An intelligent virtual assistant (IVA) or intelligent/virtual personal assistant (IPA/VPA) gained more prominence with the launch of Amazon Alexa. The use of this technology was developed to facilitate people’s lives through artificial intelligence solutions, is already we encounter daily in our lives. However, there are still many doubts about the topic.
After all, what is a virtual personal assistant? How does this innovation work and what benefits does it bring to society and the corporate universe? Read the article and find out the answers to these questions!
What are intelligent virtual assistant (IVA)?
It is normal for someone to use virtual personal assistants to perform simple tasks such as setting the alarm or performing searches on the internet. The impacts of this technology become more obvious as it gains new features. So much so that, as with the internet, it is possible that we will no longer be able to imagine our lives without it in a few years.
We can describe this solution as software capable of understanding its users’ intentions and responding to them by performing tasks and following commands.
How does this technology work?
Virtual assistants are solutions in artificial intelligence, software that can perform tasks and learn autonomously. One of the most striking features of this technology is its ability to interact with humans, an action that is only possible thanks to the concept of Natural Language Processing (NLP).
Finally, even if the software can understand users’ language, it needs access to a reliable source of information to internet commands can perform tasks that aim to solve people’s problems. For this reason, virtual personal assistants are connected to knowledge databases.
What are its main advantages?
Virtual personal assistants make room for people to access information and perform activities faster. Also, some of them can be connected to smart devices. This creates more practicality, as they allow users to control them remotely.
Among the devices that can be controlled and monitored by technology, we can mention the following: lamps, tv’s, speakers, and these days, any modern electronic appliance you can think of.
What are the impacts of personal virtual assistants on companies?
A simple command is enough to perform tasks such as searching for the best restaurant in the region or ordering an Uber and many more. This characteristic of making people’s lives easier is one of the greatest differentials of technology and makes room for it to be widely implemented in the corporate universe.
A company can, for example, develop a virtual personal assistant to answer its customers’ calls and provide them with guidance on services and support. In this case, the connection will only be passed to a contributor when the problem is actually beyond the system’s capabilities.
In addition to reducing the waiting time of customers, who wait for service, this technology also reduces the necessary investments in a call centre or service outsourcing.
As technology advances, the trend is for virtual personal assistants to gain more functionality. They will perform tasks such as monitoring the operation of a company and sending real-time information to managers. Therefore, it is expected that they will become increasingly useful and indispensable to society as a whole.
Why do companies rely on Virtual Assistants?
- 44% of shoppers prefer to use chatbots rather than speak to a live agent;
- 90% of consumers expect a consistent experience across channels;
- 84% of customers try to find the answer to their question using a brand’s self‑service application.
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