Virtual Agent Tips and Tricks: Using a Virtual Agent to Enhance Your Product’s User Manual

User manuals tend to have a love/hate effect on consumers. They are full of useful information and insider knowledge about the products, but it can be a headache having to read through it all to try and find one piece of information.  An example of a cumbersome user manual is for vehicles; hundreds of pages that are filled with so many terms, it is hard to find the information you are looking for. Cars are getting more advanced in today’s technology driven world, too, adding more capabilities to your car than ever before. But to figure out how to utilize these special features you have to find it in the manual and in some cases, go to a support site if you are having problems. 

Compared to car guides, phone manuals have continuously gotten shorter and shorter, with mostly the “common” features provided on a small flip book. Even though the physical user manuals have been cut down, the online versions of the user guides can exceed hundreds of pages, with no interactive and diagnostic features to aid your experience.

While these manuals don’t provide the most intuitive responses, a Virtual Agent can help enhance them to be more user friendly. Instead of handing consumers a huge book, a link to the Virtual Agent can empower users to to simply type in a question such as, “How do I connect my phone to my car?” and get an immediate solution without having to sift through many pages of information.  

Another example of how a Virtual Agent can be used is for registering a product. Typically, when a customer purchases software or any other computer related devices, the manufacturer encourages registration. That process tends to be tedious, informing you to do this and then click that. With a Virtual Agent, registering a product can be streamlined making the experience more interesting and interactive. Doing this provides consumers with that personal, interactive element they are expecting when seeking online assistance, while increasing the chances of repeat visits to the Virtual Agent in the future. 

Would customer feedback surveys get better responses if they were part of a Virtual Agent interaction? Would you be more inclined to complete a credit card application through a Virtual Agent than through multiple screens of questions?  What are some other scenarios where an interactive conversation would improve a cumbersome experience? 

www.nohold.com

President Obama meets ASIMO, Honda’s Humanoid Robot

During a youth science event at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (AKA Miraikan) in Tokyo, Japan, President Barack Obama was introduced to ASIMO, Honda’s humanoid robot. For those of you who don’t know, ASIMO is an acronym for Advanced Step in Innovative MObility. For 14 years now, Honda has been developing and enhancing ASIMO’s capabilities of interacting with its physical surroundings. ASIMO has improved so much since its inception; it can now walk up stairs, pour and serve a cup of juice, run, recognize faces, and talk.  

President Obama also saw a demonstration of Atlas, DARPA’s (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) creation of a humanoid robot designed to save lives from the rubble of natural disasters. As advances are being made in robotics, the technology that are fueling these parts are being widely utilized in other aspects of innovation; driver-less cars, wearable devices, drones, and more. People are becoming increasingly more optimistic about the future of high tech.

“…Obama professed his belief in the importance of science and math programs, telling students they ‘have more technology and more power than even the greatest innovators of previous generations, so there is no limit to what [they] can achieve,’ he said" (President Obama Plays Soccer with ASIMO the Robot). The power of technology gives future generations the ability improve innovations and create things that we never thought possible. What do you think the next capabilities for ASIMO are going to be? What would you like a humanoid robot to be able to do? 

www.nohold.com

Throwback Thursday: Interns Learn How to Manage Virtual Agent Content within Weeks

Around this time two years ago (2012), we announced the launch of a Virtual Agent for the Italian Consulate of San Francisco. This Virtual Agent is bilingual, responding to frequently asked questions in English or Italian. Virtual Agents are created to be extremely user friendly, not only for the general public asking the Virtual Agent questions, but also for back end administrators that maintain the content. The Italian Consulate of San Francisco employed two part time students to create the first instance of the Virtual Agent and User Interface (UI), with minimal training required. Since the tools are easy to use, the Consulate gives the responsibility of maintaining the content each semester to new interns.

“This is the first time that an Italian Consulate has used this Virtual Agent technology. It immediately turned out to be very efficient and a very useful tool.  Both the Consulate and the users are really satisfied. It is likely that other Consulates will follow our example.” Fabrizio Marcelli, Consul General of Italy. (2012)

To read the full press release, click here.

Just about a year after the implementation of the Consulates' Virtual Agent (2013), Diego Ventura, the CEO and founder of noHold, was awarded the special honor of the Order of the Star of Italy by the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano. This honor is given to Italians, both abroad and foreign, who promote friendly relations between Italy and other countries and create ties with Italy as well. Click here to read about noHold Being Knighted.

For future news, an award-winning leader in networking is following a similar path to the Italian Consulates’, handing some of the responsibility of maintaining the Virtual Agent to interns. Managing a Virtual Agent shouldn’t be tedious. We make it so entry level associates can effectively support the Virtual Agent with minimal training needed. The interns enjoy being part of a team, are excited about maintaining a 'cool' and effective technology, and the companies have found compelling ways to 'gamify' the whole process. How does your company maintain its Virtual Agent or self-service options? Tell us your story about using gamification to encourage contribution. 

www.albertai.com

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: Near Field Communication, Digital Payments, and Virtual Agents in Your Favorite Store?

New technologies are developing to create unique experiences for customers; Near Field Communication (NFC) is one of those technologies. NFC allows companies to know when you are in the store and monitor your interactions with different products. These “sensors” give companies the ability to provide you with a personalized experience. Here is an example from an article written by David Marcus, President of PayPal, about Near Field Communication and wearable devices…

“For example, we have a pilot running in our on-campus Starbucks that combines Beacon, with an app built for the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2, and Gear Fit devices. Walk into the area covered by the Beacon, your watch notifies you you've checked-in, the barista, greets you by name because your photo shows up on the point-of-sale system, and when she rings you up, you get another push notification. Tap on the watch to confirm the payment, and go. This is one of the most transformative payments experience I've had. No wallet. The phone never leaves my pocket. And I'm in control” (Three Trends that Might Transform the Retail Payments Experience).

This example combined NFC and wearable technology to create a completely personalized shopping experience. In the future, Virtual Agents will be incorporated into virtual retail experiences - For example, if you are interested in buying a router, you can scan the box and a Virtual Agent will pop up on your phone to tell you everything you need to know about that product, acting as a personal “shopping advisor”. While this is happening, your data (interactions with different products) are being sent to a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for sales associates to interpret your history and cater promotions or messaging specifically to your interests/needs. 

There is a lot of controversy surrounding NFC, specifically related to security issues. What is your opinion on NFC? Would you opt to share your 'in-store' activity resulting in a more personalized experience? 

www.nohold.com

On-The-Go Virtual Agent: Trusted Brand Launches Mobile Version of Virtual Agent

                           Reference: Mobile Apps Overtake PC Internet Usage in U.S.

Internet and App usage on mobile devices is continually growing and has already exceeded PC Internet usage in 2014. "Mobile devices accounted for 55% of Internet usage in the United States in January. Apps made up 47% of Internet traffic and 8% of traffic came from mobile browsers, according to data from comScore, cited Thursday by research firm Enders Analysis. PCs clocked in at 45%" (CNNMoney). Consumers are using their mobile devices for virtually everything now; shopping, looking up directions, banking, etc. Furthermore, users now have access to their smart devices via their mobile applications. It seems like having a mobile strategy for your company is required in today's world, instead of just a bonus feature.  

For example, one of the top providers for telephone service in the North East Central States, recently enhanced their mobile support presence. They estimated that about a quarter of their users are mobile, and they wanted to adopt practices that will cater to the needs of these users, as well as PC users. One way they responded to customer demand was by launching a mobile version of their Virtual Agent. Now that the Virtual Agent is easily accessible from mobile phones, users can get the solutions to their problems from the palm of their hand. 

Is your company mobile friendly? What are some of your best practices within the mobile scope?

www.albertai.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?

Robot Breaks Record, Solving a Rubik's Cube in 3.253 Seconds

     Have you ever wondered how to solve a Rubik's cube? In the 80's, it was a great accomplishment just to solve the puzzle; today, it is all about who can solve it the fastest. Below is a video of the Guinness World Record Holder for solving a Rubik's cube...a robot! This robot (the Cubestormer 3) is built from Lego's and powered by a Samsung Galaxy S4. It set the new record for solving a Rubik's cube at 3.253 seconds, cutting off about 2 seconds from the previous record holder. Check out the demonstration video to see for yourself.

     Robots are utilizing today's technology to accomplish things no human can accomplish (i.e. solve a Rubik's cube in 3.253 seconds). How do you feel about this? Are we stepping into dangerous territory with the advancement of robots or are they our friends? 

     To read more about this recording breaking achievement click here. 

www.nohold.com