CoachBOTS AND AI – The ultimate coaching impact?

You still have time to register for the upcoming webinar on Coaching and Technology where my guest Tom Marsden will introduce you to the first coachbot for teams. In the last three years, I’ve been exploring the question of how digital transformation is changing the coaching industry and what additional skills coaches should master today so they can thrive in the long run. The main purpose of this webinar series is to inform coaches on available technological solutions that could support them maximizing the impact of the invaluable work they do.

There is a lot of talk about AI (Artificial Intelligence), Machine Learning (ML), Bots, and how they are transforming every industry. In this article, I will focus on what is the implication of chatbots to coaching and what products are already available that coaches could tap into right now.

The general population of coaching providers, educators, researchers and credentialing bodies are far behind in embracing these emerging technologies. In my personal opinion around why is that a FACT is that coaches are biased against AI - powered solutions, they underestimate how these technologies could benefit the quality of service they provide and the potential of exponential impact. The first step of overcoming bias is to acknowledge that it exists. As companies begin to integrate intelligent agents of all sorts into the workforce it’s critical to recognize the opportunity and catch the wave. We hear over and over again how AI is far away from replacing human interaction, creativity, empathy and I get it unless you are surrounded by people who work for #deepmind, #mit or similar companies, you can’t even imagine how advanced these technologies are and that they can do all of the above but just differently. For your reference check artificial empathy & art creativity.

“So many things are possible as long as you don't know they are impossible.” 

― Mildred D. Taylor, The Land

Let’s see what we mean by Bots – What is a Bot? even Twitter can’t figure it out but I refer to it as a tech solution that coaches can tap into today which is cost-effective and could improve results in a short period of time for both coaches and their clients. Here are some examples of the most common challenges coaches face and how chatbots could help: 

• One of the common challenges coaches face is related to the constant struggle of generating leads and converting them into actual clients. A chatbot could teach your clients what you do, find exactly who you serve, and build trust at scale. You can use messenger ChatBot for marketing.
• Part of the coach’s job is to provide clients with materials (books, articles, videos, activities, tools, etc.) that support their goals. Also, creating a system to track engagement and support them sustaining new behaviors. Bots could be used to send hyper-personalized nudges to deliver the right information to the right person at the right time. You can build your very own that could grow with your business ambitions with AICOACHING.
• Some coaches include 10 min laser coaching via phone, text, or email in their packages in addition to the regular coaching hours to support clients getting ready for a meeting or resolve an emergency. Instead of spending your precious time, you can partner with AI-powered coachbots like coachAmanda who is under the umbrella of LEADx which provides multiple solutions for leadership development. Also, Butterfly.ai, Qstream, and others. Although, these products target managers as a consumer. I can see how they could benefit coaches. The founders of those platforms are brilliant people and you can reach them easily via LinkedIn. I'm sure they will be open to collaboration.
• For those of you who are coaching teams, you know how crucial it is for a team to have a well defined common purpose and to do that each team member has to contribute and agree upon. In the last two months, virtual teams are the new normal, and leaders struggle with sustaining effective teamwork against physical proximity. My guess Tom and his team developed CoachBot that facilitate digital sessions where each team member gets their voice heard, CoachBot’s library can help the team with guided exercise with a better way to set goals or give feedback. Join us on May 19th at 11 am PTS and see if there is a way for you to add Saberr CoachBot into your tool kit for sustainable and measurable team coaching impact.

When I read “My girlfriend is a chatbot” I smiled and thought technology is powerful and it is up to us humans to use it for good. Make the right choice!

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Thank you for reading! I'm curious to hear your thoughts about the future of coaching.

You can register for my upcoming webinars "Coaching & Technology" on the ICF OC website. I'm so grateful for their support in the last two years!

Vanya Koonce

Corporate Coaching & Mentoring Consultant, CoEvents

+1 (310) 962-8723  | [email protected]

www.coachingevents.org