In the digital age, effective communication and information management are pivotal for any team’s success. With inboxes flooding with emails and teams juggling multiple platforms for communication, it’s easy to miss out on critical updates.This is where automation comes into play, offering a seamless solution to streamline communication and ensure no important information slips through the cracks.

The Power of Automation

Automating the flow of information from emails to a team’s communication channel like Slack not only saves time but also ensures that everyone is on the same page. By leveraging Zapier to connect Gmail, OpenAI, and Slack, you can create a system that:

• Automatically detects new emails in Gmail.
• Summarizes the content using OpenAI’s advanced natural language processing models.
• Posts the summaries directly to a Slack channel.

This process eliminates the need for manual email checks and summaries, freeing up time for more critical tasks and reducing the risk of overlooking important information.

Setting Up the Automation: A General Overview

Setting up this automation involves a few general steps:

1. Integration of Services: Start by linking your Gmail, OpenAI (ChatGPT), and Slack accounts to Zapier. This foundational step ensures that Zapier can access and orchestrate actions between these platforms.
2. Creating the Zap: A Zap is an automated workflow that defines how these services interact. You’ll create a Zap that triggers on new Gmail messages, processes these messages through OpenAI to generate summaries, and then posts these summaries to a specified Slack channel.
3. Customization and Activation: Customize your Zap by specifying criteria for the emails to be summarized and selecting the Slack channel for posting summaries. Once configured, activate your Zap to run automatically.

Zapier flow: Gmail → OpenAI → Slack

Let’s test the Zapier flow to see how it works

Step 1: Gmail Trigger

The process begins with a test message arriving in a Gmail inbox. This message serves as the trigger for the Zap. In Zapier, a trigger is an event that starts a Zap. When you set up a Gmail trigger in Zapier, you specify certain criteria for the emails that should initiate the workflow. For example, you might choose to trigger the Zap for every new email arriving in your inbox or only those that match specific labels or search criteria. Once the criteria are met, Zapier detects the new email as the trigger event, marking the first step in the automated workflow. This step is crucial as it sets the stage for the subsequent actions by capturing the data (such as the email’s subject, sender, body, etc.) that will be used in the next steps.

Tested e-mail message

Step 2: OpenAI Analysis

After the email is detected by the Gmail trigger, the next step involves analyzing the content of the email using OpenAI (ChatGPT). In this step, Zapier passes the email’s data (such as the subject and body text) to an OpenAI action. This action utilizes OpenAI’s powerful language models to analyze the email’s content. The analysis can vary based on the specific needs of the workflow; for instance, it might involve summarizing the email, extracting specific information, or even assessing the sentiment of the message. This step is automated and occurs in real-time, providing immediate insights or processed data from the email content. The outcome of this analysis will determine the nature of the data or insights that are then passed on to the final step in the workflow.

Step 3: Slack Notification

The final step in this automated workflow involves taking the analyzed data or insights from the OpenAI step and posting it to Slack. Based on the results of the OpenAI analysis, a custom message is crafted. This message might include a summary of the email, key points extracted by the AI, or any other relevant information determined in the previous step.

Then, using a Slack action in Zapier, this message is automatically posted to a specified Slack channel or sent as a direct message to a team member. This step ensures that the team is promptly informed about the important aspects of the email, leveraging the analysis done by OpenAI, without having to manually check their emails.

It streamlines communication and ensures that actionable insights derived from email communications are efficiently shared among team members.

Conclusion

Incorporating automation into your team’s workflow can transform how information is managed and shared. By leveraging Zapier, Gmail, OpenAI (ChatGPT), and Slack, you can create a streamlined process that ensures important email content is quickly summarized and accessible to all team members.

Artykuł Boost Your Team: Gmail to Slack Email Summaries pochodzi z serwisu LEOCODE.

1. VR Headset: A VR headset is a head-mounted device that includes a display screen, stereo sound, sensors, and controllers. It delivers an immersive and interactive AV experience for users, allowing them to see Virtual Reality content projected on the display screen, such as 360-degree videos, VR games, workspaces, or meeting rooms. Unlike AR or MR headsets, VR headsets do not allow users to see any element of the external physical world.
2. Green Screen: A green screen is a green background used by video production teams to place visual effects later during the post-production phase. It has been around since the 19th century and is widely used by Hollywood and the entertainment industry. The technique uses layers of images, with the transparent green screen serving as the background layer and the final displayed image as the foreground. Studio green backdrops are used to completely surround the object and create a floating effect.To fully immerse your audience in the Metaverse, you’ll need a high-quality camera that can capture depth and a wide range of views. You have two great options: a 3D camera or a 360-degree camera.

   A 3D camera is an imaging device that can replicate three dimensions as experienced through human binocular vision. Some models use multiple lenses to capture different viewpoints, while others use a single lens that shifts position.

   A 360-degree camera, on the other hand, captures a field of view that covers almost the entire sphere or at least a full circle in the horizontal plane. This type of camera is ideal for creating immersive experiences, such as panoramic photography and robotics. Keep in mind that 360-degree cameras are generally more expensive than 3D cameras, but the results can be well worth the investment.

   To build your Metaverse Studio, you’ll also need to equip yourself with the right development tools. Check out our up-to-date list of the top 7 open-source Metaverse development tools to get started on your journey to creating an unforgettable Metaverse experience.

   Additional equipment:

   TeslaGloves – These gloves are equipped with an exoskeleton that creates resistance and gently pulls fingers during grasping movements, stopping the hand around a virtual object. This provides the perception of shape, size and simulates vibration of equipment. TeslaGloves offer an innovative way to interact with the virtual world and enhance the immersive experience.

   TeslaSuit – The TeslaSuit is a full-body haptic feedback system that uses electro muscle stimulation (EMS) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) to simulate a range of real-life feelings and sensations. By integrating with visual simulations experienced on flat screens or immersive reality devices, the TESLASUIT can provide physical feedback that enhances the overall immersive experience. With TeslaSuit, users can feel the virtual world as if it was real.

   Building a Metaverse Studio requires specialized equipment that can create an immersive and interactive virtual environment for users. From VR headsets to green screens, 3D and 360-degree cameras, and development tools, each piece plays a vital role in creating a realistic and engaging experience. With technology continually advancing, the future of Metaverse Studios is promising, with even more sophisticated equipment and tools on the horizon.

Artykuł “Revolutionize Your Reality: The Ultimate Guide to Building Your Own Metaverse Studio!” pochodzi z serwisu LEOCODE.

Metaverse is a virtual world that offers a wide range of immersive experiences to its users. It is a platform where people can interact with each other and engage in various activities, all while in a virtual setting.

One of the most popular offerings of the Metaverse is gaming, where users can enjoy games in a VR experience, collaborate with others or challenge them. The platform offers a variety of games, from simple ones to complex, multiplayer games.

Another feature of the Metaverse is virtual meetings and virtual offices. Horizons Workrooms enables users to meet and collaborate with their team, regardless of where they are in the world. The virtual reality experience creates a more immersive and empathetic environment for remote work and communication.

Virtual events are also popular in the Metaverse, with Horizon Venues offering a platform for hosting and attending events in a virtual setting. This feature is especially useful for businesses and organizations that want to reach a global audience and provide a unique and interactive experience for their attendees.

Additionally, users can create and customize their own virtual worlds in the Metaverse, offering them a space to express themselves and their creativity. This feature allows users to build their own world and share it with others.

Overall, Metaverse offers a vast array of experiences, from gaming to virtual meetings, events, and personal creativity, all in an immersive and interactive virtual world.

Viverse is a virtual world that offers a wide range of immersive experiences to its users. The platform provides users with their very own personal space where they can work, relax, and escape from their daily routine. With a collection of private VR spaces to choose from, users can customize their experience to meet their specific needs.

For art lovers, Viverse offers access to the Louvre and other notable exhibits in a virtual setting. Users can attend exhibitions with their family and friends or take themselves on a date and immerse themselves in the world of art. With HTC VIVE’s commitment to integrating art with technology, users can witness the masterpieces of great artists brought to life right before their eyes.

Music enthusiasts can enjoy virtual concerts with a premium view and a highly interactive experience. With holographic imaging and a 360-degree viewing angle, Beatday ensures that users have an unforgettable experience.

Viverse also offers a unique space for social gatherings. For example, users can participate in a virtual wine tasting with their friends and see the wine’s details displayed before their very eyes. With the platform’s immersive experience, users can relax and enjoy wine with their friends as if they were right beside them.

Remote work and collaboration are made more immersive and empathetic in Viverse’s virtual reality environment. The platform enables users to meet and collaborate with their team, regardless of their location in the world. Viverse provides an avenue for businesses and organizations to unite and connect with their team, even when they are halfway across the world.

Gamers can enjoy a variety of games in a VR experience, collaborate with others or challenge them. With the platform’s unique approach to gaming, users can enjoy simple to complex multiplayer games in a highly interactive and immersive environment.

Viverse also enables users to orchestrate or participate in trade shows and expos in a virtual setting. With VR, users can showcase their product or service in the most interesting way possible, ensuring a more nuanced experience for their clients.

Finally, Viverse offers a low latency live-streaming experience through its new 5G solution, Reign Core. Designed for large crowds, Reign Core enables high-speed connectivity and is highly portable, making it an ideal choice for events such as the Super Bowl or Coachella.

Which technologies will be developed in Metaversum?

• Blockchain – is a type of distributed ledger technology (DLT) that consists of growing lists of records, called blocks, that are securely linked together using cryptography. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, a timestamp, and transaction data (generally represented as a Merkle tree, where data nodes are represented by leaves). The timestamp proves that the transaction data existed when the block was created. Since each block contains information about the previous block, they effectively form a chain (compare linked list data structure), with each additional block linking to the ones before it. Consequently, blockchain transactions are irreversible in that, once they are recorded, the data in any given block cannot be altered retroactively without altering all subsequent blocks.

• Cryptocurrency – is a digital currency designed to work as a medium of exchange through a computer network that is not reliant on any central authority, such as a government or bank, to uphold or maintain it. It is a decentralized system for verifying that the parties to a transaction have the money they claim to have, eliminating the need for traditional intermediaries, such as banks, when funds are being transferred between two entities.

• Augmented Reality – is an interactive experience that combines the real world and computer-generated content. The content can span multiple sensory modalities, including visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory and olfactory.AR can be defined as a system that incorporates three basic features: a combination of real and virtual worlds, real-time interaction, and accurate 3D registration of virtual and real objects.The overlaid sensory information can be constructive (i.e. additive to the natural environment), or destructive (i.e. masking of the natural environment).This experience is seamlessly interwoven with the physical world such that it is perceived as an immersive aspect of the real environment.In this way, augmented reality alters one’s ongoing perception of a real-world environment, whereas virtual reality completely replaces the user’s real-world environment with a simulated one.

• Virtual Reality – Currently, standard virtual reality systems use either virtual reality headsets or multi-projected environments to generate realistic images, sounds and other sensations that simulate a user’s physical presence in a virtual environment. A person using virtual reality equipment is able to look around the artificial world, move around in it, and interact with virtual features or items. The effect is commonly created by VR headsets consisting of a head-mounted display with a small screen in front of the eyes, but can also be created through specially designed rooms with multiple large screens.

• Artificial Intelligence – is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech recognition, computer vision, translation between (natural) languages, as well as other mappings of inputs. The Oxford English Dictionary of Oxford University Press defines artificial intelligence as:

• Internet of Things – describes physical objects (or groups of such objects) with sensors, processing ability, software and other technologies that connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet or other communications networks.[1][2][3][4][5] Internet of things has been considered a misnomer because devices do not need to be connected to the public internet, they only need to be connected to a network[6] and be individually addressable

• 5G / 6G – is technology standard of celluar connectivity, every generation or revision increase possible speed of mobile internet, which is very important in Metaversum, due of big ammount data transfer required to enjoy it.

Is Metaversum the technology of tommorow?

Absolutely yes! This technology will change the world we are living.

• Probably we won’t need to travel half of the world to join meetings

• Probably we won’t need to travel physicaly, to discover new places in the world or even cosmic space

• Probably we will be able to enjoy any others activities with friends

• Probably we will be able to try on new clothes, without visiting the shop

• Probably we will be able to do training online (for example deconstructing the items in order to know how to fix them, exchange them)

What are challanges to Metaversum?

• Security – is one of the primary issues that have cropped up with an increase in the value of crypto transactions and the increase in crypto scams and malicious softwares. If meteverse is a serious project that is here to stay, it needs to improve its security standards to give users the confidence that their identity and assets are safe and secure.

• Privacy – is another issue which has haunted the metaverse. Considering the fact that the metaverse uses devices such as webcams and AR & VR technology, it indeed makes the privacy of the user susceptible to being compromised. It is a known fact that hackers have in the past hacked and exploited such devices to spy on people. So, for the metaverse to be used by the masses, such risks to privacy must be addressed and solutions be addressed.

In conclusion, the Metaverse is a groundbreaking technology that provides users with a vast array of immersive experiences, from gaming to virtual meetings, events, and personal creativity. It has the potential to change the way we interact with each other, work, and even travel.

However, the Metaverse faces some significant challenges that must be addressed to ensure its long-term success. Security and privacy are two of the primary concerns that must be addressed to give users the confidence that their assets and personal information are secure.

Despite these challenges, the potential of the Metaverse is enormous, and its future looks bright. As the technology continues to develop, we can expect even more innovative and immersive experiences that will revolutionize the way we live and interact with each other.

In the years to come, we can expect to see the Metaverse grow and evolve, becoming an essential part of our daily lives. As such, it is crucial to continue investing in the development and security of this technology to unlock its full potential and provide users with an unforgettable experience that is safe and secure.

Artykuł Metaversum vs VR Headsets: Which One Will Take You to the Future? pochodzi z serwisu LEOCODE.

In the coming months, the market for immersive technologies may shrink, and only the best specialists will remain. The Metaverse has enormous potential in many areas, including entertainment, education, healthcare, and social interaction. It offers a unique opportunity to create immersive experiences that can help people learn, socialize, and work more effectively. In the entertainment industry, the Metaverse could become the next big thing, offering a new platform for video games, movies, and other forms of media. It can also provide a platform for virtual concerts, festivals, and other events, allowing people from all over the world to attend. However, Apple’s entry into the market can change the landscape with its expertise in hyping a large audience and creating a demand for their products. Therefore, creating apps for Apple’s headsets will be profitable and lead to more software, which will attract more buyers.

In conclusion, despite the fluctuations in the virtual world, immersive technologies are here to stay. The metaverse has the potential to completely revolutionize the way we interact with each other and the internet. While there are many challenges that must be overcome, the benefits of a fully-realized metaverse are too great to ignore. As technology continues to advance, it is likely that we will see significant progress towards the creation of a metaverse in the coming years. It is worth being associated with these topics to avoid a decline like Nokia. At Leocode, we will strive to gain trust with our clients and contribute to the development of the metaverse.

Artykuł The Future of Metaverse! pochodzi z serwisu LEOCODE.

The traditional customer service model, which often relies on phone calls, can lead to misunderstandings and difficulties in solving problems. For example, when trying to explain an issue with a broken fridge over the phone, it can be hard for customers to effectively communicate their problem, and for the agent to provide accurate assistance. This can lead to frustration for both parties.

With remote visual support, customers can see agents face to face. The result is a genuine human connection – something that’s being called “visual empathy.” Together, they can slash the friction and work toward a solution.

The role of customer service teams will be vital in the metaverse, with the ability to provide efficient and personalized assistance through remote visual support and augmented reality tools. For example, if my refrigerator is not functioning properly, I could initiate a video call with a customer service representative by simply scanning a QR code located inside the fridge, without needing to download any additional software. As I explain the issue, the agent would utilize machine vision technology to determine the make, model, and warranty status of my refrigerator. Additionally, they could utilize an augmented reality screen overlay on their device to display the specifications of my refrigerator, while an AI system generates a troubleshooting guide in the background.

Remote visual support allows customers to interact with agents face-to-face, fostering a sense of “visual empathy” and making it easier to work towards a solution. By existing in the same virtual space, issues can be solved more efficiently, using features such as product demonstrations, and troubleshooting instructions provided with minimal disconnect. Using the Metaverse, where customer support takes place in a virtual environment, eliminates the need for physical contact, and the use of AR tools and the customer’s device camera helps to more effectively pinpoint and troubleshoot the problem. As a result, metaverse tools undeniably can help everyone solve issues faster and in a more effective manner.

How to provide Metaverse Support?

It is yet to be determined how companies can effectively provide customer support within the metaverse. For customer service departments, the metaverse represents a new type of online presence and requires a shift in approach. Similar to having employees available in a physical store, companies will need to schedule staff to interact with customers in the metaverse, or have staff ready to take over from automated avatars. In any case, communication in the metaverse will likely involve a variety of modes, such as talking, messaging, and sharing visuals, which could lead to faster problem resolution.

For example, Helpshift’s Metashift product enables mobile game developers to offer customer support within the metaverse by giving companies the ability to let users give feedback and report bugs within the app and augmented reality experiences.

Tips for Managing Support in Metaverse Projects

Managing support in metaverse projects can be a complex task. It involves dealing with a wide range of technical and non-technical issues, as well as a diverse community of users. Here are some tips that can be useful:

1. Establish clear guidelines and policies: To ensure acceptable behavior within the metaverse, communicate your expectations to users and set up guidelines and policies. Clarify what types of activities and content are allowed, and the consequences of breaking the rules.

2. Build a strong community: Encourage user engagement and participation by providing opportunities for users to connect, share ideas, and collaborate. A strong community can help self-regulate and provide support to each other.

3. Provide multiple channels for support: Offer multiple channels for users to get help, such as a forum, a help center, or a live chat support system. Consider creating a bot chat that asks common or necessary questions before transferring the conversation to a human representative.

4. Hire a dedicated support team: As your project grows, you may need to hire a dedicated support team. They should be trained to handle technical and non-technical issues, responsive, empathetic, and patient when dealing with users.

5. Be transparent: Be transparent about any issues in the metaverse, and communicate openly and honestly with users about how you’re resolving them. This builds trust and confidence in the community.

6. Continuously improve: Gather feedback from users and analyze metrics to understand what is working well and what needs improvement in your support strategy. Implement necessary changes and consider implementing a CSAT.

7. Be prepared for scaling: Create a plan for handling large numbers of users.

Artykuł Managing Support in Metaverse Projects pochodzi z serwisu LEOCODE.

So, we stay at home. Trying to work, trying to live. 2 months ago no one expected such a situation, and now we need to adjust our behaviors and habits to the new reality. We have to start dealing with uncertainty and fear about the future, our jobs, economy and far more aspects like education, healthcare systems, poverty, etc.

For me, it’s a bit weird. For the last few years, the only news about the end of the world was related to global warming but many people didn’t care. Now it’s different. COVID-19 takes no prisoners – everyone can get sick and within 2 weeks you might die. Now people care, now people act (separated but working together against the same enemy). Now we are quite equal with our basic human needs – safety, food, love. Strangers support strangers. We are all in this and we want to go together through these times.

Bad things

Let’s start with bad things for a while as there are many consequences that might change how we function for the next few years:

• mass events and places like cinemas will be limited or even closed
• many people will lose their jobs
• healthcare systems in some countries might have huge problems
• depression, social (and physical) isolation
• travelling will be limited or even prohibited
• economic crises and high unemployment rate
• and many others

To avoid spreading the virus we need to pay the price. Safety first. For the last decade, we were living in an abundance where growth was less predictable. Countries were becoming richer, and richer. People had more houses, cars and debt. It was like being on Titanic – different people on different levels but going from point A to point B. No one expected the iceberg.

Reality check

In my neighborhood, many people didn’t know what to do. The previous crisis was huge from the financial point of view, but no one locked people down. They didn’t fight with the virus, they did not lose their job from one day to another at such a scale. Even if you are flexible in life it’s still hard to adapt if you don’t know what to expect within the next 2-4 weeks. Plus most of the news is relates to Corona 24/7 – it might be overwhelming.

At some point, people started accepting the reality and they realized a very interesting thing – that for the last few years they were chasing things they can live without like huge cars, jewelry, etc. If you look at what people are buying right now you would be surprised;

Source:
https://www.stackline.com/news/top-100-gaining-top-100-declining-e-commerce-categories-march-2020

So, what became necessary to survive?

• Food
• FMCG
• Drugs
• Entertainment
• Workspaces (desks)

The rest is just nice to have, the element of our dynamic social ecosystem, where we exchange goods and services.

New Economy

Of course, I’ve noticed a few interesting changes in shopping behaviours and in companies reaction to the whole situation:

1. Speed in e-commerce – Amazon announced that they will hire 100 K more employees. Many offline producers realized that e-commerce is the only channel now to distribute their goods, so they are open for IT like never before. However, they need quick solutions to keep going, not enormous years-built systems. COVID-19 – is now the reason behind many digital transformations.
2. Problems for startups – LIME, UBER – they have big losses as people stay home and don’t use their services. For them, it’s hard to change the business model in a week period of time
3. New Logistic – e-commerce wasn’t prepared for such a huge number of orders. They need more drivers, more new apps to optimize paths. My local florist decided to sell flowers via Facebook Fan Page. Clever! Moreover, they are engaging communities like never before. Word of Mouth and high customer service are the keys now.
4. More quality content – many people try to make their online courses, but only the best ones will survive. There is no place for mediocracy anymore.
5. Virtual offices – home offices are just a beginning for many of us. I think that it will stay longer with us but it will require far more adapted houses to work when having kids behind your back
6. E-Learning – let’s be honest – some of the universities were weak. But on the other hand, there’s so much great content from top universities globally that I hope people will learn from experts and real gurus
7. Less waste – in many aspects. During last years some startups were burning cash without ROI, corporations were buying software that no one uses. ⅓ of globally produced food was wasted. Apps like Too Good To Go might have their 5 minutes on the stage.
8. Must have vs. nice to have – in a new economy where unemployment rate might be high we will be more focused on our must-have needs rather than nice to have ones. I think we will appreciate luxury more than ever.
9. Online healthcare – this was one of my biggest discoveries. Many people suddenly got healthy. There are no queues in the medical facilities as they used to be. People think twice before they go to a doctor plus they prefer online consultation.
10. Remote entertainment – more and more events go online (conferences, concerts, movies) and we might see this trend in the next few years.

I can notice many other changes. Some people see the current crisis as an opportunity to change something and I like it. Business owners and startups need to focus on what’s really needed. Otherwise, no one will pay for their goods or services.

Good things will come

I am a positive thinker. As human beings, we are very adaptable and we always try to survive. I think this time it will be the same. We will find the cure, the vaccine and build a new society with an increasing number of smart solutions.

Bear in mind, that we still have challenges in front of us like global warming.

How about you? What have you noticed during the quarantine time around you? What kinds of behaviors, business models, and new technologies are applied?

Artykuł Digitalization on steroids – my 2020 prediction pochodzi z serwisu LEOCODE.

In the last 2 years, the best investment has been the implementation of chatbots. A chatbot is an application whose task is to have conversations using natural language or text interface and (simulated or imitated) human behavior. If you are interested in how chatbots can reduce your customer service costs while maintaining high standards of customer service and satisfaction, come to my webinar on 30 July, at 11:00. I will give you examples of some interesting, but most of all effective implementations of chatbots in customer service departments.

How can a chatbot make a real difference in your organization?

This technology is successfully used in marketing, sales and HR departments, but most of its implementations can be observed in customer service departments. The Internet is full of stories in which the implementation of a chatbot resulted in an increase in employee productivity, an increase in customer satisfaction (by 22% – according to Globe Telecom) or a reduction in the number of calls to the helpline.

We are currently implementing an advanced chatbot for an insurance company employing over 30 people only in the first line of customer service. The service department receives about 100 queries per hour. According to our calculations, 70-80% of these queries can be handled by a chatbot. This is an excellent result, considering today’s costs of hiring and retaining employees.

If you’ve ever heard of chatbots…

…you most probably know the platforms that allow you to create your own ones. Unfortunately, a bot built in this way is not smart and only responds according to the planned and pre-arranged paths. If your company needs a more advanced chatbot, one that understands natural language and learns from real conversations conducted by consultants, you will need a dedicated implementation. This type of implementation is carried out by LEOCODE together with our partner Advisero.

You’re probably wondering where else you can use chatbots. You’ll be surprised, but we’ve consulted an implementation in a pizzeria, among others. In this case, the scope concerned the automation of pizza orders throughout the country, answering the most frequently asked questions and support in making purchasing decisions.

But chatbots are not only for customer service.
They are also a great tool for generating leads.

One of our implementations, a chatbot called Mrs. Ala, helps to choose the best-suited loan and credit offers, directing potential customers to institutions offering financial services.

Artykuł How to reduce customer service costs by 30%? pochodzi z serwisu LEOCODE.

Innovation, Digitalisation, Blockchain, AI – we all hear these words every day, yet they still hold some kind of magic for many of us. There are numerous webinars and articles on these topics  – everyone invites us to join some kind of revolution but without a clear agenda or instruction on how to achieve it or overcome their inevitable obstacles. On the other hand, we see that market leaders are playing with different technologies and spend a lot of money on them. Some fail, some achieve great success. How can we start working with new technologies and verify whether the applied solutions are profitable for us in the long run?

What is ROI and why should you care?

ROI is the efficiency of an investment. There is a very simple equation:

ROI = (Net Profit)/(Invested Resources) X 100

If the result is positive then you are a winner – you have invented (or bought) something that provides you with you more money than its costs. If negative, it means that you are burning cash and the situation is “unclear”.

Example: Positive ROI on chatbots – a ready-to-go solution

Imagine you have 100 people in a customer support program and they are all using chat support. Much of their job is quite repetitive – clients usually ask the same (or similar) questions. Hiring and managing customer support teams is expensive. The job becomes boring over time, so they leave and the business has to start the recruitment process over again. It costs time and money, and creates difficulties for managers. What if we used some automatization here to solve this issue? Let’s focus on AI chatbots that can cover 30% of all chat conversations written manually.

It’s time for some math and comparison. Let’s make it simple and use the following parameters:

• Number of employees
• The monthly cost of each employee
• The monthly cost of an automated chatbot

Cost of the customer support department

100 employees X  $2,000 (US) monthly = $200,000 (US) monthly

What happens if we cover 30% of customer support with a chatbot? Let’s crunch the numbers:

Cost of the customer support department:

70 employees X  2000 USD monthly = 140 000 USD monthly (the number decreased from 100 because chatbots automated 30 % people so they could be moved to other departments).

Cost of the chatbot: 

70 seats * 200 USD monthly = 14000 USD monthly

Total cost of human + machine = 154 000 USD monthly

Total savings: 200 000 USD – 154 000 USD monthly = 46 000 USD monthly

We’ve just generated saving for our company! 46 000 USD monthly!

Naturally, some people will say that a machine will never be as good as a human, but a chatbot is available 24/7, can have a very high level of empathy and answers questions very fast.  It has the potential to solve all of the problems we currently have in trying to reach customer support of any kind.

Things to consider when starting your innovative experiments

Always make a careful comparison between what makes sense of what not in term of innovation implementation. Applying technology or innovation just because it’s popular isn’t always the best idea. Start with WHY? Why do I need to innovate? Which part of my business needs it most? What are my bottlenecks? How can I gain a competitive advantage with new technologies?

Don’t build dedicated software from day one. Try to use existing tools, possibly even get in touch with some startups. Keep your costs low so even if you fail, you don’t lose too much money. The most important part of this process is the lessons you learn. Innovation is hard, but it pays off in the long run.

Remember: Always measure your innovative activities! It will give you an overview of your spending and clear outcome regarding what works, and what doesn’t.

Further reading:

https://www.viima.com/blog/how-to-measure-innovation-kpis

https://grasshopperherder.com/the-roi-of-innovation/

https://www.rocketspace.com/corporate-innovation/how-to-measure-the-short-term-roi-of-innovation

https://www.spigit.com/blog/innovation-leaders-show-impact/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2013/12/27/analyze-the-roi-of-your-innovation-idea-step-by-step/#24598c624c76

https://www.information-age.com/roi-is-decreasing-says-accenture-123478678/

Artykuł Innovation ROI – how to calculate it pochodzi z serwisu LEOCODE.

Underestimating the complexity of the task

It is easy to make mistakes when implementing chatbot solutions. The market is being flooded with more and more information about negative User Experience when contacting a bot [2]. Most users point out the bot’s imprecise statements due to an unforeseen path of user behavior or lack of understanding of the context. Although it should be remembered that a bot is not a human being, some popular errors can be avoided already at the stage of implementation planning. We have decided to share with you the ups and downs from our experience in building conversation bots.

The most common strategic mistake you can make is the underestimation of the venture by the company that plans to invest in the chatbot. There are many myths about chatbots on the Internet [3]. One of them says that a chatbot can be built in three days for 10 thousand zlotys (a little over 2 000 EUR). On the one hand, it is true – there are so-called rule-based chatbots, which can be created even in one day, but the range of issues they can support will be quite narrow. The preparation of such a bot also requires excellent knowledge of the industry to prepare a detailed description of the user’s behavior that the chatbot should be able to handle. Therefore, ladder chatbots require little technical work, but before it is done on the business side, much more time-consuming conceptual work takes place. Bots based on neural networks and Natural Language Processing [4] can handle many more queries and learn from historical conversations, but implementing them is a matter of weeks or months, not days.

Implementing a bot that does not meet your users’ needs

When planning to automate communication, which is what chatbots are basically used for, you should first answer a few questions, and even better – a few hundred questions, because this is how many unknowns come up when honestly assessing the amount of conceptual work on a good chatbot. After all, the chatbot devil is in the details. The first step to having a competent bot that really gives value to users is to define precisely what this value is supposed to be. It is the users’ expectations and lack of really understanding them that are at the root of the second strategic error that we encounter when implementing chatbots. If you don’t do good research on the user’s needs, you’ll waste a lot of time on training the bot to handle queries that never happen, while ignoring those that do. We are talking about so-called ‘garbage intentions’, which means teaching the bot not on the basis of real use cases – e.g. conversations between consultants and users – but on the basis of the presumptions and experiences of an individual person. Such assumptions are very often wrong and the company ends up with a bot that can handle 3,000 different questions about the size of clothes, while customers only ask for a return.

Skill overkill – too many tasks for one little bot

It is also very easy to succumb to the temptation of delegating many seemingly simple communication activities to the bot, which in consequence makes its training border on a miracle, due to its complexity. So the best starting point is to train your bot to handle simple, clear questions, which are much easier to work out. It is necessary to develop different behavioral pathways depending on the user’s response. Both rule-based and AI-based chatbots [4] need a precise range of competences. The more competences there are, the more difficult it is to reach a high level of coverage, as the number of answers to the possible questions grows very quickly. So it is better to design a robust chatbot that answers questions about flight delays within an airline than to additionally try to verify which airline, airport or date and time of flight it is about.

Trying to humanize the bot

All conversational solutions based on neural networks and elements of artificial intelligence require a huge amount of work to represent a modicum of human intelligence and humor. Suffice it to say that as many as 10,000 people are working on the development of Amazon’s voice chatbot Alexa [5] and although she can already have a conversation that makes sense, she still has serious problems with understanding the context, jokes or emotions. This results from the fact that the human mind interprets messages in thousands of different ways, not just as a sequence of concrete signs. Of course, you can add many conditions and dependencies that will make the chatbot more and more ‘human-like’, but the truth is that for at least a few more years it will not be able to compete with humans. So, is it worth telling your customers that they are dealing with a human consultant? Our experience shows that a much better solution is to inform the user at the very beginning of the conversation that he or she is dealing with a bot. Thanks to this, their expectations change, they try to specify their questions better and inquire about one piece of information at a time to make the bot’s “life” easier.

Blindly trusting the supplier

There is no shortage of software providers on the market. After searching for the phrase ‘chatbot’ on the Internet, you are flooded with advertisements of rule based bots based on ChatFuel and other tools, ideally suited for example for Facebook sales. If you dig a little deeper, you will also find entities that have more comprehensive solutions in their offer. These systems, designed for larger Customer Service departments, usually have both a specific CRM for lead management and a dedicated chatbot. However, the fact that someone offers such a solution does not mean that they can be trusted blindly. The client should be present, active and aware at every step of the implementation. They should observe the work of the company they have engaged to do the implementation, make modifications, select the necessary groups of functions and reject the unnecessary ones. Close cooperation between the client and the solution provider for Customer Service is a guarantee of good implementation and subsequent production success.

If you are looking for a chatbot for your company, I invite you to a webinar during which I will talk to a bot designer about the pros and cons of bot implementation.

Sources:

[1] https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/gartner-top-strategic-predictions-for-2018-and-beyond/&sa=D&ust=1556110925364000&usg=AFQjCNFD7fLYHWq6-a0FP_3eGSJDeXhViA

[2] https://chatbot.fail/

[3] Two roads to chatbot implementation. How to choose the right one?

[4] Chatbot in Customer Service – facts and myths

[5] https://www.digitaltrends.com/home/10000-amazon-employees-work-on-alexa/

Artykuł Chatbots in Customer Service – 5 strategic mistakes pochodzi z serwisu LEOCODE.