Virtual Assistant Usage to Increase in 2019

noHold, Inc. Welcomes 2019!

Happy New Year! As we all start getting back into our routines after what hopefully was a great holiday, I wanted to share a quick read from Forbes contributor, Bernard Marr, "5 Important Artificial Intelligence Predictions (For 2019) Everyone Should Read."

According to Forbes, this year we can expect to see many positive things come from the AI space. For one, AI use cases will continue to become more wide spread throughout different industries and sectors. Companies (in every industry) have seen the advantages to implementing an AI strategy. For example, when noHold first started creating Virtual Assistants in 1999, it was primarily for customer support purposes, and typically with the consumer electronics space. Just in the last year, we have seen AI adoption grow exponentially within the Financial and Educational industries. This just proves how versatile and commonly used Virtual Assistants are today. 

Also, this year we can expect AI user satisfaction to increase. As the technology continues to become smarter, more people will find AI-based Virtual Assistants to be useful. 

Here is an infographic found on ISG-one.com demonstrating that automation and AI usage is expected to triple in 2019. 

For more information on Virtual Assistants, and how your company can benefit from this technology, feel free to contact noHold here to schedule a call. 

By 2021, the Virtual Assistant Market will Reach $15.8 Billion Worldwide

Greetings!

2016 has gone by so fast, I can't believe we are already in November. Through the course of the year we have talked about the major growth we have seen within the Virtual Assistant space. Executives are recognizing the benefits a Virtual Assistant will bring to any company, tech giants are acquiring Artificial Intelligence companies at a rapid pace this year, and analyst firms are predicting continued adoption of Virtual Assistants in the coming years. 

Last year around this time, Gartner put out the top predictions to look out for. One of them being, "by 2020, smart agents will facilitate 40% of mobile interactions. This is based on the belief that the world is moving to a post-app era, where assistants such as Apple's Siri act as a type of universal interface." (ComputerWorld) 

This year, analysts from Gartner recently put out the top 10 strategic predictions for 2017. They start off the article with saying, "By 2020, the average person will have more conversations with bots than with their spouse. With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and conversational user interfaces, we are increasingly likely to interact with a bot (and not know it) than ever before. The digital experience has become addictive by entering out lives through smartphones, tablets, virtual personal assistants (VPAs) or the entertainment systems in our homes and cars." (Gartner Predicts a Virtual World of Exponential Growth)

Another report from Research and Markets concluded that "by 2021, the Virtual Assistant market will reach $15.8 billion worldwide." 

Photo Credit

With adoption only expecting to increase, the democratization of AI, specifically Virtual Assistant is going to be key. Making it as easily accessible as possible will empower even more people to embrace the experience. If you would like more information on what noHold is doing to democratize AI, please contact us here.

Have a great weekend.
Cheers!

Gartner Identifies Autonomous Agents as Top Technology Trend to Watch for in 2016

Can you believe it is almost the end of the year? With the holidays fast approaching, the rest of 2015 is going to fly by. In fact, leading analysts have already started making predictions for 2016 top trends. Recently, Gartner went into detail about top technology trends at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2015 in Orlando. Check out what tech trends they think you should look out for in 2016 on the infographic below: 

Gartner, Smarter with Gartner, Top 10 Technology Trends Signal the Digital Mesh, October 7, 2015

http://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/top-ten-technology-trends-signal-the-digital-mesh/

We are excited (but not surprised) to see 'autonomous agents and things' as a top trend in the coming year according to Gartner. Virtual Personal Assistants (and Virtual Customer Assistants) have made major strides within the past couple years, and more companies are beginning to see the benefits of investing into this technology. Not just any static Artificial Intelligence (AI) will cut it though; consumers are demanding sophisticated, intelligent agents that can handle tasks seamlessly. "Over the next five years we will evolve to a postapp world with intelligent agents delivering dynamic and contextual actions and interfaces," said Mr. Cearley. "IT leaders should explore how they can use autonomous things and agents to augment human activity and free people for work that only people can do. However, they must recognize that smart agents and things are a long-term phenomenon that will continually evolve and expand their uses for the next 20 years." (Gartner Identifies the Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2016)

What is your opinion on autonomous agents and things? Thoughts about any of the other predicted trends for 2016? Let us know in the comments below. 
For more information on next generation Virtual Assistant technology for Enterprise and SMB, please contact noHold. 
www.nohold.com

The Need For Improved Mobile Customer Service is Here!

Mock Mobile Virtual Agent

Earlier in April, one of noHold's clients was inclined to embrace the mobile movement when they found that about a fourth of their clients were mobile users. This company decided it was time to launch a mobile version of their Virtual Agent. By doing so, they are able to give great customer service to all customers, no matter what device they are using. Now, more and more companies are following suit. Recently, a leading provider of computing, consumer electronics, and communications solutions realized the need for mobile customer support, launching their version of a mobile-friendly Virtual Agent. 

It is a good thing that companies are making the shift to be more mobile friendly before its too late. 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.   

Are you aware of what your audience prefers? Is your company taking the necessary steps to adapt to the mobile generation?   

www.nohold.com

Throwback Thursday: According to a Leading Analyst Firm, 50% of Online Self-Service Will be Via a Virtual Assistant

     In the early days of the Internet, CallCenter.com published an article, "What’s in a Name? noHold Rebrands Self-Help Software." This article was written back in October of 2001 (just about 13 year ago) sharing the multiple benefits of using a Virtual Agent. One of the paragraphs cites compelling predictions about on-line service for 2005....

“If cost savings aren't enough to sell you on the product, consider also that, according to Jupiter Media Metrix, the number of individuals seeking on-line service will jump to 67 million in 2005, up from 33 million this year.”

     When looking at the numbers of people seeking online service today, this prediction has been far surpassed. Billions of people are connected to the Internet and web-based customer support is quickly becoming the preferred channel for customer support. 

     The future of Virtual Agents is predicted to keep growing. According to a leading analyst firm, “By 2015, 50% of online customer self-service search activities will be via a virtual assistant for at least 1500 large enterprises” (Intelligent Virtual Agents for SMBs, smbnow.com) Looking at the pattern from 2001 up to today, it is apparent that continuously more and more people are interested in web self-service. What will the future of Virtual Agents/web self-service look like in 10 more years? Will the current predictions be surpassed yet again?