noHold Announces SICURA® Voice to Add Speech Recognition Capabilities to its AI Platform

October 31, 2018, MILPITAS, CA – Previously, noHold announced its ability to provide voice for its Virtual Assistants through Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant. Now, noHold is excited to be able to provide its customers with voice recognition and speech synthesis straight from its platform, SICURA.

Integrating SICURA with smart speakers like Amazon Echo and Google Home has been a great first step toward providing voice to our Virtual Assistants, but in some cases our customers want complete control of the customer experience, so we created SICURA Voice. This new component includes:

• Speech Recognition
• Speech Synthesis
• Multiple language support

The Speech Recognition is speaker independent, meaning that it can work with multiple users without training. It is also continuous meaning that it understands free speech, not just simple one or two word commands. It currently supports thirteen languages, ten are European and three are double-byte (Chinese, Japanese and Russian).

Our customers can now create their own voice enabled Virtual Assistant without the need of publishing it on a specific platform, or using a specific invocation phrase.

“noHold has been in the conversational interfaces space for almost two decades. Adding voice to our NLP and NLU solutions is a natural progression that helps us augment our customers’ capabilities,” said Diego Ventura, CEO of noHold, Inc.

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 Cisco, Dell, McAfee and a host of industry leaders. More information can be found at http://www.nohold.com.

The Do's and Don'ts of Using QR Codes

In March, noHold released a press release on how the Appliances Industry is leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) via QR codes to reduce the effort it takes for customers to  get support for their products. (Customer Effort Score- CES) Here is a link to the full release on Yahoo! Finance: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nohold-artificial-intelligence-improves-way-140000281.html

Shortly after, I bought a new washer from a huge, globally recognized brand, and inside the box came a "support" flyer with a few common questions about the washer. See the picture of the flyer below. (I have removed identifying logos for obvious reasons)

It was great to see major brands recognizing the potential of QR codes and using them to support their customers. In fact, Apple is starting to embrace the QR code trend as well. iPhone's don't require a separate app to be able to scan the codes anymore. In a recent update, iPhone cameras already have the QR reader built in for easy use. 

Kudos to the companies above for their forward thinking, but there are some aspects that can change to make better use of the technology such as: 

1. Instead of having multiple QR codes linked to individual videos, 1 QR code can be provided that pulls up a Virtual Assistant that has access to all the videos plus more if you wanted. Creating an interactive Virtual Assistant is easy and takes no programming skills with Albert. (Side note: Not only can Albert come up from a QR code, but that same Virtual Assistant can be used on Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant for a voice enabled feature.)

2. Positioning the QR code directly on the product. It is beneficial since most people can never seem to find the manual/flyers that the product came with when they need it the most. Also, positioning the QR codes so they are easy to scan. The above flyer is almost impossible to scan the correct QR code because they are so close together. 

3.  Only being able to support English can be really frustrating for customers who don't speak English. Having a multi-lingual strategy makes a huge impact on customer satisfaction. Virtual Assistants are a great way to provide multi lingual support, without needing live agents who know every language. 

For more information on Artificial Intelligence and QR codes, please contact us here and we will get back to you as soon as possible. 

Learn How to Create an Alexa Skill or a Google Action in Minutes

noHold is proud to announce Diego Ventura, Founder and CEO of noHold, will be taking the stage at the 2018 Conversational Interactions conference hosted by AVIOS. This conference is all about connecting humans and machines. It will largely center around Natural Language Processing, Virtual Assistants (bots or digital assistants), and the various channels customer conversations can happen on. For more information about the conference, visit www.conversationalinteractions.com.

The event is being held close to noHold's headquarters in San Jose, California on February 5th and 6th. To catch Diego's presentation, be sure to be there on February 5th between 9:00 AM and 10:00 AM PST. He will be talking about, "The Easiest Way to Create an Alexa Skill or Google Action." It was a great opportunity to be able to speak at the conference last year, and it is an honor to be invited back to present again.

It was a great opportunity to be able to speak at the conference last year, and it is an honor to be invited back to present again.

To register for the conference, click here.
Cheers
www.nohold.com

Andy Paul invites CEO of noHold to discuss Virtual Assistants from a Sales Perspective

Recently, Diego Ventura, CEO of noHold, was asked to guest star on the top-rated podcast, Accelerate!, hosted by Andy Paul. Andy is known as the go-to resource for the best sales advice online. Diego's 20+ years of experience in the AI space, gave him a unique perspective on sales. 

You can listen to the podcast at www.andypaul.com.

Some key takeaways include: 

• Diego says the single biggest challenge facing sales reps today is getting introductions to the right people (decision-makers). It is hard to do with email.
• Diego explains how a virtual agent or assistant differs from a knowledge base. A virtual assistant helps the user get to the most specific solution as quickly as possible within the framework of a dialog rather than a search.
• NoHold is partnering with companies like Google and Amazon to accomplish voice recognition and speech synthesis with natural language processing (NLP).
• Diego points out potential applications for online sales. Besides speech technology, it requires NLP-to-SQL (Structured Query Language) technology. This may be ready on some sites for 2017 Christmas shopping!
• Diego mentions two current noHold projects: a customer-facing application (the Sales Advisor), and an agent-facing application. Diego covers the details of the Sales Advisor and gives examples.
• Diego discusses levels of AI in virtual assistants. He gives examples of chatbots built from user documents, including executive orders from four U.S. presidents.
• Diego address the future of AI in sales and its impact. It is an excellent tool to augment sales capabilities. Diego gives an example for the enterprise, the Marketing Advisor, for augmented selling in groups of 500 SDRs.

noHold Gives its AI Platform a Voice Through Google Assistant

November 7, 2017, MILPITAS, CA – noHold, Inc. just announced the release of a Google Assistant Action called “Albert AI.” This connector empowers Albert customers to connect their own Bot to Google Assistant which is used on over 100 million devices. Devices that are compatible with Google Assistant include Google Home, smartphones, Android TV, Android Auto, smartwatches, and more.

This method has become the easiest way for people to get content on Google Assistant. Typically, creating a Google Action requires some programming knowledge and time. With noHold’s connector, no programming skills are required and your Bot can be on Google Assistant in minutes. All you need is a device with Google Assistant, an Albert account, and access to Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

There are only a few steps to creating a bot and making it live on Google Assistant:

1. Sign up for an Albert PRO account, create a document, and upload to the SICURA™ QuickStart platform.
2. In the top right, click the drop down menu and select “Albert Voice Support” followed by “Google Assistant."
3. Define a short phrase that will be used to request your Albert.
4. To invoke your bot via Google Assistant, say “Okay Google, talk to Albert AI about (phrase from step 3).” From that moment on you can speak to your Albert.

Click here for a short video demonstrating how an Executive Assistant leveraged Albert on Google Assistant.

We can think of applications for the business world and personal life. Imagine an Albert on Google that plays scavenger hunts with your kids, or that settles a dispute for whose turn it is to wash the dishes. Also at work, answering questions if the projector is not working or where the toner for the printer is, etc.

Diego Ventura, CEO and founder of noHold says, “Voice enabling our platform is an important step in making sure that the Virtual Assistants built with SICURA™ are a) available on multiple channels b) easily built with existing documents c) they can connect with each other and d) they can speak multiple languages.”

Throwback Thursday: Spacecrafts to Space Factories

In light of Throwback Thursday, I was doing some searching on what happened on this day in tech history. According to the blog, June 2, 1966 was when "NASA's lunar lander Surveyor lands in Oceanus Procellarum ("Ocean of Storms") on the Moon, becoming the first US spacecraft to soft-land on an extraterrestrial body." 

Photo Source

Fast forward to 2016, and people are imagining a future with more than just spacecrafts existing in space. Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, recently talked about his thoughts on space and AI at this weeks Code Conference. He believes that to sustain the Earth, we should take high-energy production and move it into space. "Earth will be zoned residential and light industrial," he explained. "You shouldn't be doing heavy energy on earth. We can build gigantic chip factories in space." (theblaze.com) 

Another hot topic at the Code Conference was Artificial Intelligence. Amazon's CEO, as well as CEO's of Google and IBM all went on to emphasize the huge impact they foresee happening with AI in the near future. Even greater than what is happening right now. "Whether we call it AI, cognitive computer, or smart assistants, one thing's for sure. It's real. Tech giants are betting big on it. And we're just beginning to scratch the surface of what AI can do to enhance our lives and our work..." (Fox Business) 

www.nohold.com

Tech Giants Continue to Acquire A.I. Companies at Rapid Rates

Photo Source 

We have never seen technology progress as fast as it does in today's world. 

Within the last three years, it's no secret that corporate giants are extremely interested in Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). Major players such as Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, IBM, Intel, Salesforce, and Yahoo have all started acquiring A.I. companies looking to advance their technology. 

Just in 2016 alone, 4 major acquisitions have already been made. This rapid growth in AI acquisitions is further validation that society is embracing AI, and top tech companies are constantly trying to improve this technology for their consumers.

With almost 2 decades of experience under our belt, we have always seen the A.I. market on a steady incline. It is great to see this spike in the market with everyone jumping on board this A.I. train. 

For more information about noHold, please visit www.nohold.com

The Search Paradigm is Shifting, Are You Ready?

For the past two decades, the Search paradigm has dominated the person-computer interaction. Companies such as Google have led the way with their minimalistic UI we all know, but we have noticed that this traditional Search paradigm leaves the responsibility of sorting through a long list of possible answers in the hands of end users, often resulting in a cumbersome experience.

This year, the person-computer interaction will shift from the traditional Search paradigm to a next-generation Search experience. There are 4 key ingredients to improving the end user Search experience: N.I.C.K.

1. Natural Language Processor (NLP)

2. Interactive

3. Context sensitive  

4. Knowledgeable

We call this new paradigm the Concierge. Check out this week’s video to learn more about N.I.C.K. 

To find out if N.I.C.K. (the concierge approach) works for your company, contact us to organize an A/B testing between your existing search paradigm and N.I.C.K. 

Best wishes in the coming year, 

Diego

Miss Last Week's Episode of The Peggy Smedley Show?

Check it out here

Last week, CEO and founder of noHold, Diego Ventura, guest starred on The Peggy Smedley Show. He talked with Peggy about what he sees for the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI). If you missed the live show, be sure to catch the recorded episode by following this link: http://peggysmedleyshow.com/index.php?q=node/3593. (Episode 401). Diego begins his appearance in the third segment titled "Big Potential for AI."


Photo Credit: twinfinite.net

www.nohold.com

How to Reimagine the Customer Experience

2015 has been a big year for service/product evolution in customer-centric companies. With technology dominating the market, and consumers demanding the latest and greatest, big brand players are definitely delivering. 

Photo Credit: news.mattel.com

For example, Mattel, the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture, and marketing of toys and family products, announced at the beginning of the year their latest collaboration with Google to revamp one of their most iconic toys, the View-Master. With the help of Google, Mattel was able to transform a classic toy and turn it into an 'immersive digital experience for kids.' Experts are referring to this sort of evolution as "reimagining the customer experience." Alongside Mattel, Cablevision is also working towards adapting to modern customer needs. When announcing the addition of a free digital antenna and digital Wi-Fi phone service to their broadband package, the Chief Operating Officer, Kristin Dolan, went on to say, "As a connectivity company, Cablevision is reimagining its relationship with its customers. Our new 'cord-cutter' packages take a modern approach to traditional triple-product bundles and provide real alternatives that fit new consumer lifestyles."

With technology at the forefront of almost everything, this is a critical time for companies to stay relevant and up to date so they don't get pushed out by the competition, and 'reimagining' the customer experience is a great way to accomplish that. What some companies turn a blind eye to is as your products and services progress, so should your customer support initiatives. It is import to recognize the need to reimagine all aspects of the customer experiences, including pre- and post- sale interactions. Traditional FAQs are not going to be enough anymore, and live agents can get costly. Experience shows that providing consumers with a dynamic and interactive self-service tool, such as a Virtual Assistant (VA), increases customer satisfaction because it gives users the freedom to find their own answers, on their own time.

Just as goods have been evolving with the times, VAs are progressing with the age of technology as well. At the beginning, VAs simply automated FAQs leveraging content from its own knowledgebase to answer questions. Now, VAs are more dynamic and interactive than ever before, integrating to back-office systems (CRM, existing Knowledge Management solutions, etc.) and connecting to various software platforms (live chat, social media, communities, etc.).

How is your company reimagining the customer experience? 
For more information on how VAs can help your company revolutionize the way you connect with your customer, please visit our website: www.nohold.com

Photo Credit: loyalty360.org

Google Announces Self-Driving Car for Public Debut in Summer 2015

In this day and age, it seems like technology is pointing us in the direction of self-service. In fact, self-driving cars are making their way to becoming the latest cutting edge technology in self-service. Just recently, Google released pictures and announced their first prototype of their self-driving car that is set to hit the streets this summer. While there are still limitations to what can be done with this car (so far), it is a step forward in advancing this type of technology and changing the automotive industry forever. 

Photo Credit: Yahoo! Tech

To read more about Google's self-driving prototype car, click here. 

 www.nohold.com

Virtual Customer Assistants Advancing in 2015 to Solve Complex Problems

Virtual Personal Assistants (VPAs) have become a household name; something we use daily without thinking twice about it. Things such as Siri, 'Okay Google', Cortana, etc. have been integrated into our lives, it has become second nature to communicate with Artificial Intelligence. Most people actually prefer it to get quick and easy answers to their needs: getting directions, scheduling an appointment, calling a friend, etc. 

Virtual Customer Assistants (VCAs) have been used to streamline customer support questions long before VPAs became popular. VCAs have advanced greatly since their inception, though. Now, VCA's are not just used to answer simple support questions, they have the capacity to integrate with back end systems to understand more complex problems and connect with more sophisticated devices. Stay tuned for next weeks announcement on a project noHold and one of the largest networking companies in the world have been working on. 
Cheers! 
www.nohold.com

Throwback Thursday: From the First Internet Search Engine to Predictive Search

Photo Credit: psdgraphics.com

Approximately 24 years ago, the first Internet search engine was launched, they called it Archie. "It was used to index FTP archives to make finding files easier. How, as the technology for the World Wide Web was not invented until later in the year, it was not the first web search engine." (thisdayintechhistory.com)

Innovations to search engines took off after that. Ever since then, there has been ever-changing improvements to search engine tools. Engineers are continuously trying to come up with ways to make searching easier, and in a span of about a quarter of a century, search has innovated a lot.

In today's World, we use search for almost everything. The most common answer to a question we don't know is, "Google it." It has become so easy to search for information on the Internet with the use of complex algorithms that analyze text (and voice in some cases) to provide you with the right content.  

Going forward, predictive search is a hot topic in the tech community. Google started using predictive search algorithms a while back (remember when finishing your sentence in the search bar was a new phenomenon), but now predictive search is getting more intuitive. Not only can it make an educated suggestion as to finishing your sentence, it can suggest answers to questions you didn't even know you wanted to know based on prior interactions. 

As we can see, search is beginning to move toward a more intuitive and interactive based logic to find what you need. It is becoming more like a personal assistant that can communicate with you, rather than a simple list of archived files. What do you think about the future of search? With smart machines and the Internet of Everything, how do you think search will adapt to simplify the lives of the billions of connected users?
www.nohold.com

A Look Back at noHold's Top Stories of the Week: August 4th-8th

Happy Friday and thanks for another great week! We shared a lot of great blogs, including our featured blog of the month, an Interview with Shawn Price of Cisco. Check it out below. 

1. Google's Top Projects That are Bound to Change the Way We Live. 

a. Google Fibers

b. Project Ara Modular Phone

c. Project Tango

d. Project Loons

e. Self-Driving Car

2. Interview with Cisco's Shawn Price, Sr. Manager of End-User & Collaboration Applications: How Cisco sets the bar for a Culture of Customer Loyalty, and Satisfaction while providing value to students at UCSC.

"Cisco Small Business has been working with University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC) and its students on a cutting edge internship program that empowers students to learn about Cisco products, helps improve customer satisfaction and self-support, with the opportunity for students to earn money while obtaining college credit. The students that are part of this program additionally have room for advancement as well as the potential to become a Cisco employee in the future."

Here’s the UCSC team!

3. Trusted analyst firms are predicting that by the end of the year 2015, over 80% of all Internet interactions will be made via mobile devices, and failing to improve your mobile customer service will end up damaging your business. 

4. Throwback Thursday: 1983 'Compact' Laptop

RetroGrade video series from Wired.com made some short videos showcasing old-school technology. Check out the rest of the videos here.

___________________________________________________________________

P.S.

Don't forget to tune into the Peggy Smedley Show next Tuesday (August 12th, 2014) at 10:15am PT to hear our CEO, Diego Ventura, with special guest Glenn Schleicher of Cisco, discuss their thoughts on the Internet of Everything (IoE). You can call in at the end of the show with questions or comments; that number is 866-977-2346 ext. 2. We will also be live tweeting during the show. To join the conversation on twitter, tag @noHoldAI and use #IoEConvo. Looking forward to hearing from you!

www.nohold.com

Google's Top Projects That Are Bound to Change the Way We Live

Do you ever think that Google is trying to dominate the World? Lately, they have been getting their feet wet in many different projects. Here is a video talking about the top 5 futuristic Google projects that might improve your life. 

Video Source: cnet.com

1. Google Fiber- speeding up your home internet
2. Project Ara Modular Phone- being able to completely customize the features on your smartphone. 
3. Project Tango- Phone will be able to map out the area around you in 3D. This means that Google Map will finally be complete with 'inside building' information and always be a step ahead in the navigation market.  
4. Project Loons- Getting high speed internet to remote locations, such as the Himalayas. 
5. Self-Driving Car- This has been a long-term project that has been making its way to the streets recently. With these self-driving cars, Google will have better 3D road data and be able to reduce road congestion. 

Google has also been looking into Artificial Intelligence(A.I.) research. With their acquisition of DeepMinds and launching a Quantum A.I. Lab hosted by NASA's Ames Research Center, it seems like Google has some big plans for the future that will include advanced A.I. (Google Buys Artificial Intelligence Company DeepMind).

Their Virtual Assistant, Google Now, is seeing improvements as well. Recently, Google announced the release of Google Now Launcher, a cleaner, simpler, more customizable way to organize your home screen. "On an Android phone, the launcher is basically the maître d': it's the bit of software that welcomes you onto the phone, is in charge of the home screen, and does the behind-the-scenes launching of any apps. It's in charge of the layout of arguably the most important and frequently seen bits of the operating system, and as such is quite important." (Google Now Launcher Explained: What You Need to Know)

What do you think about leaders (such as Google and Facebook) investing in Artificial Intelligence? Do you see a future where Artificial Intelligence is all around you? 

ON ANOTHER NOTE...

Be sure to tune into the Peggy Smedley Show next Tuesday (August 12th, 2014) to hear our CEO, Diego Ventura, talk about his thoughts on the market.  

www.nohold.com

Cruise: Highway Autopilot System Mounts on Existing Cars

Recently, a small start up company, called Cruise, announced their first version of a highway autopilot system. This product is more advanced than cruise control, but not an entirely self-driving car on its own. Take a look at the video from TechCrunch's YouTube  demonstrating Cruise in action.      

It may seem similar to Google's current self-driving car project, but Cruise beat Google to the market. Google's efforts are not for nothing though, "because of Google, people are ready. Ten years ago, people would've said that this is science fiction. But now, they're not asking if, but when. There's a perception that self-driving cars are coming and people are expecting them" (A Little Startup Called Cruise From The Socialcam, Twitch Founders is Tackleing Self-Driving Cars Too). With continued research and new products on the market, you can tell that large name brands are embracing the consumer's demand for automation.

www.nohold.com

The Forefront of Digital Payments…Google Wallet

Google’s virtual wallet, Google Wallet, was announced a few years back. Above is a video demonstrating how Google Wallet can be utilized to simplify your life. Google Wallet is a mobile application for smartphones that allows you to store everything that you put in your wallet onto your phone (i.e. credit cards, debit card, gift cards, etc.) and pay with a simple scan of your phone. All your information is stored securely in the cloud.  

The engineers at Google are always looking for ways to enhance their products and that goes for Google Wallet as well. Recently, Google incorporated PayPal as an option for purchases in 12 countries including the United States, Germany, Canada, etc. They are also working on integrating Google Wallet with Google Glass. “Imagine you’re at a restaurant and you want to send your share of the bill to a friend. You simply ask Glass to ‘send money,’ swipe through the interface a few times and you’re done" (Google Wallet is Coming to Glass).

Google Wallet provides an interactive, new-aged experience for digital payments. A Virtual Agent can streamline virtual transactions and aid in the management of your wallet as well. For example, a Virtual Agent can let you know the balance of your debit cards, or remind you when a bill is due. What if your virtual butler could work with your virtual wallet? What would be the process leading up to your purchase? Would you ask the butler for directions to your favorite retailer, use it to scan the box for advice, and then access your wallet to pay?

www.nohold.com

Self-Driving Cars...The Future is Near

Google Self-Driving Car on City Streets

Since Google's announcement of its self-driving car project (circa 2010), it is continuing to be an ongoing effort from the Google team to perfect this technology. Since noHold is located so close to Mountain View, California, we sometimes see Google's "driverless cars" on the streets. 

The video above shows you the latest progresses being made from the test drivers and engineers at Google. The autonomous car can now account for many unique scenarios. For example, navigating through construction zones, yielding to bicyclists, and passing railroad crossings.

It is still unsure of when these self driving cars will be available for purchase. Experts in the automotive industry suggest that the technology for autonomous cars will not be ready till 2020, but it looks like Google might make it happen sooner than expected (When Can We Buy Google's Self-Driving Car).

Artificial Intelligence in the form of a Virtual Agent increases customer satisfaction, reduces costs, and captures actionable intelligence. When the software in your car gets ‘smarter’, what kinds of benefits do you hope to see? Do you think the smart software will reduce costs related to accidents, traffic violations, etc? 

www.nohold.com

Did You Get Your Google Glass Yet?

Instagram

We found Ellen DeGeneres sporting her new pair of Google Glass!

For those of you who didn't know, a few weeks ago, she posted this picture to her Instagram after Google decided to have a one day sale for their latest innovation, Google Glass. "Google offered its $1,500 high-tech specs to anyone in the US on Tuesday [April 15] without requiring the usual invitation. The sale lasted just 24 hours. The white "Cotton" version sold out with a few hours, and as of Wednesday morning, the entire stock is gone" (Google Glass Sells Out in One-Day Sale). 

Google is also planning on making a different version that is less expensive for consumers that were worried about  the high prices. Public sales of Google Glass is expected to happen sometime this year.

Do you think Google Glass is going to have continued success once released permanently to the public? Would you buy them? Why or why not?  

A Self-Driving, Personal Virtual Assistant

Smart car sales are continually increasing in popularity since their adoption in the US. Each year they seem to be getting a little more advanced. For example, Apple has created CarPlay, which they launched at the Geneva Motor Show. This software provides iOS users a hands-free option to make phone calls, check voice mail, etc. It is comparable to having a Personal Virtual Assistant programmed into your car.

Similarly, Google is taking smart cars to the next level with their design of the self-driving car. If you live in the Silicon Valley, you have probably seen Google’s self-driving car in action. The video above is Google’s vision for the future of smart, self-driving cars. With the Internet of Everything (IoE) era among us, and the ability for devices to connect with each other, this vision of less congested, safer roads is not too far away. Automobile manufacturers are already incorporating smart machines in vehicles for things such as hands free GPS, and music. How will smart machines and Artificial Intelligence continue evolving along with self-driving cars?