AI is popping up weekly in the headlines. Whether it’s receiving good press or bad, we’re facing the reality of its endless possibilities. But where can we find AI in business comms applications?

How can (A)I help?

One of the most common uses of AI currently is found in chatbots. Using algorithms and machine learning (ML) techniques to mimic human conversation, chatbots use natural language processing (NLP) to interpret a user’s input and respond in a way that’s relevant to the conversation.

While chatbots have been around for some time, their sophistication continues to grow. Recently, Zoom announced a partnership with AI safety and research company, Anthropic to integrate the company’s chatbot, Claude, to help customer support agents, and Snapchat launched its My AI chatbot to its 750 million users.

According to research from Salesforce, 69 per cent of consumers prefer to use chatbots because they provide instant responses — and it’s no surprise considering that speed and convenience is regarded as the marker of good customer service.

The biggest benefit to businesses is that they improve customer service and experience. In fact, it’s thought that chatbots can help reduce a business’ customer service costs by 30 per cent.

Press one for customer service

From online to landline, AI can also be used to assist with calls via Interactive Voice Response (IVR). IVR is used to help customers reach the right department in an instant, by using speech recognition that enables callers to be accurately routed according to their needs, avoiding waiting times and repetitive conversations. IVR is commonly used for businesses with a range of departments, from doctors’ surgeries to large multinationals.

For example, conversational IVR uses NLP to respond to customer voice commands in real-time and provides voice-based customer self-service without involving a live agent. ML algorithms learn from every interaction with the caller, which helps the system to personalise their experience and provide more relevant and accurate responses each time. The result is a seamless and efficient customer experience that benefits both business and consumer.

Conversational call analysis

AI has proven it can smooth out the user experience, but how can businesses use it to better understand their customers? Businesses looking to stand out from the competition will have a better chance of doing so by understanding their customers and prospects. The more they know, the greater customer service and experience they can provide.

For two years, Ringover has been developing proprietary technologies capable of meeting common challenges of companies such as prospecting and customer relations. As a result, the company has launched Empower, a conversational AI tool. After transcribing calls and providing a summary of key conversation points, based on OpenAI capabilities, Empower helps teams converse with their prospects through augmented analytics including mood of the caller, speech rate and number of interruptions in a conversation. The tool can identify pertinent moments in conversations that agents may want to flag in future calls. By leveraging these insights businesses can perfect conversations, strengthen sales performance and enhance the customer experience.

While the staggering power of ChatGPT can be overwhelming to acknowledge, businesses must not be put off by using AI and how it can truly empower business communications. To succeed in the digital age, companies must embrace the power of AI and harness its capabilities to transform the way they communicate and collaborate with customers.

To get started with Empower, head to the website to join the waiting list ringover.co.uk