noHold Launches Single Point of Search (SPS) for the Enterprise

MILPITAS, CA, May 30, 2019 - noHold is proud to announce Single Point of Search for the Enterprise. This solution provides companies that have multiple repositories of information an easier way to find and efficiently deliver content to their customers.

Most companies have the difficult task of managing endless content from a variety of different repositories including knowledge bases, community forums, the web site, etc. Typically, each one of those repositories has its own Search capability, but none of them can search everything all at once. This paradigm presents problems such as having to duplicate content so it can be accessible in every repository, keeping each repository in sync with each other, and adding the appropriate tagging mechanisms that may be different for each repository.

Single Point of Search for the Enterprise eliminates these issues by putting a Virtual Assistant on top of all the repositories, so content may be found no matter where it resides. For example, if an end user asks, "How many employees does Company X have?" The Virtual Assistants knowledge base might not have that type of information, but the website should. In this case, the search tool would pull the answer directly from the website and still display it within the Virtual Assistants interface.

Here are a few specific features of Single Point of Search:

• Natural Language Processor & Inference Engine
• Ability to ingest existing documents
• Ability to crawl existing repositories
• Supports multiple languages (English, Spanish, Italian, etc.)
• Works over multiple channels making it available wherever your customer may be (Web, voice, Alexa, Google Assistant, etc.)

"Federated Search has been around for some years, but SPS adds two important features to it: a) the conversational style typical of Virtual Assistants and b) the ability of funding specific information within an existing document," said Diego Ventura, CEO and Founder of noHold, Inc.

noHold Virtual Assistants Integrate with Oracle Knowledge Base

Enhancing the Customer Experience for a Leading Security Software Company

May 26, 2016, MILPITAS, CA –noHold developed a connector that allows a Virtual Assistant to leverage content that is stored in Oracle's knowledge base.

One of the world’s largest dedicated security technology companies, and long-standing customer of noHold, has implemented this type of connector to continue to provide their customers with a world-class customer support experience, without having to transfer existing content to a new knowledge platform.

This security software company needed a way to keep their content in its current location (Oracle), improve the quality of the Virtual Assistant's solutions (embedding the solutions within one interface), and still maintain the diagnostic and intuitive aspect that the Virtual Assistant is known for. Before the connector was in place, the Virtual Assistant answered users’ questions with links directing out to relevant articles hosted on Oracle's site. Now, with the connector, the Virtual Assistant can pull content from Oracle's knowledge base, and display it directly on the Virtual Assistant interface.

  

This integration has proven beneficial for multiple reasons:

• Avoid content duplication - eliminates the need to maintain same content in different repositories.
• Ability to track performance metrics - Metrics captured with the Virtual Assistant can be used to improve content quality in Oracle's knowledge base.
• Single Point of Search - provides a seamless experience for users.

“Single Point of Search is strategic to providing a consistent end user experience even if content resides in different repositories. In the future, Virtual Assistants will be connected with almost anything we can think of, from repositories of information, to multiple devices, to other Virtual Assistants.” -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 interactions. noHold customers include Cisco, Dell and a host of industry leaders. More information can be found at http://www.nohold.com or click here to subscribe to Diego’s vlog.

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.

Lenovo Uses noHold’s AI to Provide Consumers with a Single Point of Search

November 19, 2015, MILPITAS, CA – noHold recently announced the release of a new AI connector that allows for integration with multiple knowledge sources such as Bing, Google, Lithium Communities, and more. This connector is unique because of its ability to pull content from different sources, all within one place; we call this Single Point of Search.

Lenovo, a leader in providing innovative consumer, commercial, and enterprise technology, is one of the first companies to utilize this type of connector. When discussing web self-support, creating a seamless customer experience was a top priority for Lenovo. With the use of noHold’s connector, Lenovo is able to provide users with a sophisticated search experience through one intelligent interface.

As a strategic way to provide a self-service tool that will augment the customers’ experience, Lenovo’s new product portal focused on a few major areas:

•   A cleaner, more concise user interface with simplified navigation.
•   New and updated content was created.
•   The use of a Virtual Assistant to provide a search experience was enabled to provide real-time solutions from 3rd party sources.

According to a recent Forrester study, web self-service has officially surpassed the use of the voice channel for the first time (Forrester’s Top Trends for Customer Service in 2015). As the number of self-service users continues to climb, the self-service technology itself needs to advance as well. Single Point of Search is the start to shifting the way consumers engage with companies. There will no longer be a need to jump from channel to channel to find the answers you need. Customers will have the information that is most relevant to them, with the convenience of accessing it from a single point. 

“There are three factors that are making the adoption of Single Point of Search critical for companies in the near future: (1) the volume and complexity of content is increasing, (2) the number of repositories for content to be pulled from is growing, and (3) end users are demanding there be one place where they can find exactly what they need. We are pleased to see companies, such as Lenovo, recognizing the need for this type of support and paving the way for others to follow suit,” said 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.

6 Tips to Help Reimagine the Customer Support Experience for Your Audience

A couple weeks ago we mentioned the ongoing trend multiple companies are following of 'reimagining' products and services. While the product is an important component to the customer experience, it is not the only component that needs attention. Think about brand names such as Disney, Apple, Sony, and Amazon. When you hear these names you don't just think about their products...you typically associate them with exceptional customer service. To achieve global success, your customer service and customer support need to match this product evolution. 

Here are 6 tips to help 'reimagine' the customer support experience:     

Photo Source: wearesocial.sg

• Embrace Social Media - Social media is not a new concept, but the necessity for companies to connect with their audience through these channels (Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc.) is now a must. In a survey, "42% of consumers complaining in social media expect 60 minute response times," and "24% expect a reply within 30 minutes, regardless of when the contact was made." (Convince & Convert) Support vendors are making this transition easier with interactive technology that can be deployed directly on their social channels. 

• Leverage the Internet of Everything (IoE) - As we've heard previously, the number of connected devices is expected to reach 50 billion by the year 2020. Thanks to the IoE "companies are starting to use support automation to preemptively diagnose and fix issues with minimal human intervention." (Forrester) "The real value in IoT [IoE] is not just connecting devices to their users, but to deliver an integrated management platform, driven by big data to centralize customer service." (CSMWire)
• Clear Website Design - People typically visit a company website first when looking for support. It is crucial to have a clear, flowing website layout for customers to easily find the information they need.  
• Understand Customer Wants/Needs - The Voice of the Customer (VOC) is powerful data to incorporate into the development of any company. Leading brands have implemented self-service marketing tools that collect metrics/qualitative insight directly from the customers themselves. In one particular case, using an empty Virtual Agent (EZIntel), a leader in computer hardware manufacturing was able to use the knowledge they gained from their customers to make adjustments to their web design to better fit their audience. Learn more about collecting actionable customer intelligence here: http://www.nohold.com/assets/ezintel_brochure-(1).pdf

Photo Credit: ideastogo.com

• Improve Self-Service Technology - "In a survey Forrester recently found that web self service was the most widely used communication channel for customer service, surpassing use of the voice channel for the first time." (Forbes) It is not just enough to have sub par self-service options though. Customers are demanding a more interactive, personalized way for self-service interactions to flow.  
• Single Point of Search - Providing customers with the convenience of having one place to search and find answers to their problems. For example, users can ask a question in the text field, and solutions will come up from multiple knowledge sources. (i.e. internal knowledge base, Google, CRM systems, etc.) Click the infographic below for an enlarged visual representation of this concept.                                            

Please share in the comments below some of the ways your company is 'reimagining' the support ecosystem. For more information on any of the tips mentioned above, please contact noHold.

New noHold A.I. Connector Integrates with Lithium Communities

Allowing Users to Leverage Multiple Knowledge Sources from a Single Point of Search

Photo Credit: jdesbonnet.blogspot.com

July 16, 2015, MILPITAS, CA – noHold created a new connector that integrates with Lithium Communities to simplify the customer support experience. With a similar goal to optimize efficiency for end users to find support solutions, the connector uses noHold’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Lithium’s search to find answers in the discussion boards hosted within a Lithium Community, and returns the results within the noHold Virtual Assistant window. Through the open API connector, companies can leverage a Virtual Assistant that also works in parallel with multiple knowledge sources such as Lithium, Google, Bing, Salesforce, and more; all from one place, Single Point of Search.

One of the largest PC manufacturers in the world is already utilizing this technology to make their support options more dynamic. For example, if a user is inquiring about a battery issue for their laptop, the user can type ‘battery’ into the search bar. The expert system will bring up noHold’s Virtual Assistant, as well as pull in a library of knowledge and relevant discussion threads from the company’s Lithium-powered community. The technology is designed to help customers find solutions on their own terms, for any type of user. They can use the Virtual Assistant for a more diagnostic and interactive experience, or use the search function to get to a relevant list of articles in the forum.

The advantages to deploying a Virtual Assistant with such a connector include:

• Single Point of Search – having one place for customers to search multiple repositories of information simultaneously.
• Ease of implementation – within a matter of days the Virtual Assistant can go live.
• Low customer effort – users do not have to jump from different channels (phone, web, email, etc.) to find solutions.

“Communities are a powerful way to generate trusted content that solves customer problems. But like any content, community content is most powerful when you deliver it to the right person at the right time,” said Joe Cothrel, Chief Community Officer at Lithium Technologies. “This integration between noHold and Lithium empowers companies to harness the power of community in new ways.”

“Virtual Assistants have gone through an impressive evolution in the past few years. First, leveraging content from their own knowledge base only and now reaching out and connecting to content found in Communities,” said Diego Ventura, CEO and founder of noHold. “Our connector to one of the most sophisticated platforms in the field, Lithium, makes our Virtual Assistant even more in tune with what the audience is interested in because the content is created by the audience itself.  We look forward to this next stage of evolution.”

Contact noHold to learn more about Single Point of Search, and the benefits of an integrated customer experience.

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.