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: 5 Reasons Why Your Support Site Encourages Customers to Call You

     Have you ever wondered why, in a Web dominated era, phone calls are still one of the most common channels for receiving support? To add to that, phone calls are one of the most expensive channels for support teams to upkeep, often more than $10 just to pick up the phone. One motivation for consumers to call in is due to the way support sites are organized. When designing a support site it is important to encourage cost effective methods such as self-service.  Here are 5 reasons why your support site discourages self-service and encourages 'call in' behavior.

1. A list of FAQs doesn't cut it. Let’s face it, a low cost list of FAQs is costing more money than it should. When the end user can't easily find a solution, he/she is forced to call. 
2. The live assistance option is front and center. If live assistance is what the customers see first, more often than not, they will use that channel. It's best to provide multiple options, without making live assistance difficult to find. That said, if you encourage end users to call you, they will. 
3. There is no GPS for navigating a website. Your customers might be asking themselves: Where do I go for sales questions? Where do I go for support? What's the cost to your company if the end customer engages with a live chat agent for sales rather than the support agent they need?
4. The company has built a library full of wonderful content, but there is no easy way to find the right resource. To the end user, some common phrases are: I have a problem,error, not working, help! It's not easy to solve the problem without an interactive experience, especially when troubleshooting is necessary. 
5. Lack of promotion. Most customers are not aware that there are options. Make it known that support and sales options are available and make it fun for customers to use. One way to make consumers aware of the cost effective support solutions is by making it fun, encouraging them to come back. Apple's Siri advertisements demonstrate a friendly 'pal' when you need answers to questions. Think about this: A Virtual Agent for your website can be just as engaging and even fun to interact with. In addition to answering the typical support/service/marketing questions, embed contests, surveys, candid and 'quirky' responses to add some personality. In addition, make it easy for your customers to share with their own network through social sharing. 

     Having a multi-channel website is essential, but positioning and encouraging self-service is equally important. Using these tips will help cut the cost of support and increase Customer Satisfaction (CSAT). The more your consumers use self-service, the greater the ROI will be. Does your support site encourage ‘call in’ behavior? Maybe it’s time to evaluate.      

www.nohold.com

One of the Top 3 PC Manufacturers Along With the Leader in Networking Renews Contracts with noHold, Inc.

March 20, 2014, Milpitas, California – noHold customers continue to renew contracts after achieving multi-year success with Virtual Agent and Knowledge Management solutions. Virtual Agents continue to achieve popularity with advances in Artificial Intelligence and market validation from leaders such as Apple® (Siri®), IBM® (Watson™), Google™, and more.

 

One of the largest PC and Consumer Device manufacturers has decided to continue its relationship with noHold, marking the 6 year anniversary date. The company began its partnership with noHold in 2008 and has successfully expanded to support products such as PC, peripherals, mobile devices, as well as gaming systems. A Virtual Agent is a popular choice for the end customer, specifically with gamers and technology aficionados who enjoy the Artificial Intelligence (AI) interaction with quick and accurate responses. In addition, the increasing demand for a mobile support/service option places the Virtual Agent at the top of the preference chart due to its ability to carry a conversation similar to text messaging.

 

The leader in networking has also opted to renew its relationship with noHold, marking an 8 year anniversary date. This company started its partnership with noHold in 2006, and has leveraged the Virtual Agent as well as Knowledge Management solutions across business units such as consumer electronics, small business, video teleconference, and more. The trusted brand has won multiple awards for support and self-service and is a visionary in the Internet of Everything (IoE) movement. Virtual Agents have proven to be ‘butler-like’ applications that will change the way humans interact and experience the IoE.

 

noHold customers continue to achieve Return On Investment (ROI), Higher Net Promoter Scores (NPS), and consistent adoption by expansion of Virtual Agent technologies. In recent analysis Virtual Agents in PC and related industries performed very well, with a cost per session (full conversation) less than the price of a vending machine gumball.  With clients in pertinent industries such as Consumer Electronics, Telecommunications, Computing, Finance and more, these Virtual Butlers are proving to be the customers’ preferred interaction channel.

 

"The industry has evolved incredibly since the late 90's. It has been nice to witness and be part of every single step forward. However, I believe the best is yet to come. We are happy to have such great customers who share that vision,” said 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 interaction. noHold customers include Toshiba, Lenovo, Cisco and a host of industry leaders. More information can be found at www.nohold.com.

 

Press Contact

Sarah Ramoz
Marketing Operations Manager
sramoz@nohold.com
408.946.9200 ext. 305

Copyright © 2014 noHold Inc. All other product and service names are the property of their respective owners.

CEO's Corner: How "Opening Your Data to the World" is Beneficial

I was reading an article, “Open Your Data to the World” by Neil Savage from Computer World and immediately related to it. In fact, it wasn’t long ago that noHold had to do some soul searching to decide whether or not to provide an open API (Application Programming Interface) with its Knowledge Management platform, SICURA™.

We struggled with some of the same issues reported in this article. What will happen in terms of security? What kind of applications are people going to build with this new functionality? Can somebody cannibalize our market?

I am glad we decided in favor of building such an API. It helped us in at least three ways:

1)      It enforced a new discipline in the design of our own platform. We use the API internally so when we need to create a new module, we don’t fuse the connection points of the new module with those of an existing one, instead we just use the same API calls available to the public. This increases design modularity and helps with all sorts of other aspects of software development including maintenance and support.

2)      It freed us from having to anticipate everything a customer may want to build with our solution. Because we publish an API, we never have to say no to a customer. Whatever they ask for can be accommodated by designing a custom application that is linked via the API to our platform. Customizations are easy because the API defines clear distinct access points to different functionality. It is like building your own custom yogurt treat.

3)      It opened up new opportunities. We can now build compound applications that use our platform in conjunction with others. For example it is now possible to create a new version of our SalesAdvisor™ that can use BBYOpen (Best Buy API). The SalesAdvisor is designed to increase conversion rates on a Web site. It answers prospects pre-sales questions and generates more revenue for a company by educating, advising and cross-selling. Among other things, BBYOpen can provide consumer reviews on selected products, pricing and a chance to purchase. By marrying one solution, the SalesAdvisor, and the data from the Best Buy API, it is possible to create a powerful application that helps consumers find what they are looking for, and that helps resellers become more successful.

As more companies open the power of their platforms to other developers, the public will gain access to a new breed of applications with almost limitless opportunities.

Diego Ventura, CEO, noHold, Inc.

Throwback Thursday: The Evolution of Knowledge Management

     This week for Throwback Thursday, I found a fascinating infographic about how Knowledge Management (KM) has altered over the years. Believe it or not, Knowledge Management has been around since 3500 BC when the cuneiform language was developed. The invention of this language paved the way for information to be shared, stored, and preserved. 

     Now if we fast forward to the 1990’s, when computer technology and the World Wide Web became hot topics “software vendors scrambled to develop Knowledge Management solutions as its presence in the corporate world blossom into something big. Microsoft and IBM both reposition their software to emphasize Knowledge Management qualities.” According to this infographic, having a Knowledge Management solution is a high priority for companies now a day. Big names such as those mentioned above, knew to be successful they would need an effective KM solution. Implementing KM solutions is a great way to allow people to contribute to information securely, help companies manage/organize information and
make it easier for people to search and find the correct information they are looking for.

      The future of Knowledge Management is ever expanding. There will always be further information to be added and new ways of sharing it.  Peter Drucker, a former management consultant and the man who coined the term Knowledge Management, said in an article in the Harvard Business Review, that its sole purpose is not only for managers to share  knowledge, but also to track innovation that occurs as a result. 

    You can find all this information and more by clicking on this link that will send you straight to the infographic which was produced by Socialcast.  

Cheers!

Mission Possible: The Top Criteria for Successfully Completing a Knowledge Management Evaluation Assignment

As a support professional, your job is to make objective decisions that benefit your company as well as your clients, to make a difference, to become the hero and to be recognized for making an impact on the top and bottom lines. When choosing a Knowledge Management solution, the industry leaders turn to reputable sources like consultants, analyst firms, even recommendations from a trusted colleague.

Today, we want to offer you an inside look at what some of the largest, most well-known businesses are asking when searching for and evaluating a Knowledge Management solution. The million dollar question: What are award-winning support organizations looking for when evaluating self-help technology? Your Mission: Download the document, “Mission Possible: The top Criteria for Successfully Completing a Knowledge Management Evaluation Assignment” to get the inside scoop, to be better prepared when evaluating future solutions, and to evaluate your existing customer self-help ecosystem. 

"This guide has been designed to help you on your mission. You can use it as a tool to complete your Knowledge Management mission like a hero. Here you will find a collection of questions that award winning brands have used in their search for award winning support." -Sarah Ramoz, Marketing Operations Manager.