Johannesburg, 08 May 2017
In businesses across all types of industry, we're seeing a move towards chat and mobile-enabled solutions. But as much as apps are simplifying our lives, they're also complicating them. We all have so many apps on our devices and only really use a small handful of them, and in many instances the apps don't speak to each other, so you're having to move between apps to do what you need to. Having said all of that, how about being able to use the app that you're most comfortable with when interacting with your bank or the company that you work for? It's very possible, according to Shailendra Harri, Business Development at CHM Vuwani.
"We've gradually been introduced to some degree of automation when interacting with businesses, whether it's our own company's internal processes (applying for leave via an HR app instead of filling in a form) or pressing certain digits to select certain options when dialling into a call centre, often resolving our query without any human intervention whatsoever. Bots are simply the next evolution of this type of automation," says Harri.
The question is, would you be able to tell whether a Bot or a human was assisting you? Simply put, a Bot is an application that offers automated responses to frequently-asked questions. The benefits are obvious: not only does this free up humans to deal with more complex queries, but it allows routine enquiries to be dealt with swiftly and efficiently.
Harri continues, "As technology advances all around us in every conceivable industry, Bot technology is gaining unassuming momentum. The rise of the Bot, particularly in a customer services environment, is helping business automate manual mundane processes and common customer requests."
Google refers to micro-moments, when people turn to a device such as a smartphone to solve problems, saying that an estimated 62% of people use their mobile phones when they want to know something, go somewhere, do something or buy something. All of which is driving the rise of Bots, says Harri.
"So why not consider the use of Bots to help users solve their problems?" continues Harri. "This could be in the form of an app, social media platforms, chat groups or even a simple query on a Web portal. The advancement of NLP (natural language processing) is fast gaining traction and machines are able to identify and respond based on simple language queries, even with nuances in the spelling and grammar."
Use cases include automating some aspects of a help desk, improving business workflow, some of the tasks performed by a personal assistant and even proactive marketing. "You could check and even request your leave via a chat app such as Skype, WeChat, Whatsapp, Viber, Facebook or Messenger," says Harri.
For customer environments already using interactive voice response technology, the processes are already in place to extend the customer's experience to Bot technology. An optimal implementation, says Harri, would offer various mediums in which the Bot technology can be implemented, thus allowing the customer to interact through their medium of choice.
Some points to note when implementing Bots:
1. It isn't the silver bullet to solve all problems.
2. It isn't a replacement for any current process and technology you have in place.
3. It must be treated as a complimentary communication service to your existing environment.
4. Communicate and educate your customers and stakeholders on the use of Bots to make their interactions easier.
5. Focus on the end-user experience.
6. Listen to your customer, they will help improve your Bots. Incentivise and reward them.
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