“Disruption” is, for sure, the hallmark of 2020. Summing up the year just passed, we realize that the entire world has been impacted in ways no one could have ever predicted. Some of these changes are so irreversible that require a 360° re-organization of business structures. It is sufficient to think about the context in which the majority of the people works today: the distance from the office and the subsequent need of having at disposal real time documents, the volatility of shared informatic systems and so on.
Following this perspective, the imperatives of 2021 will be three: strategize, adapt and change in new ways. This approach, which has already been adopted by international corporations, will give businesses the opportunity to differentiate themselves from competitors, maintaining nonetheless a strong link with the present.
Thus, it is important to implement and develop solutions that will allow the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the operational processes of a firm. But what is Artificial Intelligence? How could it possibly help businesses improving their performances?
Artificial Intelligence is a division of the wider computer science that develops systems (both hardware and software), capable of autonomously pursue defined objectives, taking decisions that have usually been taken by human beings. Definition a litte bit complex, which however can be applied in various ways, various sectors and through various procedures.
One of them is the Virtual Assistant (VA), called also Chatbot. It is an extremely useful tool within any workplace, because its capabilities can refer, but are not limited to, semplify some processes in order to save time and resources, (which can be addressed to something more useful), and give assistance to both clients and staff. These factors have to be taken into account because they can improve efficiency and positive reputation for the whole brand.
However, not all Virtual Assistants are the same and perform the same tasks. They are divided based on the sector they operate in and, more important, their level of autonomy; in fact, 5 different levels with reference to the softwares’ capability of taking autonomous decisions currently exist. “Level 0”, which is the lowest, means that it possesses no AI. “Level 5”, the highest, forecasts that the software can understand and adapt its language in order to replicate the one used by the user; furthermore, it learns and collect previous information, using them when it is appropriate. VA platforms are tailor-made, because they consider the needs and goals of any business (not all firms require a Virtual Assistant of level 5; the most common is, in fact, VA level 2).
With reference to the latter paragraph, one worthy example is “Einstein” Virtual Assistant, sponsored by Salesforce. It has been launched in 2018 with the goal of simplifying CRM transactions such as the creation or the update of records, the acquisition of daily briefs and other activities. Thanks to its success, its creators decided to extend and improve its technological skills. By changing the manual consultation of data, Salesforce wants to innovate businesses and help them exploit the immense potential of vocal assistance in CRM practices.
At international level, Chatbots are all over the place, and 96% of them is used in the tertiary sector. For tertiary sector we mean post-sale customer assistance, information about the firm or the business (available to everyone who asks), and other initiatives usually provided as a plus when buying something.
At national level, Virtual Assistants are still not spread, however, recent data show an increasing trend especially in the Help Desk, Customer Care and Shop Assistant branches, which respectively represent the 1st, 2nd and 3d place. The objectives that our fellow-countrymen wish to achieve with the Chatbots implementation relate to the supply of improved quality services (65%), to the existence of assistance systems that are available 24/7 (45%), and to a reduction of management costs (41%). Unfortunately, the complexity of adopting these tools concerns both the high initial costs and the need companies have to form people that know exactly how to successfully use these platforms.
Would you like to know more? Digital marketing agency E-Business Consulting, present in the international market since 2003, can support your business with the implementation and integration of AI innovative tools, in order to help you create your own business model. Call now to get a free estimate.
