Applying AI to the "Whats?"
Acknowledgement: This article is based on the design innovation strategy course "The Innovation Process" presented by Professor Jeanne Lindtka

Applying AI to the "Whats?"

The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and professor Jeanne Liedtka taught a course to my mentor, Santiago Martinez several years ago.? During a recent visit he shared some of the insights that the course gave him with me and my teammates.? I’ve been enamored by them ever since that day.? The challenge I gave myself was to see how I could prompt AI into furthering the innovation strategy taught by the course as they relate to the services my company offers to business operations both large, like BPOs and small, like your favorite pizza place, a real estate team, or a primary care doctor’s practice.? So I conducted a prompt experiment with both Claud II by Anthropic, with GPT4 Plus as my AI second opinion and with my own company’s service tools as outlined on our website, wolkvox.com .

First I’d outline the segment presented by Professor Liedtka; next I asked Claude to explain how that philosophy of innovation could be applied to the development of good Customer Service representatives who are facing the arrival of Artificial Intelligence in their respective business environments, and finally I asked GPT 4 Plus to use the approach to explain the value of the tools my company offers based on her presentation. (I used my company’s listed ?services as an example, but anyone could apply the professor’s to any set of offered services in any industry or venture of interest.)

STEP ONE: WHAT IS?? Explore current reality. Get a better understanding of what is happening in the present.

-First broaden and explain what is happening.

-Second, focus on the present helps uncover unarticulated needs, necessary to develop better ideas.

This helps me to specify what a great solution will look like without telling me what it is.

STEP TWO: WHAT IF? Where we begin to explore to develop possible solutions.

*Examine the data

*Identify the patterns

*Translate these into specific design criteria as part of the what if stage.

These are the criteria drawn from What Is that we use to examine possibilities...

Not pie in the sky but base, what is possible on data to imagine something innovative=brainstorming.

* Basis here is 'trigger questions'

--yielding new business concepts, leading to...

STEP THREE: WHAT WOWS? treat each concept as an hypothesis.

*Think systematically about evaluating them against our design criteria. If we get the first 2 triggers right, we wind up with too many innovative approaches and must make hard choices...

*Look for what matches our resources and capabilities to sustainably deliver the new offering, and make assessments about why each of our concepts is a good idea. This yields prototypes for the

STEP FOUR: WHAT WORKS?? Learning from the prototypes requires a fast feedback cycle, minimized cost of experimentation, fail early to succeed sooner, and test, and test for key tradeoffs and assumptions early on.

STEP 5:? APPLICATION OF THE PROFESSOR’S DESIGN TO THE ‘AI’, Claude II by Anthropic

Here is how I would approach advising a business on integrating AI into their customer service call centers:

The rise of artificial intelligence presents both opportunities and challenges for companies looking to improve their customer service capabilities. AI-powered chatbots and virtual agents can greatly enhance efficiency by automating routine inquiries and conversations. However, thoughtfully integrating this technology alongside human agents is crucial to providing a seamless customer experience.

When hiring and training new customer service specialists, I would focus on developing a hybrid model that utilizes the strengths of AI and humans collaboratively. Provide extensive training to agents on leveraging AI tools to free them from repetitive tasks and allow more time for building rapport with customers and solving complex issues. Establish clear hand-off protocols for when a chatbot needs to transfer a call to a live agent.

In terms of skills to look for in new hires, emphasize adaptability, creative problem-solving, emotional intelligence, and communication abilities over technical proficiency. The technology will continue rapidly evolving so being comfortable learning new systems is a must. Hire for empathy, patience, and listening skills in working with frustrated customers.

Implementing AI is not a plug-and-play solution. The human workforce needs proper change management and engagement throughout the process. Be transparent about how AI will (and won't) change roles and responsibilities. Involve staff in designing impactful training programs. Foster a collaborative environment between agents and tech teams. Proactively address concerns about job security - focus on redeploying humans into more value-adding functions.

The contact center of the future will function best as a hybrid model. AI handles high-volume routine interactions while empowering humans to build deeper connections with customers. Investing in the symbiotic integration of machines and people will lead to the most innovative solutions.

I’ve now taken the suggestion using the “What” formula developed and presented in the course “The Innovative Process” in 2013 by Jeanne Lindtka in her book Designing for Growth?

STEP SIX: Present a portion of my company’s service tool set in the ‘What is, if wow, works” strategy (GPT 4 Plus)

OmniChannel Platform


What is?

Imagine you're juggling multiple social media apps on your phone. Now, what if you could manage all those messages from one place? That's what Omnichannel does for customer service agents. It puts everything—calls, emails, chats—in one spot.

What if?

What if you could reply to a customer's email, then switch to a chat with another customer, all without changing apps? You'd be a multitasking ninja, right?

What Wows?

The real kicker is that this system uses Artificial Intelligence to make things even smoother. It's like having a super-smart assistant that knows when to hand you the phone or when to let you type.

What Works?

This is great for agents because it makes their job easier and helps them respond to customers faster. Plus, it's all in one place, so less room for mistakes.


Wolkvox Studio

What is?

Think of this as your personal DJ mixing board but for customer service. You can tweak and tune how you interact with customers.

What if?

What if you could design your own customer service experience? Like choosing the music, lights, and vibe of your own party.

What Wows?

You can add in AI and other smart tech to make the experience even cooler. It's like having a party planner who knows exactly what everyone wants.

What Works?

This helps agents create a unique and efficient way to handle customer interactions. It's not one-size-fits-all; it's tailored to what works best for you and the customer.


Artificial Intelligence with Low Code Automation

https://youtu.be/GsRnRn45VnY?feature=shared

What is?

Imagine if you could program a robot to do your chores, but you didn't need to be a coding genius. That's what low-code automation is all about.

What if?

What if this robot could learn from you? Like, it watches you do the dishes a couple of times and then takes over, doing it just the way you like it.

What Wows?

This isn't just any robot; it's a smart one. It learns and adapts, making your life easier without you having to program it every time.

What Works?

For customer service, this means less time doing boring, repetitive stuff and more time solving real problems that a robot can't.


Gamification

What is?

You know how video games have scores, levels, and rewards? Gamification is like turning your job into a game where you can earn points and level up.

What if?

What if going to work felt more like playing a game? You'd be more motivated to "win," right?

What Wows?

The cool part is that this isn't just for fun. It's designed to make you better at your job. It's like leveling up in a game, but those levels actually mean you're becoming a customer service pro.

What Works?

This keeps agents engaged and focused on hitting targets. Plus, it makes work a lot more fun.


Omnichannel Dialer

https://youtu.be/mYvtKXe6RPE?feature=shared

What is?

You know how you can call your friends on different apps like WhatsApp, FaceTime, or just a regular call? Omnichannel Dialer is like that but turbocharged for customer service.

What if?

What if you could call multiple people at once but only talk to the one who answers first? It's like shooting multiple texts and getting the quickest reply.

What Wows?

The system uses AI to figure out the best time to call people. It's like having a friend who knows everyone's schedule and tells you the best time to hit them up.

What Works?

This helps agents reach more people in less time, making the whole operation more efficient.


Answering Machine Detection with AI (AMD + AI)

https://youtu.be/c4tDiBhJwgk?feature=shared

What is?

Ever call someone and get their voicemail? This tool figures out if you're talking to a real person or just a machine.

What if?

What if you never had to listen to another voicemail message again because you knew instantly it wasn't a real person?

What Wows?

The AI is so good it can tell the difference between voicemails from different phone companies. It's like being able to tell who's calling just by the ringtone.

What Works?

This saves time and makes sure agents are talking to real people, not just leaving messages.


Campaigns

https://youtu.be/Zv_ROT988A4?feature=shared

What is?

This is like planning a social media strategy but for customer service. You set up how you're going to reach out to people through calls, texts, emails, and even WhatsApp.

What if?

What if you could set up a whole month's worth of posts and messages in one go? You'd be free to focus on other stuff, right?

What Wows?

You can target specific groups of people, like sending a special offer just to people who've bought from you before.

What Works?

This helps agents stay organized and makes sure the right messages are going to the right people.


Voice and Screen Recording

What is?

Imagine if you could record your gameplay and watch it later to see how you can improve. This is the same but for customer service calls.

What if?

What if you could go back and listen to a call to figure out what you did right or wrong?

What Wows?

You can even slow down or speed up the playback. It's like having your own personal game tape to study and get better.

What Works?

This is a great tool for training and improving your customer service skills.


Text To Speech



What is?

You know how Siri or Google Assistant talks to you? Text To Speech is like that but customizable for your company.

What if?

What if you could choose the voice that represents your brand? Like picking a playlist that sets the mood for a party.

What Wows?

You can even pick the language, accent, and gender of the voice. It's like customizing your own virtual DJ.

What Works?

This makes your automated systems more relatable and easier for customers to understand.


Wolkvox NLP

What is?

NLP stands for Natural Language Processing. It's like teaching a computer to understand and talk like a human.

What if?

What if your chatbot could understand slang or emojis? It would make customer interactions way more chill.

What Wows?

The system uses GPT (that's me, by the way) to make conversations super natural and easy-going.

What Works?

This leads to happier customers because they feel like they're talking to a person, not a robot.


IVR and Voicebots

https://youtu.be/Zv_ROT988A4?feature=shared

What is?

IVR is like an automated phone menu. You know, "Press 1 for this, Press 2 for that."

What if?

What if that menu could do more than just route your call? Like sending you a text or email while you're still on the line.

What Wows?

It can even analyze how you're feeling based on your voice. It's like a mood ring but for customer service.

What Works?

This helps route customers to the right place quickly and keeps them informed along the way.


Chatbots and Interaction Bots

https://youtu.be/dQJcP05zyYw?feature=shared

What is?

These are like your online customer service reps, but they're not human; they're bots.

What if?

What if you could get instant answers to your questions without waiting for a human to reply?

What Wows?

These bots can handle multiple types of requests and even understand different languages.

What Works?

This speeds up customer service and frees up human agents to handle more complex issues.


Vision

What is?

This is like having a super-smart camera that can understand what it's looking at.

What if?

What if your camera could identify objects, read text, and even guess someone's age or mood?

What Wows?

It uses machine learning, so it gets smarter the more it sees.

What Works?

This can be used for security, analytics, or even helping customers find what they're looking for.

#Wolkvox, #Chatbot, #SaaS, #Omnichannel, #AMD-AI

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