarify, Virtual Agents automatically capture actionable customer intelligence based on each interaction, and powerful administrative tools allow your company to create customer reports on the usage of the Virtual Agent based on organizational needs. The monthly value cards are an additional resource provided by our Professional Services team here at noHold, containing helpful recommendations, best practices, and a snapshot of monthly metrics.

At the top is a screenshot of the monthly value card for the experts in high integrity data management and stakeholder engagement. The metrics above are for one Virtual Agent for a specific business unit within the company. In their value card, noHold shares the ‘number of interactions’ or the number of completed conversations had with the Virtual Agent (per month). Also, one of the most important metrics to pay attention to is ‘weighted effectiveness.’ This represents the percentage of people who have said the solution they found via the Virtual Agent was very helpful. This number is important because it allows your company to get some feedback straight from their customers. In addition, the ROI snapshot includes 'break even' - this particular client achieves 'break even' with only 1% effectiveness; that means that the Virtual Agent already paid for itself with 1% helpfulness votes. Therefore, the percentage of ROI is in the thousands. 

Besides having a huge ROI, additional benefits from the Virtual Agent include:

1. Reduced service cancellation
2. Improved customer satisfaction
3. Real-time feedback loop to product marketing
4. First contact resolution
5. Reduced call time

Kudos to this company for positioning their Virtual Agent successfully and utilizing all its advantages. Cheers!

www.nohold.com