Chatbots and virtual assistants have a much greater presence than we suspect: they appear on the side offering help on the websites of companies in various industries and answer the phone when we need to make a claim, leave a comment or solve an issue. A report by Futurum Research -an independent research and advisory firm focused on technology- prior to the pandemic assured that by 2030 67% of the engagement and 69% of the client’s decisions would be made effective in front of a machine responsible for the attention. Everything suggests that these numbers accelerated last year at the same rate that digital life did.

Why are they called «cognitive technologies«? Because these virtual assistants have made great strides in intelligence: from understanding natural language or understanding the contents of a document to obtain relevant data, to revealing what a photo shows or contextualizing the conversation they are carrying out; going through the interpretation of a map, taking a text to speech or vice versa, or translating a text between any pair of languages ​​with a very high level of precision.

These characteristics are what make this type of technology increasingly popular. In fact, various market studies agree that chatbots were the channel of interaction with customers that showed the most growth throughout 2020.

Assistants of the future

What can you expect in the immediate future? For now, a greater predictive capacity, so that the same care device is able to anticipate certain types of problems, contact customers before they do so, and provide a solution. Also, considering the comprehension skills mentioned, it is expected that they will be able to hold more “human” talks: this means that if a person is opening a checking account and, at the same time, wants to inquire about a mortgage loan, it is possible for the assistant to attend both requests simultaneously.

For a longer term, it is estimated that cognitive technologies could generate the ability to understand certain emotions to produce empathy with clients.

Advantages of the present

But let’s go step by step. Nowadays, the automation of attention processes, both external (to customers) and internal (to employees, such as a help desk) allows optimal and immediate solutions, offering uninterrupted service (bots don’t get tired), delivering the highest possible efficiency and, as a result of all the above plus the learning capacity that these technologies have, building greater satisfaction and higher levels of loyalty by customers.

From the point of view of whoever consumes the service, the impact on the overall experience is remarkable. Delay times decrease. As there is no need for a «physical operator» to take calls, return chat, or respond to email; the ability to enter new requests is virtually unlimited. Bots do not need to focus their attention on a single person, but participate in multiple interactions simultaneously.

Fluency and satisfaction

The process is more fluidly channeled. One of the great annoyances that had to be experienced during a claim, was the scalar model by which it was possible to speak with up to four or five interlocutors in the same call. It was even necessary to repeat the same data over and over again. Instead, bots take the information they need at the beginning of the interaction allowing them to run the entire process.

Another key advantage emerges for the company: human intervention in repetitive and tedious processes is avoided to derive that same talent to activities that add value for the organization.

Greater speed, more precision in the answers, optimal efficiency, uninterrupted attention… Each chatbot and each virtual assistant is, literally, a machine that generates satisfaction for customers.