What is Natural Language Processing?
Natural Language Processing (NLP), a subset of Artificial Intelligence (AI), enables virtual assistants (VA’s) to understand (NLU) and generate (NLG) language as we humans speak and write it. It means that the VA doesn’t just read the words but can understand the intent of a consumer’s question and answer it in natural language.
How can it benefit customer engagement?
It’s easy to see the huge benefits of this technology in customer engagement.
Virtual assistants that are powered by the AI language processing ability become the first line of help. They capture and captivate your customers by guiding them to the right places on the website where they can find their answers. Importantly, they are intelligent enough to know when they don’t have the answer and escalate to human agent assisted channels like email or chat or click-to-call (if these channels are integrated with it). This directly reduces customer interaction with agents at the first incidence thereby reducing costs. The customers are satisfied earlier in the journey and do not end up irritated or frustrated when they finally get to an agent.
Get the extra edge in customer service with natural language processing
Imagine this scenario.
You are an eCommerce or insurance company with a website.
Your goal: To increase web sales and improve customer self-service. To help achieve your goals, you’ve implemented a brand-aligned chatbot interface on the web pages. Visitors interact with the chat bot (you may also call it a virtual assistant or digital assistant or virtual agent) asking it questions like, “Where can I find shoes to go with my red dress?” or “Which health plan will suit my family of four?” The virtual assistant understands these questions and provides an answer, even guiding customers to the next steps. The result — your customers get to make their decisions, and finish a purchase. What makes this scenario a success or a failure? It’s the Artificial Intelligence-based natural language processing ability (or the lack of it) of your virtual assistant.
eGain Virtual Assistant
eGain has two decades of experience of working on natural language processing technology. eGain Virtual Assistant, the AI-powered conversational customer self-service interface, has helped companies deliver unique and differentiated experience to their customers globally.
When eGain’s NLP AI technology is combined with another powerful eGain AI technology—the Case-Based Reasoning or Guided Help capability—the virtual assistant or chatbot becomes even more effective as a customer service tool.
It takes over many of the initial customer interactions and reduces operating costs while increasing customer satisfaction.
Gains from using NLP in customer engagement
A European government tax agency deployed eGain’s virtual assistant to answer citizens’ questions. The agency reported a whopping 257,000 interactions as being handled by the chatbot instead of real agents.
A global beauty products company implemented an eGain chatbot on its website as the first line of assistance for its 6.5 million direct sales representatives. It helped the reps resolve their issues through self-service, making them “happier.”
Vodafone Portugal is improving the customer experience with unified and easy-to-use online channels
