How Does a Voicebot Work?
A voicebot, also known as a voice assistant, is a highly advanced platform that uses artificial intelligence algorithms. In practice, it acts as a virtual advisor, providing numerous business benefits and enhancing the organization’s image. This is one of the emerging trends with great potential, especially in the context of business process automation. A voicebot is used to handle both external and internal customers.
How the Technology Works
For a voice assistant to handle user inquiries and engage in dialogue with a person, it must possess adequate knowledge. The process of preparing information is quite time-consuming. It requires developing a scenario that guides the caller to a specific goal, such as collecting contact information. Additionally, the system needs to be configured, equipping the bot with all necessary information. In many cases, the voicebot is connected to external systems from which it can acquire needed knowledge. Of course, the knowledge base is essential but the smooth operation also relies on artificial intelligence, which significantly supports voice technology.
- The functionality of a voice assistant results from the cooperation of layered structures responsible for recording and processing information. Further actions and responses are generated in subsequent steps.
- The first layer is a highly advanced voice interface tasked with precise speech recognition. Additionally, the voicebot uses it to convert text to speech almost instantly. The interface is equipped with a natural speech engine, making the generated voice messages 100% understandable.
- The second layer handles the understanding of the words spoken by the caller.
- The third and crucial layer is the knowledge base. It is the main element enabling the effective operation of the voicebot. This base is often correlated with the company’s CRM system or a semantic search engine.
- The fourth layer is the decision path. It determines the next steps the voicebot should take based on the information provided by the user during the conversation.
- The final layer is full integration. This involves both external systems and telephony, as well as applications necessary for performing specific tasks.
Voice communication is handled both for incoming and outgoing traffic. This is possible thanks to the inclusion of a speech recognition system or ASR. The system converts speech to text, which is then processed by the natural language processing engine or NLP. The engine sends a response, which is converted into a voice message using a synthesizer or playback of prerecorded messages. It is worth noting that a voicebot can be integrated with the call center solutions used in a company via an IVR module. Additionally, if the user wishes to speak with a human, the voice assistant can make the transfer.
Benefits of a Voicebot
The rationale for using artificial intelligence in customer service centers and call centers is that employees in such places often respond to similar questions and solve almost identical problems. To relieve consultants and reduce waiting times, investing in a solution like a voicebot is worthwhile. This also effectively increases customer satisfaction due to the ability to resolve issues almost immediately without long wait times.
Companies that have implemented such solutions can save significant amounts related to hiring, training and onboarding new employees. In practice, investing in modern systems like a voice assistant proves more economical and brings substantial business benefits. An additional advantage is the machine learning capability, which continuously improves service quality and conversation effectiveness. Constant data collection ensures that each subsequent conversation is better than the previous one.
- It is important to note that a voicebot is not reserved only for large companies or huge call centers. In practice, the assistant is also suitable for small and medium-sized organizations.
- Among the significant benefits are full availability, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – even on holidays. This is a considerable advantage over the operation of a customer service office, where working hours are heavily restricted.
- The voice assistant can provide immediate responses due to its constant connection to the internal database. In contrast, talking to a consultant usually requires waiting for a response as a human needs more time to find the information.
As can be seen, artificial intelligence has a significant advantage over humans in many aspects, making it an effective support where there is a need to solve routine problems. Of course, this does not mean that a voicebot can entirely replace a consultant. In the case of non-standard inquiries requiring a certain level of flexibility and creativity, only a human can handle the situation. Therefore, the best model appears to be a collaborative one.