NIX Solutions’ Findings: Artificial Intelligence Chatbots

The following figures are given in a recent Digital 2020 report: 56% of Internet connections are made by people from mobile devices, and 89% of this time is spent in instant messengers and social networks. This is where business should transfer its interaction with customers, and do it more efficiently through a chatbot, thinks IF24. A chatbot with artificial intelligence is a program for automated communication with the user based on machine learning and built into the messenger or social network.

Simpler robots are built on scripts: they respond to the user only with what is programmed. AI bots learn by themselves. Neural networks are taught to draw their own conclusions, and the more it interacts with a person, the smarter it becomes.

What functions do they perform: they serve users to select and order goods, find information, and consult. Perform the role of a planner and even a friend and adviser (AI allows the program to recognize emotions). For business, chatbots are beneficial because they do not need a salary, sick leave and rest, they do not have a bad mood, the programs learn on their own.

Consider the benefits that bots bring in different areas by the example of companies.

In support service

IBM sells software, computer components, IT services, etc. As with any large company, it has a support service. A Watson chatbot replaced live operators in 80% of conversations with customers. Thanks to artificial intelligence, Watson understands when people communicate with it in voice. Watson asks clarifying questions and gives the answers he found in the database.

Interestingly, thanks to self-learning, the system understands different formulations. The user does not need to select the exact phrase, as is the case when communicating, for example, with Siri. By analyzing the content and form of the questions, the bot understands who is asking – a professional or a “dummy”. Based on this, Watson chooses a communication style: whether the answer will contain highly specialized terms that are understandable to the advanced, or the explanation will be as simple as possible.

Clients turn to the robot when they have problems with the products of the company or when they do not know which choice to make. If Watson does not manage to help, it connects the interlocutor with the operator of the IT department. Even with a virtual assistant, you can talk about problems not related to IBM products, or share joy.

Autodesk is a 3D modeling software. With its help people can design buildings, infrastructure, make drawings and models. At first, the company’s customers sought help mainly when they could not figure out the Autodesk interface. After the introduction of a paid subscription to access Autodesk online, the load on support desk operators has increased many times. Now, if the user made at least one mistake when entering their data into the registration or authorization form, the work stopped. Managers could not cope with a flurry of calls.

Autodesk trusted Watson to solve client problems. Artificial intelligence was trained based on information from chat rooms, forums, and instructions. He analyzed terms and keywords, idioms and vernacular expressions to understand the nuances of a natural language. The bot was taught not only to recognize the meaning of the phrase, but also its subtext, that is, what is behind the words. For example: how much money is left in my account? This is not only a question, but also an unannounced desire to buy. “Watson” began not just to answer, but to predict the intention of a person. Before the introduction of the smart assistant in Autodesk, the problem was fixed in 1.5 days, now – in 5-10 minutes.

In medicine

IBM’s Watson robot helps not only IT professionals, but also doctors. In Russia, the analogue of such a system is the Doc+ robot. He collects the patient’s history, asks clarifying questions. All the information received is recorded in the patient’s medical record and redirected to the doctor so that everything is ready for consultation.

In Germany, a bot – personal nurse Florence  – helps patients. A person loads the prescribed treatment into the program, and it reminds that it is time to take pills and do the procedure. Florence monitors the regimen of the day, talks about diseases, drugs, advises which pharmacy to buy, and makes an appointment with the doctor.

In sales of goods and services

Consider the process of client interaction with a bot developed by DDL Bot using the example of the Line Works design studio. The user sees the video in “Instagram”, clicks on the “Details” button. Chatbot offers to see the work of the studio and pick up a design project for the user. 90% of people agree and continue communicating with the program. When a person answers, a smart assistant becomes aware of his phone number, because the dialogue takes place in the messenger.

Further, through a series of questions, the system receives information about the preferences and goals of the client. The robot will know the type of object, layout, area, materials and style that people like, the budget. The program asks you to specify the e-mail to which the design project sends. All information received about a potential customer goes to CRM studio.

Now the company manager can immediately contact the client and close the sale. In case of refusal to buy the service right now, the virtual assistant sets up a series of letters on the mailing list, for example, with company cases. Such letters, unlike electronic ones, reach 100% of cases, and openness is 98%, reports NIX Solutions.