Forget ChatBots – here’s why Conversational AI is the future of workplace training
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ver the course of the last few years, advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and Conversational AI (CAI) have been gaining traction. Indeed, research predicts that the global Conversational AI market will grow from $4.8 billion in 2020, reaching around $13.9 billion by 2025. And with virtual personal assistants like Alexa and Siri dominating the space, these technologies have certainly captured the wider public imagination. By Nikolas Kairinos (pictured ) , CEO, Soffos.ai Now, many corporations are looking to implement similar solutions to transform the way they do business. However, digital communication tools have not always left an overwhelmingly positive impression, and some employees remain sceptical about the utility of new technologies. This is for one main reason: user experience (UX) with solutions like
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simple ChatBots and older interactive voice response (IVR) technologies have been mixed at best. As these platforms have typically been used to provide more basic and transactional exchanges, expanding their use into areas like employee training, where workers will typically require less structured and more open-ended support, has come with some hiccups. From misunderstood queries to rigid responses, companies might be hesitant to offer their employees training via CAI platforms – but here’s why they should reconsider…
ChatBot vs. Conversational AI – how do they differ? Although they may seem very similar at face value, it is vital to point out the differences between CAI technologies – which provide genuinely conversational experiences – and their predecessors.
Typically, earlier ChatBots that are not powered by AI are rule-based, following pre-programmed workflows and exchanges. Although they may look like AI-powered solutions (some even have the ability to prompt users when they have been inactive for a period of time, and are programmed to sound ‘human’), they require a greater level of human intervention, and respond only to a set of specific key words and synonyms. Put simply, this means that there is very little room for manoeuvre. For some organizations, for example those who are looking to employ these technologies to provide purely transactional support to customers, this isn’t always a problem. But if your offering is more complex, and staff might be in need of some more intricate support, then these solutions may not be a good fit. On the contrary, CAI platforms integrate back-end systems to provide
