noHold Recognized by Gartner as a 2017 Cool Vendor in AI for Conversational Platforms

June 20, 2017, MILPITAS, CA – noHold, a leader in web based self-service solutions, was named Cool Vendor in AI for Conversational Platforms, 2017 by Gartner. The Cool Vendor series is used to discover emerging innovative SMB vendors with interesting and highly original technology that impact their respective markets in a big way. This is the first year Gartner published a Cool Vendor report for this category.

According to the report, “The use of conversational platforms is a much-hyped topic, with chatbots, assistants, messaging platforms and other natural-language processing (NLP) uses vying for attention. The five Cool Vendors in this note show the breadth of offerings available and are representatives of the cutting-edge innovation in their respective fields.” (Cool Vendors for AI in Conversational Platforms, 2017, 30 May 2017) noHold’s latest platform, SICURA QuickStart, is an example of that type of revolutionary technology being put forward. This platform proves that interactive and diagnostic chatbots can be built directly using Microsoft Word or Google Docs, even if you are not a programmer.

The report goes on to discuss some of the features of SICURA QuickStart that are also outlined in a previous press release. noHold is proud to be part of a short list of companies that have demonstrated innovation in this category.

Furthermore, this is noHold’s second Cool Vendor recognition by Gartner, previously being acknowledged as a Cool Vendor in Business Process Services, 2015. It is a great honor to be accepting a Cool Vendor designation for a second year. noHold is proud to be a pioneer in the chatbot industry, and still continue to be known as a visionary in the space.

You can download the full report titled, “Cool Vendors in AI for Conversational Platforms, 2017” by clicking here.

BPOs Begin Leveraging noHold AI to Improve Efficiency in the Call Center

May 27, 2015, MILPITAS, CA – After the soft launch of noHold’s Call Center Virtual Assistant (CCVA) product for Business Process Outsourcers (BPOs), call centers around the globe are experiencing a streamlined method of delivering excellent customer support. noHold has recently received recognition from Gartner, one of the most reputable analyst firms in the industry, as a 2015 ‘Cool Vendor’ in Business Process Services for innovative customer management. This recognition, coupled with the recommendation that BPOs must automate in order to achieve non-linear growth and profitability validate the need for Artificial Intelligence in the call center.

Compared to noHold’s flag ship product, the CCVA is a Virtual Assistant used by call center agents to reduce average handle time, manage traffic spikes, and decrease training time and churn. Currently, over 5,000 agents are utilizing noHold’s CCVA within multiple call centers around the world. This technology is able to support products across a broad range of complexities from security software applications to highly sophisticated networking equipment.

Benefits for adopting a Virtual Assistant for BPOs include:

• Procedure Guidance - using noHold’s Natural Language Processor and Inference Engine to guide users through complex solutions without the need of creating scripts.
• Crowd sourcing - agents have the ability to contribute content and fill knowledge gaps quickly, on their own.
•  Provides a safety net - during peak call times (i.e. crisis, holiday, new product launch, etc.) a CCVA is always available, so Average Hold Time and customer satisfaction are not negatively impacted during critical spikes.
•  Consistent and approved content- analysts agree that lack of consistency and quality of content is one of the most common issues among BPOs. Virtual Assistants offer a single point of search while empowering brands to offer approved solutions

In speaking with industry experts from various BPOs, one executive said, “At my company, existing and potential clients are demanding value additions and innovations in the Customer & Technical Support solutions we provide. We see Artificial Intelligence that Agents & Technical Support Engineers can use to diagnose problems in real time while serving a customer a must have solution. This type of solution combined with a strong well trained support representative can assure that the customers’ needs are covered quickly, and accurately the first time.”

“It has been comforting to see such a quick market adoption for CCVA.  In only a few months thousands of call center agents have experienced the benefits of Single Point of Search and Procedure Guidance by leveraging content and resources already available to their company.  Analysts are asking for more automation at the Call Center, now BPOs have a way to get it without a risky investment.” -Diego Ventura, CEO and founder 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 interactions. noHold customers include Toshiba, Cisco and a host of industry leaders. More information can be found at www.nohold.com.

Press Contact

Veronica Cech

Marketing Associate

vcech@nohold.com     

408.946.9200 ext. 356

All other product and service names are the property of their respective owners

Gartner Recognizes noHold as a 2015 ‘Cool Vendor’ in Business Process Services

April 30, 2015, MILPITAS, CA – noHold, a leader in web based self-service solutions, was named ‘Cool Vendor’ in Business Process Services, 2015, published on April 13 2015. Similar to Gartner’s Magic Quadrants, the ‘Cool Vendor’ series is used to discover emerging innovative SMB vendors with interesting and highly original technology that impact their respective markets in a meaningful way.

Out of the five companies chosen as ‘Cool Vendors’ in the Business Process Services space, noHold was the only Virtual Assistant vendor selected. noHold offers unique capabilities as its platform provides:

• noHold Connect (NHC) – allows communication between multiple Virtual Assistants, making it possible for clients to leverage content from partners’ Virtual Assistants.
• Single Point of Search – the ability to search for content from a single repository, even if the solution resides in other systems (i.e. CRM, Knowledge Management, communities)
• Procedural Guidance – using noHold’s Natural Language Processor and Inference Engine to guide users through complex solutions without the creation of scripts.
• Device Connect – the ability to connect to physical devices to retrieve information or perform tasks on the device.

Customer Management BPO has primarily consisted of voice-based services, but according to the Vice President of Gartner Research, TJ Singh, “the adoption of nonvoice multichannel and automated services – such as Web chat, email, SMS, self-service, and social CRM services – is growing significantly.” (Competitive Landscape: Customer Management BPO, 2014 – Making a Difference with Size and Scale in Multichannel, Analytics and Automation, TJ Singh, 14 May 2014).  

To download the full Gartner report titled, “Cool Vendors in Business Process Services, 2015,” click here.

“You stop being ‘cool’ the moment you say you are ‘cool’, but since it is Gartner saying it, we gladly accept it,” said Diego Ventura, CEO and founder of noHold. “I think that Virtual Assistants can help BPO companies disrupt the typical linear growth associated with this type of business. Virtual Assistants can empower agents to be more efficient and customers help themselves while collecting valuable market insight.”

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 interactions. noHold customers include Toshiba, Cisco and a host of industry leaders. More information can be found at www.nohold.com.

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Press Contact

Veronica Cech

Marketing Associate

vcech@nohold.com     

408.946.9200 ext. 356

All other product and service names are the property of their respective owners.

A Look Back at noHold's Top Stories of the Week: Sept. 15th-19th

Cheers to another great week, but before we leave the office for the weekend, here's a chance to look back at some of the interesting news posted this week. 

1. noHold recently celebrated its 15th birthday! Thanks to everyone for the kind wishes! 

Photo Credit: mercury-labs.com

2. Virtual Agent Tips and Tricks: Google Now Features Better than Siri? Better than Cortana?

There has been some heavy competition between Virtual Assistants in the news lately. Here, we talked about some of the lesser-known features of Google Now, and how it stacks up to Siri and Cortana.

3. "Outsourcing is not a new paradigm; in fact, many well-known and trusted brands leverage BPO vendors to successfully manage customer support, service, sales and more.

In order to drive productivity and efficiency, companies turn to BPOs. According to the infographic from INFINIT-O on the right, companies are increasing the amount they spend on outsourcing, while in-house spending is remaining relatively constant." 

Click on infographic to enlarge.

Photo Credit: mycustomer.com

Click the title 'The Benefits of a Virtual Agent for BPOs' to read the full blog.

4.  Throwback Thursday: From Large Mobile Phones to Small Mobile Phones...and Back to Large?

Mobile phone user interfaces have been changing ever since the inception of the first cell phone. Mobile phones went from large, chunky devices, to tiny, basic devices. Now, smartphones are moving back toward larger screens, but with sleeker designs. Virtual Agent user interfaces have been adapting since their inception as well. From simple text on a DOS screen, to fully integrative, multi-pane U.I.'s with avatars and promotions. Check out this blog for more information on the progression of U.I.'s

Photo Credit: postris.com

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Thanks for taking the time to read about what has been going on with noHold within the last week.

I'll leave you with this truly innovative picture, and hope you have an enjoyable weekend! 

www.nohold.com

Future Payphones

Photo Credit: farnham.blogspot.com

The Benefits of a Virtual Agent for BPOs

Photo Credit: mycustomer.com

Outsourcing is not a new paradigm; in fact, many well-known and trusted brands leverage BPO vendors to successfully manage customer support, service, sales and more. 

In order to drive productivity and efficiency, companies turn to BPOs. According to the infographic from INFINIT-O on the left, companies are increasing the amount they spend on outsourcing, while in-house spending is remaining relatively constant. 

Leading analyst firms agree that Virtual Agents play an important role in a successful customer interaction, which bleeds into integration in the services that BPOs provide. Automation, profitability, and scalability are just a few of the challenges that Business Process Outsourcers face. And in a new era of smart machines, Virtual Agents offer a competitive advantage. 

Here are just a few use cases for adding a Virtual Agent to the BPO's existing portfolio of services:

1. Increase revenue by adding disruptive new offerings. 
BPO companies can offer their customers the Virtual Agent to provide a scalable solution that will continue to work as the company grows. The Virtual Agent can also be used to increase conversion rates and generate more leads by suggesting products or services in the appropriate context. BPO companies can also offer the Virtual Agent during peak seasons such as seasonal demand, new product offerings, or even natural calamities. 
By offering the Virtual Agent, BPO companies increase revenue, while providing their customers with the best services for their needs, when they need it.     

2. Increase efficiency at Call Center (lower AHT and training time).
By implementing a Virtual Agent, Contact Center Agents can ask the VA questions while on the phone with customers, follow business guidelines and procedures easily, and can rely on a single repository of information for correct and consistent answers.

3. Provide a competitive strategic advantage.
Leading analyst firm predicts that BPOs must adopt 'automation' to achieve non-linear growth. 

Whether a company adds a Virtual Agent to the existing in-house Contact Center, positions it on the Website as a self-service option, or your BPO vendor provides one for Contact Center Agents, it is a a cost-effective way to provide the end user with the new standard for customer service. 

What do you think about the future of the Contact Center? Do you see Virtual Agents empowering the Contact Center (either outsourced or in-house)?
www.nohold.com