| |February 20209website for specific information. They can just post a query on the chatbot and retrieve all relevant information. Chatbots can instantly respond to FAQs, raise tickets in cases of complicated queries, and also gather feedback from customers on the services provided by the company.Quick response to customer queries The best part is, customers will no longer have to wait in line for their turn to speak to an executive, or for their mail query to be answered. With chatbots, responses are instant. Responses are also not restricted by office working hours. Chatbots provide instant responses to queries 24x7, at much less cost compared to having a large servicing team working round the clock. This benefits users interacting from different time zones. Chatbots - Futuristic employees boosting profitabilityAn Oracle survey claims chatbots contributed to enterprise cost savings of an estimated USD 20 million in 2017. The savings by companies are likely to cross USD 8 billion per annum by 2022. This is because chatbots reduce the workload of customer service teams by a large measure, freeing them up for more important tasks that require human intervention. This advantage is not restricted to just customer service. AI and chatbots can improve efficiencies across functions and departments, such as human resource management, knowledge management, and supply chain management. For instance, chatbots can manage human resources in the warehouse by preparing the roster and fleet schedules. In the supply chain functions, in case a key manager is unavailable during a complex task that requires expert knowledge, chatbots can give step-by-step instructions to guide other employees to execute the operation, based on the data stored in it. Similarly, it can also help workers tide over human errors. When synced with transport management systems, chatbots can alert drivers when the given delivery address is wrong, and use stored data to spot the exact location.To look up the nature of customer queries being addressed on a daily basis, executives only have to browse through the chat records of chatbots. It logs the details of the nature of queries, frequency, and even the geographical location of customers. The chat records are a potential source of sales leads in many companies.The early adopters Several companies have invested considerable resources in this technology. Oracle and NVIDIA have built bots that provide the conversational user experience. They work on web browsers, mobile apps, and on voice and text messaging channels. Multinational supply chain management company UPS engages such a conversational chatbot that works through the Google Assistant service. Customers can now talk with the UPS chatbot using their Google Home speakers. Interestingly, this chatbot can answer queries without having to look up the customer's tracking number. It simply pulls up customer data from the UPS database by syncing with UPS My Choice application. The U.S. National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Amtrak, says it got 25 percent more bookings after it unleashed `Julie', a chatbot designed to guide customers through the booking process. Similarly, the Indian logistics platform Courierhome says its chatbot helped the company interact with about 1,000 customers at one go without having to invest in a large-sized customer service team.Similarly, Dubai-based logistics company Aramex has launched a chatbot service through a popular messaging application, WhatsApp. Users can track and trace their shipment or find the nearest Aramex outlet using the service through WhatsApp. The company is looking to customise the service further going forward, by providing customers with the option of sharing live location, or adding delivery instructions, and scheduling their delivery, all through WhatsApp.These are just a few examples of how AI and chatbots are changing the way the game is played in the transport and logistics industry. When combined with other futuristic technologies, such as transport management software or autonomous driving applications, AI has the potential to usher in an era of complete automation of several functions in the industry. AI and chatbots can improve efficiencies across functions and departments, such as human resource management, knowledge management, and supply chain management
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