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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the dominant technology driving major changes to the way we live our lives. As the world moves forward from a global pandemic, many businesses are changing the way they do business. It has become paramount to have an online presence in order to continue conducting business no matter the political, economic or health situation.
The ‘work from home’ model is no longer regarded as simply a solution to lockdowns and social distancing. Many employees are happy to set up a home office in order to avoid the daily commute, and many employers have realised that the remote working model allows them to employ people from a much wider and deeper talent pool. And the medical community, along with many other communities, have begun to share information and resources like never before, which is why, for example, a vaccine for COVID-19 is already on the market. None of the above would be possible without AI.
Conversational AI
When it comes to moving a business online, newbies would do well to look to the gaming industry for inspiration. The gaming industry is always way ahead of the game when it comes to utilising technology in order to provide a better user experience for their customers. The casino industry was one of the first to embrace conversational AI, or chatbots, within the customer service department. The best online casinos Canada has to offer are all up against stiff competition, which is evident from a quick look at a website like new-casino.ca. It is important, therefore, that these enterprises stand out from the crowd.
One of the ways they do this is by offering excellent customer service. Using chatbots to answer basic questions allows a casino to deal with a large volume of queries in a quick and efficient manner. Should a customer query prove too complicated for a chatbot to handle, a human customer service agent then steps in to take over the conversation.
One of the leading trends that looks set to shape customer service in 2021 is for online businesses to have both human and AI customer service agents working together in harmony. The use of Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology allows the chatbot to learn (and continue learning) how to best respond to a customer’s needs. Many people may fear that this will lead to the loss of human jobs, but at this stage the fears are unfounded. In reality, using chatbots allows human agents to spend more time with customers that have more complex issues, thereby improving the customer service experience for everyone.
A chatbot is basically a talking FAQ page. Anyone who has scrolled through pages and pages of FAQ will appreciate the time saved by having a chatbot do the job for them. And anyone who needs to speak to a human agent will greatly appreciate the fact that they are available and willing to spend more time on their specific issue.
Remote Working Solutions
As previously mentioned, working from home, or remote working, is another trend that will continue into 2021 and beyond. AI solutions are available to ensure that remote workers are supported, and that the workflow runs smoothly and efficiently. Businesses can utilise AI systems to deal with the back-end administrative workload, leaving employees free to concentrate on the more taxing or creative elements of the job. AI systems can also be used to automate parts of the sales process, such as generating leads, sending follow-up emails and so on. We’re also seeing AI used to facilitate team collaboration.
An AI system, for example, can be used to gather relevant data, recourses, web pages, videos or documents needed during a virtual meeting. AI systems can also be used to verify identification documentation and validate signatures – saving valuable time, for example, when onboarding new clients in a virtual setting.
Sharing Research and Data
Of all the applications for AI technology that we’re looking at today, the tech that allows the scientific community to share and trawl through massive amounts of research data is, perhaps, the most significant. Thanks to COVID-19 (and yes, we’re giving COVID a shout out) the medical community has pulled together in an unprecedented way, and they’ve made miracles happen in an incredibly short space of time. As we move on from the pandemic, we expect to see this spirit of collaboration become the norm. Thanks to AI technology, doctors, scientists, researchers, conservationists, and the like, can share discoveries and compare data quickly and easily.
In a time when the world desperately needs to come together to fight climate change, cure cancer, and protect the vulnerable from the ravages of war, famine, and poverty, the sharing of knowledge is our greatest weapon. AI technology could put us on the path to meaningful collaboration and allow us to cross cultural and geographical divides. Rather than fear the rise of the robots, perhaps we should embrace the era of AI with open arms?
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