IntelliResponse’s Virtual Agent Will Fit Well With [24]7 Portfolio

By Dan Miller on November 10, 2014 • ( 4 )

In a press release issued today, PV Kannan, CEO and Co-Founder of [24]7 asserts that his firm “is now the only company that can offer the full spectrum of cutting edge predictive analytics, enterprise chat, virtual agent self-service and IVR.” At Opus Research, we agree with PV’s assessment and see it as an important step in the development of the conversational engagement model that is becoming necessary in the mobile-first, multi-channel world of digital commerce and customer care.

That engagement model spans multiple communications channels over time. According to findings in a recent study that Opus Research fielded, the average “conversation” between customers and the companies they choose to do business with spans over 4 channels (e-mail, telephone, web site, search engine, etc.). The leading firms in financial services, travel, hospitality, communications, retailing and high tech know that their best customers look for a consistent experience as they move from one “channel of choice” to the next. And they look for the speediest ways to get their questions answered, issues resolved or purchases completed.

Even though they are taking part in digital e-commerce, savvy customers used to regard reaching a live agent as their prime directive. But that is no longer necessarily so. The press release also contains a quote from an executive from Optus, the international carrier owned by SingTel. Optus already integrates IntelliResponse’s Virtual Agent technology with the chat and customer care services from [24]7. As a result, over the years, he has seen the share of customers seeking support from live agents decline from 84% to 24%. He is happy to see solutions from IntelliResponse and [24]7 “under one company” and capable of providing a consistent context.

Reduction in the involvement of live agents used to be referred to as “call deflection” and, given that automated handling is significantly less expensive than the alternatives, it had a built in return on investment for high-volume contact centers. However, cost control based on call deflection had a measurable negative effect on customer satisfaction and loyalty. With the application of predictive analytics, intelligent assistance and orchestration, companies like Optus have found that they can forge strong relationships with customers across multiple channels and over time.

From the customers’ perspectives, an automated assistant that keeps track of their needs and expectations and offers knowledgeable, context-sensitive, speedy responses will soon be a necessity. We look forward to monitoring, reporting about and, ultimately, fostering development and delivery of systems and services from the likes of Aspect, Avaya, Interactions (with AT&T Watson), Nuance (with Nina Mobile and Nina Enterprise), Oracle, PegaSystems, VHT and a growing roster of technology providers and go to market partners define the new competitive space around Intelligent Assistance.