A Look Back at noHold's Top Stories of the Week: September 22nd-26th

1. Virtual Agents Help Fight the Flu Season 
Here is a video with some do's and don'ts for the coming flu season. 

During peak seasons, such as these, a Virtual Agent can help relieve some of the congestion in the call centers. Click on the blog above to find out how. 

2. Virtual Agent Tips and Tricks: Virtual Agent for our Company's Community Forum

This week's Tuesday tip: Virtual Agents are a great asset to social media pages, community forums, or blogs. 

3. noHold CEO Travels to San Francisco for the Intelligent Virtual Assistants Conference Presented by Opus Research












"The time to differentiate is now," explains Dan Miller, lead analyst and founder of Opus Research. "Coke, Domino's and Hyatt are part of a leading-edge group of firms that employ human-like assistants for sales, customer care, technical support and answering questions. Within a few years, they will be virtually ubiquitous." (Opus Research's Intelligent Assistant Awards (IAAs) Recognize Hyatt, Domino's and the US Army for Human-Like Automated Assistance).

4. Throwback Thursday: Virtual Agents for Wearable Devices

When asking the community what they think about wearable devices, there has been an overwhelming lack of consensus on this technology. People have mixed feelings whether to embrace this disruptive tech, or reject it completely. With the announcement of the Apple Watch to come out in 2015, we'll see if wearable devices will gain a little more traction than before...

Please click on the link above to read the full  blog. 
________________________________________________________________
www.nohold.com

A Look Back at noHold's Top Stories of the Week: Sept. 15th-19th

Cheers to another great week, but before we leave the office for the weekend, here's a chance to look back at some of the interesting news posted this week. 

1. noHold recently celebrated its 15th birthday! Thanks to everyone for the kind wishes! 

Photo Credit: mercury-labs.com

2. Virtual Agent Tips and Tricks: Google Now Features Better than Siri? Better than Cortana?

There has been some heavy competition between Virtual Assistants in the news lately. Here, we talked about some of the lesser-known features of Google Now, and how it stacks up to Siri and Cortana.

3. "Outsourcing is not a new paradigm; in fact, many well-known and trusted brands leverage BPO vendors to successfully manage customer support, service, sales and more.

In order to drive productivity and efficiency, companies turn to BPOs. According to the infographic from INFINIT-O on the right, companies are increasing the amount they spend on outsourcing, while in-house spending is remaining relatively constant." 

Click on infographic to enlarge.

Photo Credit: mycustomer.com

Click the title 'The Benefits of a Virtual Agent for BPOs' to read the full blog.

4.  Throwback Thursday: From Large Mobile Phones to Small Mobile Phones...and Back to Large?

Mobile phone user interfaces have been changing ever since the inception of the first cell phone. Mobile phones went from large, chunky devices, to tiny, basic devices. Now, smartphones are moving back toward larger screens, but with sleeker designs. Virtual Agent user interfaces have been adapting since their inception as well. From simple text on a DOS screen, to fully integrative, multi-pane U.I.'s with avatars and promotions. Check out this blog for more information on the progression of U.I.'s

Photo Credit: postris.com

_________________________________________________________________

Thanks for taking the time to read about what has been going on with noHold within the last week.

I'll leave you with this truly innovative picture, and hope you have an enjoyable weekend! 

www.nohold.com

Future Payphones

Photo Credit: farnham.blogspot.com

A Look Back at noHold's Top Stories of the Week: Sept. 8th-12th

TGIF!! 

As another week comes to an end, lets take a look back at some of the exciting news that happened this week. 

1. noHold Participates in a Case Study with Partner, Rackspace. 

noHold's Product and Engineering Manager, Dario De Santis, had the opportunity to be involved in a case study with one of our partners, Rackspace, leaders in the managed cloud computing space. Here is a video of Dario explaining how Rackspace is an essential component for noHold products. 

2. Apple's Big Announcement: What Does This Mean for Siri.

On Sept. 9, 2014, Apple announced what they have been working so hard to keep a secret: the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, Apple Watch, and Apple Pay. With all these new devices there wasn't much talk about Siri. While Microsoft and Google further develop their personal virtual assistants for their smartphones, is Apple falling behind in this space? 

Photo Credit: pcmag.com

3. Tim Cook says, "People want to relate to their phones in a different way."

Photo Credit: businessinsider.com

"I think Siri has proven to us that people want to relate to their phone in a different way. Yes it can be broader and so forth, but we see unbelievable potential here. I think you're going to be happy with where it's going. We're doubling down on it." (wired.co.uk)

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

Photo Credit: psdgraphics.com

Almost a quarter of a century ago, the first Internet search engine, Archie, was launched. Ever since then we have progressed to making searching more interactive and intuitive. Check out this blog to find out more about how search has improved over time. 

________________________________________________________________

Thanks for another great week all, we'll see you here next week! Have a great weekend.

www.nohold.com

A Look Back at noHold's Top Stories of the Week: September 1st-5th

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend. Per the short week, we are going to keep this 'look back' equally condensed...

1. noHold recently had the pleasure of having lunch with some of the members of the D-Link team down in Southern California. Here is a picture:

From left to right: Michael Luu, Diego Ventura, Francesco Ventura, Oscar Navarro, and Paul Pishchenko

2. In light all the Virtual Agent conference that occurred or will be occurring soon, we dedicated this weeks Throwback Thursday to past Virtual Agent conferences. Check out that blog here. Don't forget to attend the Intelligent Assistants Conference (IAC) 2014 happening on Sept. 16 in San Francisco, CA. 

To send you out of the office with a smile, take a look at this funny, yet true, meme I found online. 

Photo Credit: funmaga.com

Enjoy your weekend, and we'll see you back here on Monday! Cheers!

www.nohold.com

A Look Back at noHold's Top Stories of the Week: August 25th-31st +Intern Update!

Let's take a look at this week's exciting stories.

1. Trusted Brands Use Quick Videos to Introduce Virtual Agents to Call Center Agents, Employees, and Consumers. 

Here is an example of a demonstration video for Albert, noHold's Help Desk Virtual Agent. Utilizing short 'training' videos is a beneficial way to introduce Virtual Agents to Call Center agents, employees, and consumers alike. 

2. Virtual Agent Tips and Tricks: What are the Components That Create a Stellar Self-Service Experience.

Based on our experience, we outlined 10 different features that work together to create an effective Virtual Agent.

• Natural Language Processor (NLP)
• Reporting Metrics
• Diagnostic and Interactive  

Click on the title above to find out what the other features make up a stellar self-service experience. 

3. The Leading Manufacturer and Provider of Visual Technology Celebrates Grand Opening

Kudos again ViewSonic on your grand opening of the new headquarters. It was a pleasure to attend the event!

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony in Brea, CA

4. Throwback Thursday: Apple's New Release vs. Apple Five Years Ago
With the release of the iPhone 6 coming out, Apple is continually expanding their brand. Check out how they have changed in the past 5 years. 

_____________________________________________________________________

As we've mentioned before, our Interns were working hard creating their own Virtual Agent. On Wednesday, they gave a great presentation demonstrating what they came up with. So, before we head out the office for a long three day weekend, I wanted to share with you a brief description about their project...

As a team, they came up with the concept of a Virtual Agent that will aid individuals/ small businesses that are trying to build their brand on social media. In essence, it is an artificial social media expert! Here's an example of when it can be used. Say there is a star college football player that is trying to create his own brand. With little experience with social media, he decides to enlist in the help of "Mara." Mara is able to suggest if something is beneficial to post based on an analysis of up-to-date social media trends. Similarly, a small business with limited marketing budget may need assistance in setting up social media, connecting various channels, and advice on what to post and when. Mara can be updated automatically, pulling new software updates, changes, and information from the most popular social media channels - Thus, empowering a small business to stay on top of its social media game. 

They each contributed to a different aspect of the project, and ultimately came together to make this innovative idea come to life. Eleonora designed the avatar and the look and feel, Stefano took care of the content, Asraful was responsible for the technical and engineering part, and Victor came up with marketing strategies. They've worked extremely hard over the last month and we were very pleased with what they accomplished in such a short amount of time. We are sad to see them go, but know they will accomplish great things in life.    

I'll leave you with this picture of Stefano, Eleonora, Victor, and Asraful; and the avatar for their VA, Mara. 

2014 noHold Interns giving presentation on their Virtual Agent, Mara

Please have a safe and relaxing Labor Day weekend! Cheers!

www.nohold.com

A Look Back at noHold's Top Stories of the Week: August 18th-22nd

Happy Friday!

Let me tell you about some of our top stories from this week. 

1. Traveling All the Way From Italy to the Silicon Valley, noHold Welcomes Interns for a Month.
Check out this brief introduction to each of the interns. And stay tuned to see what progress they are making and how it all turns out!

From left to right: Brandon Liu, Victor Gobbo, Stefano Masserini, Eleonora Marzadro, Asraful Islam

2. Here are some tips on getting your kids ready for back-to-school. Great suggestions on the latest laptops, tablets, and PC's on the market. 

3. On August 20th, we recognized National Radio Day and remembered one of the most infamous moments on public broadcasting, the Orson Welles Alien invasion scare. 

Photo Credit: slate.com

4. Fast forward to our current generation, the public is worried about robots taking over their jobs! See what we have to say about that in the blog, 'Throwback Thursday: Are Robots Threatening Your Job Security?'

____________________________________________________________________

Thanks for sharing another exciting week with us! Cheers!
www.nohold.com

A Look Back at noHold's Top Stories of the Week: August 11th-15th

This has been a busy week for everyone here at noHold, but it was very exciting nonetheless. This week we only have one top story that takes the cake, and that is Diego being featured on the Peggy Smedley Show.

On Tuesday, August 12th, Diego joined the Peggy Smedley Show along with Glenn Schleicher from Cisco to discuss Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Agents and the Internet of Everything (IoE). If you missed the live show, or would like to listen again, you can find the recorded version here. Be sure to begin listening at "Interaction with the Internet of Things" and continue listening through the fourth segment, "Cisco and the Internet of Everything."

"By connecting our Virtual Agents to wearable tech, it was not just to prove that we could connect to wearable devices, but that we (noHold) can connect to any device; for example, a sophisticated Cisco router. The sky is the limit.  More and more, Artificial Intelligence will exist in many parts of our life. Today, it might be the way you interact (the User Interface) with a device or scanner; in the future, you can expect to see Virtual Agent-like applications that can connect instantly and will expand (change) the User Experience to be much more interactive. This will revolutionize the design of products." - Diego Ventura, CEO of noHold. 

Thanks for listening. 

For more information about the Peggy Smedley Show, please visit: www.peggysmedleyshow.com

Have a great weekend!

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

A Look Back at noHold’s Top Stories of the Week: July 28-August 1

This week has been full of some great information; from blogs about the Internet of Everything to Virtual Realities, it has been an interest week. Here's a quick recap of the week's stories.

1. The Internet of Everything is taking city streets to a whole new level with Internet connected trash cans!

Photo Credit: govtech.com

2. Did you know, "35% of IT organizations will have 75% of IT service desk contacts from the business resolved by Virtual Assistants."

3. Flashy gimmicks are no longer the way to promote your company's new products or services. By using a Virtual Agent, it can provide the appropriate information, in the right context. Check out the blog, Leveraging a Virtual Agent to Cross-Sell Within the Right Context.

4. #TBT: Virtual reality is the new anesthesia? It seems so. Researchers are studying the effects of being immersed in a virtual reality while undergoing dental procedures. Studies are showing that the pain is significantly reduced when you distract a patient by immersing them into a virtual reality. Maybe one day, instead of being 'put under', all you'll have to do is put on a headset and drift into another reality. 
_____________________________________________________________________

Hope you all have a great weekend, cheers!
www.nohold.com

A Look Back at noHold's Top Stories of the Week: July 14 - July 18

As another week is wrapping up, lets take a look back at some of noHold's top stories of the week...

1. Check out this video of a Virtual Agent in Action

2. noHold announces their efforts in the charitable initiative, Virtual Volunteers!

"Over the past year or so, noHold has been working on a charitable initiative called Virtual Volunteers. A Virtual Volunteer is a Virtual Agent aimed to provide nonprofit organizations with a self-service solution that will guide users to answer their own questions, quickly. Our mission is to serve as a Virtual Volunteer for your organization. This means working to help your cause provide real answers to real questions in a fast and efficient way. Our goal is to fill the overall need of getting accurate and important information to your audience."

Click here to ask Vint a question!

3. Increasing support and service revenue with the help of a Virtual Agent. 

A company in the consumer electronics industry leveraged their Virtual Agent to help get their customers the services they need, while increasing revenue for the company.

"Humans are programmed to reject typical forms of advertisement, but everybody still appreciates a helping hand when they are trying to solve a problem." 

-noHold, Inc. 

Does your company leverage self-service to generate revenue? How do you offer the right services at the right time? 

4. Throwback Thursday: Here we talked about the evolution of movie robots, and the evolution of the brains behind the robots, Artificial Intelligence. 

                                                                                                                   

To conclude this week, I want to share with you some pictures I stumbled across of this years best photos taken from a drone. I'll leave you with a couple of the top pics. Cheers!

Photo Credit

Photo Credit

www.nohold.com

A Look Back at noHold's Top Stories of the Week

Happy Friday all, hope you had a great work week, and have an even better weekend! But before you rush out of the office, take a look back at some of our top posts of the week. 

1. Cruise: A start-up company markets the first version of their highway autopilot system. What does this mean for Google's self-driving car? 

2.  4/5 Users Prefer Using a Virtual Agent to Traditional Support Options 

This week, after completing multiple A/B test sessions, we have found that 4 out of 5 people who tried both, the current support options of 'Brand X' and a Virtual Agent of 'Brand X', preferred using the VA to guide them to what they were looking for. For a description of the A/B testing done, check out the blog, Majority of Users Preferred Interacting with a Virtual Agent as a First Line of Support. 

3. Throwback Thursday: Evolving from computer bots to humanoids

What is your opinion on robots that look exactly like humans? If you have used a Virtual Agent for Customer Support, Care, or sales questions, do you prefer to know that it is an automated solution before interacting?    
                                                                                                                   
Cheers!
www.nohold.com

A Look Back at noHold's Top Stories of the Week

This week has been full of exciting news. Take a look back at noHold’s top stories of the week.

1. Eugene Becomes the First Robot to Pass the Turing Test

2. Virtual Agent Tips and Tricks: “How Do I Check for Outages in my Area?”

"How do I check the status of my order?" "How do I log into my new router?" Consumers always have 'how to' questions, such as these, when dealing with any company, regardless of the industry. Each company has the power to provide immediate answers to these questions, while increasing customer satisfaction. 

3. noHold Virtual Agent Recognized by Satisfied Customer

4. Throwback Thursday: The Past, Present, and Future of Online Shopping

I’ll leave you with this photo to start of your weekend off with a little laughter. Enjoy!

Photo Credit: bentspine.com