| Better Customer Service has invariably been the | | | | Artificial Intelligence |
| professed objective of most businesses. The level | | | | There is serious ongoing research to put a human |
| of commitment and strategy, sue of automation, | | | | face on machines through providing it artificial |
| in this pursuit of varies significantly, resulting in | | | | intelligence. Voice response capability is a step in |
| wide dispersion of service performance even | | | | this direction. Article Intelligence extends beyond |
| when companies within similar industry category | | | | voice response. |
| are pursuing a common benchmark. | | | | In September 2005, George, - an advanced |
| Changing patterns of distribution | | | | cognitive Avatar won the Loebner prize for most |
| Distribution strategies are an essential part of | | | | convincing conversational program. At the 2005 |
| customer service¡.allowing consumers | | | | British Computer Society Machine Intelligence |
| to have a convenient, easy and comfortable | | | | Competition in December, George was the runner |
| means to find the product or service. The | | | | up. In Mar 2006 George now equipped with a |
| development of supermarkets and hypermarkets | | | | powerful voice recognition program and given a |
| over the last 50 years has largely simplified the | | | | form and substance by artists and programmers |
| distribution decision for many consumer product | | | | at Televirtual MediaLab, made his first ever live |
| manufacturers and wholesalers. They just have to | | | | public interview in Norwich. The event was widely |
| fight for shelf space in a Wal-Mart, Target or | | | | covered by the British Media and the BBC. |
| whichever hyper mart that is dominating a locale | | | | The virtual George could hear, understand spoken |
| and leave the smaller neighborhood stores | | | | questions from real people, detect their moods |
| to come a begging. | | | | and reply in his own words. It was interesting to |
| There is today an increasing availability in channels | | | | see GEORGE displayed attitudes, ranging from |
| to interact with customers 24/7... through call | | | | angry through curious to happy and even flirty. |
| centers, internet websites, affiliates, home-based | | | | What was most impressive was George's |
| multi-level distributors. In today's impulse driven | | | | capability to learn through speech-based |
| world, it is important to allow the customer to | | | | interaction. Increased interaction should improve |
| place an order when his desire is build up. Hence | | | | the quality of George's responses, says his |
| the effectiveness of internet marketing. | | | | creator Rollo Carpenter. |
| To provide the best service to enable availability | | | | The deployment of such conversational |
| business need to creatively devise matrices of | | | | technology could soon replace or complement the |
| channels targeted at different audiences. | | | | currently popular AVR, (automatic voice |
| There must be a proper mix of channels that | | | | response). The cognitive Avatar can talk to callers |
| could seek out customers like email marketing, | | | | like a real life receptionist. It can discover |
| direct marketing, direct selling vs. those that | | | | customers needs, problems and direct them to |
| facilitate customer search like supermarket shelf | | | | the right people and resources. Even more |
| space, and internet site etc. | | | | interesting is the fact that it can be configured to |
| Advancing Technology | | | | present a personality that is consistent with that |
| It is somewhat strange that after a hundred | | | | of the company and appealing to the target |
| years of advancing technology and automation, | | | | market served. This will help to dramatically |
| most people still hold the mental mode of, "More | | | | improve the quality of service, project corporate |
| technology- Less Personal/Human Touch." | | | | personality and even more important to capture |
| When I first visited Shanghai 10 years ago, I had | | | | data about customer behavior and preferences. |
| a simple idea which I wanted to tell a customer. I | | | | Meeting Knowledge demands |
| reached out for the phone and stopped by a "No. | | | | Twenty-four-hour service is becoming a real issue. |
| No, No", from my representative, "We don't do | | | | E-mail, voice mail, cell phones, PDAs, and laptops all |
| things this way, I'll make an appointment with his | | | | allow instant accessibility. People have come to |
| secretary and drive you over." | | | | expect that they should have their questions |
| Thank God that has changed over the years. | | | | answered immediately. A well structured |
| The constant discussions about blending | | | | web-based helpdesk service is definitely a good |
| technology with a human touch is in a sense | | | | way of providing a 24/7 knowledge based |
| superfluous. | | | | service. |
| Technology is primarily a tool to extend a human's | | | | An automated help-desk will not be able to handle |
| capability or the human touch. An ATM allows the | | | | every customer question and must be supported |
| bank teller who is multi-function to serve more | | | | by a call center service. However the cost |
| clients and faster. | | | | savings in terms of reduce call center staff for |
| Email is a wonderful technology as it significantly | | | | some business may be significant even if it is able |
| extends a human being's capability to | | | | to handle 70-80% of all queries. |
| communicate and to touch others. However when | | | | The automated help desk will also allow business |
| emails are not responded to people may perceive | | | | to reduce the volume of work that it outsource |
| it as being a barrier instead and hence inhuman. | | | | to lower cost countries like India. Many of the |
| Likewise when our mail boxes are choked with | | | | work outsourced are largely standardized |
| machine generated emails one cannot help feeling | | | | processes and may quite easily be performed by |
| that this technology is inhuman. | | | | an automated helpdesk, especially one with some |
| Technology may likewise be perceived as inhuman | | | | built-in artificial intelligence. |
| when phones that are unanswered, or are inaptly | | | | New Trends |
| designed to screen or channel incoming calls, when | | | | Customer services processes are expected to be |
| ATMs are constantly out of cash, cannot print | | | | increasingly automated over the coming |
| receipts or do what the customer would expect | | | | years¡.as machines become more |
| of the teller. | | | | intelligent, and resistance to interacting with them |
| Business only need to remember that every | | | | become reduced. As we advance in the use of |
| technology should have a human owner, an | | | | technology it is importance to remember that |
| individual or a group (represented by some | | | | technology is a servant, and exists to extend the |
| committee) whose capability and human touch it | | | | capabilities of a human or a group of them. |
| is enhancing. | | | | These people behind the technology must be |
| Good employee attitude is an essential component | | | | ready to complement the machine's limitations. |
| in turning the technology into a great service. | | | | As long as this principle is kept mind, automated, |
| When the employees mistrust the technology or | | | | machine driven processes should not fall into the |
| even worse feels threatened by it, negative | | | | disrepute of being inhuman, even though it really |
| performance will result. | | | | is. |