Bots: Gimmick or Worthwhile Service?

By -
Bots, bots, bots.

Wherever we go, everyone is talking about bots. But what are they?

To say "bot" is almost like saying "Internet". It's a rather general expression intended to introduce technological innovation, and sometimes not even that. As of today, we still do not have these high intelligences to allow us to really talk naturally with a bot. Usually, on the customers' first encounter with bots, that companies have been so diligent about and paid handsomely just to seem innovative, they simply raise an eyebrow.

So, what does this field include, and how should it function?

In order for a bot to work satisfactorily it must first understand, and only then respond. Just like a human representative, it needs to process the information received from the customer and understand what he wants, and only then start the corresponding call scenario. So at the base of each bot is an artificial intelligence (AI) that understands the texts.

Artificial intelligence does not only need to understand the texts as they are, but also their context and origin. Customers turn to companies in all kinds of communication channels – email, SMS, chat, social networks and more. In each conversation, the context is different, and the nature of the conversation may be short or long, time-specific, etc.

Furthermore, artificial intelligence needs to be able to respond quickly to demands, and to easily learn and develop accordingly, otherwise we will need to maintain it by investing precious resources, such as allocating semi-technical and semi-business personnel to the task.

In summary, bots are usually still a gimmick, not a necessary and effective service. However, the latest technological developments in the industry are leading to a situation in which bots will be able to capture an increasing share of communication with customers. The following post will review the existing technologies in the field of bots for customer service and support.

Popular posts from this blog

Contact Centers Go Digital

By -
A recent JLL Research report called "Technology, M&A and geopolitical uncertainty poised to disrupt contact center industry" reviews the status of the call center market. Contact center employment grew to 2.6 million employees across the U.S. (up from 1.6 million employees in 2010), despite the significant growth due to automation. Now there are around 21.6 contact center employees per 1,000 jobs, who earn an average hourly rate of $17.39. The report also states that there is a massive industry shift toward digital channels that will transform labor, technology and infrastructure. Non-voice channel revenues have nearly doubled since 2011, growing 91%, and are expected to keep on growing fast. You can download and read the full report here .
Read more

Welcome to BumpYard's Blog!

By -
Image
We’re excited to introduce you to BumpYard, the company that brings a multi-dimensional approach to customer communications, with a completely holistic, AI-powered omnichannel system. This is where we will talk about our business vision, how our products are evolving, and how service managers, techies and marketers can harness the power of our technology to keep pace with their digital customers and engage them efficiently. The blog will be published here until its transition to our new company website, which will be launched in a few months. Have a pleasant reading!
Read more

SMS as a Service Channel – What Is It Good for?

By -
Recently, more and more of our customers have been asking us to open customer service or sales channels via SMS. Despite the strong presence of WhatsApp, you'll be amazed at how SMS is still a popular and useful tool for customers. This is a classic and efficient channel, almost devoid of drawbacks, for customer service, support and sales. The following are the main advantages of SMS for our customers: SMS is an asynchronous (not online) channel that the customer takes with him everywhere and responds when it's convenient for him The channel allows you to transfer calls that are not urgent for the organization It enables agents to deal with multiple concurrent requests (due to the asynchronous nature of the channel) It allows customers and organizations to attach images to the message (MMS) It allows the organization to shift calls from the IVR and provide customers with a right call to action instead of forcing them to wait on the line and put up with irrelevant o
Read more