How Centric's AI SmartAgent is a game changer

An AI chatbot is a software application that uses artificial intelligence to conduct user conversations. These chatbots can understand and respond to text inputs in a way that mimics human conversation. They are designed?to assist with various tasks, provide information, and entertain.?

How Centric came up with the idea of SmartAgent:

Centric is a leading consulting firm who have?customers in the space of?retail, defence, food manufacturing and supply, and public organization.?To ensure that Centric's?customers get support during software incidences, the Centric Service Desk plays a crucial role.? Centric Service Desk agents are the backbone of Centric's?customer support and IT service delivery which?operates across a wide range of sectors, providing tailored IT support and services to meet the specific needs of each industry.?

To resolve?issues quickly and efficiently while minimizing any impact on the client’s?operations along with?enhancing the efficiency of Centric service agents gave Centric Nordic the idea of Centric AI-driven Smart Agent.?

What is Centric's SmartAgent?

Centric's?SmartAgent is an AI-powered bot that interacts with users. It leverages the knowledge it collected during its training and provides intelligent responses and performs tasks efficiently.?Centric developed SmartAgent for two users, Service Desk Agents and Customers. The SmartAgent is trained for both the?users and knows the criteria and privacy level before giving out?a solution. Thus,?making sure no sensitive information is shared?with the wrong group. The SmartAgent keeps itself updated with the latest information and comes with features like ticket creation, calling a live agent, and providing links for forms, pages, videos, etc.??

For me, Centric's?SmartAgent wasn’t?just a project; it was a glimpse into the future—a future where technology truly works for us, simplifying our lives and amplifying our potential.?

For example, a Service Desk agent can ask the SmartAgent?"How can I install the payroll system in the user's system",?"Where?can I find the details regarding the Network IPs used" or?"How can I create a new account for a user in a system".?The SmartAgent responds with the allowed classification the Service Desk Agent has. Similarly, when the Customer?queries the SmartAgent about?"What are the opening hours of the xxx office”, “Where can I find information about my salary?" or?"How can I update my details in the company's portal", the SmartAgent looks at the classification and answer accordingly.

How Centric's SmartAgent is developed?

Centric AI SmartAgent is developed?in keeping in mind the users and what challenges?they face. Therefore, the SmartAgent is built?on three layers where first, integration of knowledge bases from articles from the Internet, customer-specific knowledge, and other sources are taken in. This knowledge base is processed and enhanced with AI capabilities provided?by?Watsonx.ai?and Watson Discovery. Thus, these platforms help in using the raw information and converting it into useful?data using AI models which include Large Language Models (LLMs) and other machine learning models.?Finally, using Retrieval?Augmented Generation (RAG) methodology is used to combine?the information retrieved for knowledge bases and generative AI to provide accurate, contextually relevant answers.?

Thus, these procedures make Centric's?SmartAgent a step ahead of the human agents.?

Where can Centric's SmartAgent work?

Centric's?SmartAgent is not bound to just one process or business?logic or?interface. The SmartAgent can work across multiple:?

a. Processes (handle different tasks and workflows within an organization, ensuring smooth operations.)?

b. Business logic (the actions and decisions made by the SmartAgent are in line with the company’s?policies and objectives.)?

c. Technology platforms (integrate and function with various software and hardware systems used by the business, making it highly versatile.)?

The SmartAgent is not tied?to a specific IT Service Management (ITSM) platform. It can work with multiple ITSM platforms, such as ServiceNow, HPSM, etc delivering?consistent and superior results regardless of the platform.

What makes Centric's SmartAgent so unique?

Modern tools these days have lots of?unnecessary features that can overwhelm, confuse, and make it difficult for users to use.?Since Centric focuses on its customers and users, it made sure that SmartAgent is tailored?to be easy, user-friendly, and accessible?to them. Apart from that four?main qualities make Centric's?SmartAgent unique:?

1. ?The SmartAgent can be used as: a. Virtual Assistant (Chatbot): The SmartAgent can be embedded?into the customer's?website and?customers can access the Virtual Assistant.?b. Frontend (Webpage): The service desk agents can search directly in the knowledge base and?SmartAgent answers the queries using RAG.??
2. Most chatbots are bound?by their platform, for?example, the ServiceNow chatbot works only on ServiceNow, same?goes for other chatbots. Centric's?SmartAgent can be integrated?with any platform also it can be?embedded?with different websites.?
3. Since we all know that time is money and in today's?world?you need to have?high customer satisfaction, Centric's?SmartAgent can be trained and deployed within a few weeks to a few months. You will be amazed to know that Centric alongside IBM?was able to develop?the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) in just 10 weeks.?
4. Using RAG ensures that Centric's?SmartAgent does not hallucinate and?"make things up".?It makes sure that the SmartAgent always responds to reliable and accurate data. Thus, this balances the actual fact-based retrieval with the pre-trained AI models.?

Other advantages of Centric's SmartAgent:

The SmartAgent can be prompted on thousands of documents within a few spans of time?and can be trained?as per the requirements of the customers. Below are the other advantages of the SmartAgent:?

Immediate?Faster Response: ? a. Centric's?SmartAgent?can provide instant assistance, ensuring that users don’t?have to wait for support.? b. This?is particularly useful for addressing common issues and repetitive tasks that can be resolved?quickly.?        

Scalability: ? a. Centric's?SmartAgent?can handle multiple requests simultaneously, making them ideal for managing high volumes of inquiries, especially during peak times or when a large number of?users need assistance at once. ? b. At present?1000 service agents at once can chat with Centric's?SmartAgent?        

Consistency: They deliver consistent answers to frequently asked questions, reducing the margin for error and ensuring that all users receive the same level of service.?        

Cost-Efficiency: By handling routine queries, Centric's?SmartAgent?helps reduce the workload on human agents, allowing for more efficient allocation of resources and lowering operational costs?        

Empathy: The SmartAgent understands the importance of a situation and guides you technically as well as?gives you emotional support when required.?        

Conclusion:

The AI can have both negative and positive outcomes. As AI technology is advancing at the rate of?blink of an eye, it is crucial that companies start?harnessing the power of AI.?Thus, using Centric's?SmartAgent gives companies the best approach to using AI safely and productively. This?not only unburdens your staff but also ensures that every client receives the highest level of service?without compromising the integrity and confidentiality of the company. Together, Centric's?SmartAgent blends the efficiency of AI with the empathy and expertise of human professionals, making Centric a trusted partner for businesses navigating the complexities of today’s?digital world.?

Note from Author:

I saw Centric's?SmartAgent?evolving from just a presentation to a fully-fledged application. These few months of SmartAgent have convinced me that intelligent agents are the way forward. They represent a new era of technology that isn’t?just powerful but also accessible, proactive, and personalized. As Centric's?SmartAgent continues to advance, I see tremendous opportunities to expand these systems into fields like healthcare, education, and small organizations, solving problems at an unprecedented scale. Institutes where customers are in huge numbers but people guiding them are few Centric’s ?SmartAgent is like a boon to them. Imagine you are a legal adviser and?there is a case where includes lots of policies and regulations. The SmartAgent can summarize and explain all the policies,?and regulations and also?guide the legal adviser on what to do next. This?saves not only time but also?resources and leads to a fast approach to resolving issues.?

For me, Centric's?SmartAgent wasn’t?just a project; it was a glimpse into the future—a future where technology truly works for us, simplifying our lives and amplifying our potential. I’m?excited to continue exploring how Centric's?SmartAgent?can reshape Service desk Agents' also?customers' workloads and make task-solving interactive and easier with minimum operational costs. Thus,?giving companies new opportunities to create something meaningful and valuable.?

Author: Nidhi Gupta