Today, Virtual Assistants are essential to connect enterprises with their users.

Communication between companies and users is increasingly important to create a good experience.

Generally, technological advances and artificial intelligence can establish a good connection between companies and customers.

From anywhere and through any communication channel.

In this cases, we would like to talk about virtual assistants, also known as chatbots:

• The benefits of implementing them in your company.
• The different types of chatbots that exist in the market.
• And, of course, the importance of creating a Virtual Assistant that fits your needs.

Let's talk about chatbots

Thus, virtual Assistants are used in many companies because they are a powerful tool to create a connection with customers.

They are also considered artificial intelligence software that allows conversations in real time. 

These dialogues take place in a digital environment and their main objective is to be able to clear questions, help with procedures or transactions, manage orders, schedule appointments, make purchases, answer questions, automate processes, and much more.

The use of conversational AI offer countless possibilities

One of its functions is to assist users by simulating a person on the other side of the chat.

What are the real benefits?

The benefits can be seen from two points of view, one aligned to companies and the other directed to users. Virtual Assistants are essential to connect enterprises with their users.

Get to know some of the benefits

For users

• A chatbot will reduce the long "on hold" minutes to an immediate response.
• Service 24x7, 365 days a year.
• Customized treatment and adapted to the needs of each user.
• Process automation.
• Faster response time.
• Ease of communication with users anywhere and through different channels.

For companies

• Automated conversations that offer a service to users at a lower and more efficient cost.
• It reduces the workload within teams and improves team productivity. 
• There is the option to respond appropriately to the needs of each client.
• Their presence at work is permanent, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

How do users connect positively with Virtual Agents?

Particularly, company user connects with a virtual assistant, thus, prob the bot will answer certain questions.

If there is no good communication, the experience will not be pleasant and, the bot did not reach its goal.

This will not bring good results, neither for the organization nor for the user who interacted with the bot, in this cases.

Easy or complicated

As a rule it is possible to create a chatbot without being an experienced programmer.

But the difficulty lies in creating one with artificial intelligence that is able to go beyond answering simple questions.

The different types of virtual assistants

Without going into detail, let's have a quick overview of the different types of chatbots:

Open and closed:

Such as, open chatbots have the ability, due to artificial intelligence, to learn freely through their interactions with users, and can maintain conversations in a more natural tone.

So then, closed chatbots, on the other hand, follow a programmed conversation flow, also using artificial intelligence, but in a controlled way. 

Rule-based and conversational

With the rule-based chatbots, users cannot establish a fluid conversation, they can only interact with the bot through predefined commands. 

They work based on a command and follow a sequential logic. Also, interaction is directed.

As the word itself says, "Conversational", in this case, people are free to write whatever they want to the chatbot. These, in turn, are technologically more complex, also known as cognitive chatbots.

Cognitive chatbots are based on artificial intelligence and machine learning and have the ability to understand and process natural language.

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Some chatbots have these two characteristics together, which provides an interesting advantage. They are a fusion between rule-based and cognitive, working through keyword recognition.

What is the best conversational AI to connect enterprises with their users?

Cognitive chatbots are among the favorites, however, each chatbot will depend on the company's target audience and the need for implementation.

What is really important is adding value and personality to the bot to achieve the desired interaction between the company and its customers.

The question is, how does one create a good Virtual Assistant?

So, an excellent Virtual Assistant must be aligned with the brand it represents, so it is important to research the company values and the user profile in detail.

In this way, a bot can be created with the correct and specific language for the business.

As a result, It is essential to create an environment of trust between the company and potential customers, so that the balance is favorable to both.

There are methodologies and tools that can be implemented to achieve this goal.

Interesting facts

• Howard Gardner, a famous Psychologist, Researcher and Professor at Harvard University, known for formulating the theory of "multiple intelligences" which, incidentally, proposed that human life requires the development of various types of intelligence, considering it as "the ability to solve problems or develop valued products. "
• He predicted that by 2025, customer service companies that incorporate artificial intelligence into their platforms will increase operational efficiency by 25%.
• In brief, more than 2.5 billion people have at least one messaging or chat app on their mobile devices.

Here, I indicate an interesting platform capable of creating bots with artificial intelligence, which has the virtue of being omnichannel, multilingual, and offers a series of benefits that will help you create the most suitable bots for your business.

As we know, virtual assistants are a powerful tool for connecting companies to their customers. I recommend visiting this website, where you can communicate with experts in the field.

Virtual Assistants are essential to connect companies with their users. We invite you to learn more at eva.bot

Technology helps us communicate at times when social distancing is mandatory The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted our lives in different ways, but technology can help us stay connected in these times of isolation. Stores, offices, and call centers are closing, and millions of people are confined to their homes. Working from home is the new standard.

However, the home office does not cover 100% of the operation. Companies are facing millions of consumers that must be assisted, and now they have less capacity to perform this service. Even worse, the COVID-19 pandemic creates a series of new problems that consumers must to solve: managing delayed debt payments, canceling and rescheduling trips, booking hotels, airline tickets, and attending medical appointments via telemedicine. Telephone and digital contacts between consumers and businesses continue to grow.

Consumers need to talk to companies; brands need to talk to their audiences.

How can technology help?

Today, due to the Virtual Assistant (VA), also called bots, conversations can be automated in several channels, such as: WhatsApp, SMS, phone calls, Apple Business Chat, Google Home, Amazon Echo, Web chat, chat apps, totems, and robots. Most commercial use cases can be automated with a Virtual Assistant such as checking an account balance, paying a bill, buying goods, activating and cancelling a service, transferring money, scheduling, confirming or cancelling an appointment via telemedicine. The work of Virtual Assistants increases during the COVID-19 pandemic. During these days of isolation, companies report a five-fold growth in the use of Virtual Assistants via WhatsApp.

So, what should I do if my company does not have a Virtual Assistant?

• Do it yourself: You can find several tools, platforms, solutions on the market that could meet your needs. The main variables you should consider are the size of your company, the complexity of the use cases you want to automate, your current system and applications, as well as your budget. You will also need a talented and motivated team.
• Seek help: Many companies offer their services and have the necessary tools and equipment. The results, prices, and impact on business will be very different, depending on the tools, expertise level of the team, and methodology.

Which use cases should I automate?

First think of your goal: cutting costs, increasing revenue, improving user experience. Then, define your KPIs and make a comparative study of the current situation with the future situation for each use case. You are now ready to prioritize.

Another important question: how long would it take to develop and implement a solution like this?

The time necessary depends a lot on the channel, the use case complexity, and your IT resources. Web chat use cases can be solved in a few days, cases where transactions via WhatsApp take more than a week, and implementing a cognitive contact center takes a few weeks. Remember that selecting a team is essential to create the virtual assistant that best suits the needs of your business.

Therefore, I recommend that you consult the eva.bot platform.