Tunstall and noHold Collaborate to Create a Virtual Assistant for Smart Hub™

October 31, 2017, MILPITAS, CA – noHold is excited to announce Tunstall as a new Albert customer. Tunstall is leveraging noHold’s Artificial Intelligence as a way for customers to find answers to the questions they have about their newly launched product called Smart Hub.

Tunstall, an international company that offers a range of Connected Care and Connected Health solutions, recently launched their Smart Hub product in Australia and is currently undergoing trials in Europe and the USA. The Smart Hub is Tunstall’s latest IP home unit, opening a new world of possibilities for the provision of care in the home. Using cellular technology and working on the 2/3G mobile network with a roaming SIM, the Smart Hub doesn’t require a landline, removing limitations on location.

Tunstall was in search of a way to continue to provide world class support to their growing audience and at the same time learn about the voice of their customers. That is where noHold’s AI Platform, SICURA™ QuickStart comes in. With noHold’s platform, Tunstall is able to use existing documents to easily train their own bot (Albert). Creating Albert requires no programming, and it can be deployed on multiple channels in minutes. Using Albert, Tunstall is able to deliver its customers with 24/7 access to product knowledge and support, regardless of the time zone.

“With the upcoming launch of Smart Hub and our Device Management Platform, we needed a way to communicate with our customers and guide them through the new IP set-up process.  Working with noHold we were able to easily create our own bot and quickly gain feedback using the insights from the dashboard,” said Matthew Henfrey, Group Product Marketing Executive - Telecare, Tunstall Healthcare (UK) Ltd.  

Diego Ventura, CEO of noHold adds, “Tunstall has created a world class product, and it deserves a world class support AI platform that can grow with its business. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with them and we are looking forward to future projects.”

To start creating your own bot, sign up for an Albert account at www.albertai.com.

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, Intel and a host of industry leaders. More information can be found at http://www.nohold.com or subscribe to noHold’s vlog to hear more from CEO, Diego Ventura.

About Tunstall Healthcare Group
Over the last sixty years, Tunstall has pioneered the use of technology to enable independent living, creating the Connected Healthcare industry as we know it today, and supporting more than five million people and their families across the world. Tunstall was the first to develop alarm systems for older people, and has continued to lead the market ever since, remaining at the forefront of developments such as telecare and telehealth, right up to the present day where we are harnessing the power of digital technology.

How 3 Industries are Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Improve Business

Healthcare, retail, and legal. What do these industries have in common? Companies in these spaces are starting to recognize the advantages of incorporating Artificial Intelligence into their business strategy go far beyond just tech companies. While AI can benefit virtually any industry in some way, these are the three industries that have really capitalized on this technology, paving the way for others. Take a look at a few examples:

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1. Healthcare- AI is making great strides in the healthcare space, and IBM's Watson is one of the well known players there. Conducting cancer research and patient care, helping doctors diagnose mental illnesses and more, analyzing x-ray and MRI scans. These are just a few of the things AI is already doing in the doctors office. Looking toward the future, engineers and developers are finding ways to leverage connected devices and the Internet of Things to assist users with their health. With devices that can track almost every aspect of your health, AI can turn all that scrambled data into meaningful content such as meal suggestions, exercise plans, etc.

The big question remains, are computers going to replace human doctors? The verdict is still in the air, some people believe AI will replace doctors, and some believe that AI is a great aid to doctors, but will never completely replace the need for human intervention. 

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2. Retail- AI is quickly becoming your new shopping guru. From clothes, to travel, customers can ask a question in natural language and the Virtual Assistant will try to provide the most accurate response, or escalate if the need arises. Companies are also moving to personalize each customers unique experience with the help of AI. Providing appropriate suggestions, at the appropriate time not only improves the over customer satisfaction, but also increases sales.

Another example includes cable providers using AI to start off the conversation. A Virtual Assistant will answer the call and ask a few questions to find out a little about what the customer is looking to accomplish. After answer the questions in natural language, the VA guides the customer to the right place, freeing up agent time, and eliminating some of the frustration on the customers side. 

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3. Legal- Many legal firms and lawyers are using Artificial Intelligence to quickly analyze and interpret data. Big data is making it necessary to change the way we are able to attain information. There is so much knowledge acquiring daily about the law, Artificial Intelligence is working to make it easier to sift through. According to a Forbes article, two lawyers developed a way for legal professionals to research rulings made by specific judges in order to find  a judge that would be most sympathetic to their argument. 

Legal departments within companies can benefit from Virtual Assistant technology. Click here to watch a short video of the CEO of noHold discussing how VA's are impacting the legal sector. 

"Big Hero 6": Predicting the Future of Robots as Healthcare Professionals

Photo Credit: Disney

Just a few weeks ago, Disney released their newest movie, "Big Hero 6." Just as you would expect from a Disney movie, it is full of laughter, action, and a heart-warming plot, but instead of the typical princess movie, it is about a robotics prodigy, Hiro, and his best friend Baymax, a robot designed to help people.  As the plot thickens, Hiro, Baymax, and friends band together to become a group of high-tech superheroes. 

To make the personal health care robot as accurate as possible, creators of "Big Hero 6" went straight to the experts themselves to do research, including a professor at the Robotics Institute and Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, Chris Atkeson. The concept of a 'soft' robot came from Atkeson and his colleagues. Disney was intrigued by this type of robot because it is one that most people have never seen before in a movie. It is distinct from the rigid transformer-looking robots, and the soft edges give Baymax more of a warm, caring appearance. 

In an recent interview with Atkeson, he stated that he doesn't think this sort of technology (personal health care robots) is too far off. "I think it's very soon. We haven't gone for a complete system. But we have gone for parts of it. The design that we could do very soon, like a carbon fiber skeleton and pneumatic actuators internally, is possible. It's not clear, though, that making a big balloon and putting stuff inside of it is the right way to go. Do you know what water wings are? They're like a sleeve. That's probably a much better way to do the inflatable part –essentially putting sleeves on all the limbs and torsos. Space suits are already inflatable robots, so the armored Baymax exists. The space suits rely on the human inside to actually guide it. They have to deal with micrometeorite damage and things like that, so these are serious, robust systems." 

Here is a short clip of the inflatable arm that inspired the design of Baymax.

We are already seeing artificial intelligence/robots become more accepted in the medical field. For example, earlier this year, industry analysts talked about the day if/when computers will replace doctor. They found that the majority of people actually preferred interacting with the artificial intelligence compared to a human doctor. Similarly, kiosks are making their way to more and more doctor's offices; used as a Virtual nurse for patients to get quick answers to non-emergency questions. 

Another example is a company in the medical industry using Virtual Customer Assistants(VCAs) to provide their partners with a quick and easy way to answer questions about products and solutions. View the slideshare below to learn more about how they offered their VCA to their Partners.

   

We've posed this question at the beginning of the year, but it would be interesting to see how opinions might have changed in the span of a year. Where do you think the future of medicine and technology will take us? Will robots replace nurses and doctors? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below. 

www.nohold.com

How Will the Internet of Everything Impact Your Healthcare?

Greetings! I hope everyone had a relaxing weekend!

I wanted to start off this week by sharing a video from Cisco's YouTube channel. As the acknowledged leader in the Internet of Everything (IoE), Cisco gives a great practical example of how the IoE can be utilized within the Healthcare space.   

As you can see, the IoE is working to improve the way we view healthcare, but it isn't stopping there. In the past, we have talked a lot about the use of Artificial Intelligence (more specifically Virtual Assistants) in the healthcare industry. As time progresses, there is an increasing amount of automation in the doctor's office. In fact, in a podcast shared earlier in the year, experts in this arena debated whether robots had better bedside manner than a human doctor. In the end, there were quite a few people who preferred the Artificial Intelligence.

People are beginning to warm up to the idea of letting robots and/or Artificial Intelligence play a major role in their lives. Take wearable devices for example. Most wearable devices are designed as a health monitor; tracking exercise, diet, blood pressure, etc. With the IoE, your personal physician can retrieve the data from your health monitor and sync it with your digital file. This way, if you have to see a doctor, he/she will have accurate data and be better equipped to diagnose the problem. 

Do you think the IoE is going to impact healthcare, or is it just an over-the-top fantasy? What do you think about Virtual Assistants becoming nurses? Let us know what you think in the comments section below. 

Cheers!

www.nohold.com 

Throwback Thursday: Virtual Agent Conferences Then and Now

Photo Credit: businessinsider.com

Around this time last year, the 13th annual International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents was held in the UK. With all the forward-thinking discussion points at this conference, everyone was excited to see what the 14th annual Conference on IVA was going to have in store.  

One of the major topics surrounding this years conference was Virtual Agents in the healthcare field, something we have been anticipating for a while. "In the conference's first keynote address, Dr. Joesph Kvedar, founder and director of the Center for Directed Health at Partners Healthcare, said projected future shortages of physicians and nurses underscore the need for more relational agents in healthcare settings. Kvedar, an internationally recognized expert in connected health and telemedicine, said virtual agents can supplement healthcare professionals' work by automating certain services, thereby increasing efficiencies and reducing costs. The onset of such avatars dovetails with the healthcare industry's trending toward preventative care and wellness. As Kvedar put it, ' How can we effectively use technology to scale out people across consumers and patients, keeping them healthy and out of the high-cost part of the system?'" Click here to find out more about Virtual Healthcare Agents.

Photo Credit: babson.edu

As the IVA 2014 came to a close, the Intelligent Assistants Conference (IAC) 2014 is approaching. On September 16th, 2014 in San Francisco, CA, Opus Research is holding an event involving all things Virtual Agents and self-service. "IA Conference 2014 is where executives responsible for improving customer experience and self-service efficiency will meet vendors of solutions that put Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytic resources into practice in the real world." (Intelligent Assistants Conference 2014). The CEO of noHold, Diego Ventura, will also be attending this conference. 

Have you attended any Virtual Agent conferences before? Will you be attending this years IAC? 
www.nohold.com

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

Self-Service for The Affordable Care Act

On Tuesday, October 1, 2013 the health exchanges opened for the first time. The White House expects 7 million uninsured people to sign up during the six-month enrollment period. According to a recent Yahoo News article (Healthcare Exchanges Open Tuesday: What You Need to Know), 45% of people polled by Kaiser said they had heard “nothing at all” about the health insurance marketplaces mandated by the law. News all over the nation encouraged participants to “call” and ask questions. The news casters reassured the public that call centers were ready to take their calls. And of course, callers to the federal call center reported long hold times.

https://www.healthcare.gov/

Typical Questions – but this is just the beginning

§  What is the health insurance exchange?

§  Do I have to buy health insurance on the exchange?

§  How much does it cost?

§  How do people enroll?

§  Can the insurance prices change?

§  Will the enrollment website work?

The high level pieces of information found in the media or on websites are challenging to interpret. The public, as well as businesses, are affected in different ways. For example, rates and regulations vary by state; rates can change; and when more information is necessary individuals can read the full law for more details. The general public will be forced to call.

Why Self-Service?

The White House expects 7 million uninsured to sign up during a 6 month enrollment period. This does not include the addition of millions of people who just want information about the law and visit the site for research purposes. It also does not include the frequent return visits to the site for clarification on what is covered.

Virtual Agents have long been used to reduce the load and cost of the typical call center by encouraging end users to help themselves. During peak seasons, new releases, and in times of the unknown, consumers ask questions that can often be resolved online. Since Virtual Agents have become more popular,  the public is more comfortable with using such technologies not only as personal assistants, but to find quick solutions for customer service, support, and shopping.

Benefits of a Virtual Agent/Self-Service

Health service providers, insurance carriers, and pharmaceutical companies are now empowered to leverage Virtual Agents to answer questions related to the new Affordable Care Act. Virtual Agents help these businesses and non-profit groups to:

§  Be ready for the call spikes, and questions related to the Affordable Care Act

§  Respond to questions that could have Legal implications if answered incorrectly.

§  Respond 24x7. Knowledge about healthcare is mandatory, and we need it right now; especially when it involves small children, the elderly, or those with pre-existing medical conditions.

§  Communicate in multiple languages. Although English is the native tongue in the United States, Spanish and Asian among other dialects account for a large majority of your audience.

§  Understand what the public wants to know. Leverage built in metrics to analyze the most Frequently Asked Questions, identify areas for growth, and take advantage of opportunities to learn more about your audience.

§  Adapt rapidly. Not only can Virtual Agents learn from conversations, but by implementing VAs on a website, changes can be made quickly. No need to wait for website publishing cycles - a secure login to the VA provides the opportunity to make instant updates easily.             

Trusted brands across various industries have implemented Virtual Agents to reduce call center costs, increase Customer Satisfaction, and capture actionable intelligence. In a recent survey, 88% of respondents agreed that self-service tools had a major impact on resolving issues, and would likely recommend self-service such as a Virtual Agent to others.

https://twitter.com/HealthCareGov

When live chat is unavailable, when the phone queue is too long, or for quick information and guided help, Virtual Agents are ready.

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 Virtual Agent 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 Cisco, Lenovo, Dell and a host of industry leaders.

Website:  www.nohold.com

Blog: http://noholdinc.blogspot.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/noHoldAI

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noHold

Helpful Resources:

§  For more information about the Affordable Care Act visit US Department of Health & Human Services

§  Obamacare Enrollment: How do I sign up? http://finance.yahoo.com/news/obamacare-enrollment-sign-044100416.html

http://news.yahoo.com/health-care-exchanges-open-tuesday--what-you-need-to-know-221738118.html

© Copyright noHold Inc. 2013 All other product and service names are the property of their respective owners. This document is an independent publication and should be used for research purposes only. noHold is not affiliated with The US Government, The Affordable Care Act, or any other entity mentioned herein.