By now, if your organization has had conversations about digital transformation, chances are they have included discussions around artificial intelligence such as bots. If not, it may be time to jump start that dialogue.
As virtual assistants that can help perform simple, repetitive tasks, such as making a reservation or addressing customer queries or issues, bots can be used a variety of ways. The most common use case for bots is providing customer service support. For example, if your internet lags again, you may interact with a bot “technician” to help problem solve the issue.
Self-service bots can be used to automate repetitive employee interactions where a human is not fully warranted. For example, self-service bots could enable employees to submit IT service ticket requests. Or, they could be used to provide employees with answers to common benefits questions.
Microsoft Azure Bot Service is a cost-effective, serverless chatbot service that can be scaled on demand. This enables you to build conversational experiences for your customers or employees, as in the use case provided above. The Azure Bot Service makes it easy to build any type of bot – from a Q&A bot to your own branded virtual assistant. Plus, the Azure Bot Service uses a comprehensive, open source SDK and tools to easily connect your bot across popular channels and devices. In the use case where bots support employee interactions, end users could interact with the bot using the messaging platform of their choice such as Skype, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Cortana or Facebook Messenger.
Here are the top benefits of using self-service bots
1. Operational Efficiencies
Bots enable you to automate basic inquiries while still providing real-life interactions. They free up human resources from responding to repetitive, mundane tasks. This enables them to focus on more strategic and business-critical tasks. Think back to the previously suggested use case of leveraging a bot to provide answers to common benefits questions. Think of how much time that could save your HR team during open enrollment time!
According to this article in Tech Republic, 70% of IT leaders reported that their organizations are actively using bots in place of humans to drive business efficiencies.
2. Cost Effective
There are numerous ways to view the potential cost benefit of leveraging Azure Bots. First, hiring more humans to handle repetitive, mundane tasks is more expensive than it would be to leverage a chatbot. Plus, there is the scale factor to consider, as bots can easily communicate with hundreds or even thousands of end users at the same time. As opposed to the one or two that a human could handle.
Automation is another cost benefit associated with bots. Most of us are not very productive if we’re bored having to do the same things over and over. By leveraging chatbots, you can automate those tasks. As a result, freeing up your team to focus on meaningful work, ultimately driving their productivity higher.
3. Better End-User Experiences
Whether your end users are your customers or your employees, their experiences drive your organization’s success. Not only are bots accessible anytime, but they don’t get weary after answering the same question a million times. This ensures that end users get the answers or support they need, when they need it via a more positive interaction. Bots are also not as susceptible to human error, further ensuring their answers will be accurate and more helpful.
One last consideration, studies indicate that 75% of internet users are adopting one or more messenger platforms (like those we previously named). So it might be helpful to note that Azure Bot Service integrates across multiple communication channels. The enables you to reach more end users, more often through the platform of their choice.
Bottom line: If you are looking to drive operational efficiencies through digital transformation, it’s time to have the conversation about bots. Check out our Building Microsoft Azure Self-Service Bots demo video today.
