Not all chat bots are equal! How to build the ultimate Housing Power Virtual Agent
Revolutionising Customer Experience: Transforming Chatbots into a Dynamic and Engaging Tool
Today, when we visit a website or need assistance, we often encounter a chatbot or web chat facility. These tools aim to provide quick answers and save us from searching, scrolling, and hunting for information. However, the typical experience usually directs us to a link, requiring us to fill out a form for further assistance. This process can be frustrating and time-consuming, and it’s time for a change.
Chatbots have the potential to revolutionize the way customers interact with your organization. They can efficiently provide information or guide users in completing tasks, offering a more engaging alternative to traditional customer service methods.
In Autumn 2020, Origin Housing embraced this potential by implementing Microsoft Omnichannel. This platform enabled customers to chat with Customer Service representatives through their website or social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook (Meta), and WhatsApp for Business.
To further enhance their service, Origin Housing introduced ‘Basil’ in March 2021. Named after the founder, Basil Jellicoe, this AI-powered chatbot goes beyond the conventional question-and-answer model. As a Microsoft Power Virtual Agent, Basil offers a more dynamic and interactive experience, transforming customer interactions and setting a new standard for chatbot capabilities.
The Evolution of Chatbots in Customer Service
Chatbots have come a long way since their inception. Today, they are designed to provide customers with personalized experiences by offering multiple chatbot types:
- Menu-based chatbots: Guided by predefined options and closed scripts.
- Keyword recognition chatbots: Interpreting keywords and responding to typed queries.
- Advanced chatbots: Utilizing Natural Language Processing (NLP) and learning from continuous user interactions.
By harnessing Microsoft Power Virtual Agents, Origin Housing created Basil — a chatbot that combines the best aspects of all three chatbot types.
Laying the Foundation for a Successful Chatbot Implementation
Before launching a chatbot, it’s crucial to consider customer needs, identify issues you aim to solve, and ensure the chosen tool aligns with your organization’s goals. To future-proof your chatbot, outline its current capabilities and ensure flexibility for future enhancements.
Building a Knowledge Base
To create a helpful chatbot, establishing a knowledge base is essential. Analyse previous customer inquiries, identify common concerns, and gather feedback from users, advisors, and team members to build a comprehensive knowledge base.
You can build a knowledge base by looking at:
- previous user telephone inquiries, emails or chat logs
- most commonly raised concerns
- analytics for the most searched and visited web pages
- feedback from users, advisors and team members
Customer journeys
Basil started life off as a simple question and answer chat bot service, after a few days of reviewing what customers were asking, we were able to begin enhancing the service. One of the key components of the Power Virtual Agent are Topics. When you create bots with PVA, you author and edit topics.
Topics are different customer journeys within the chat bot and different paths can be invoked by trigger phrases. Today we have over 100 topics relating to different things across our service offering. Here are most frequently used topics:
- New customer that is interested in properties — After a couple of questions, Basil will signpost the customer to the relevant pages of our website or the forms where a new customer can sign up.
- Looking up account balance — Residents and leaseholders can look up their account balance at anytime.
- Log a new repair — Basil requests the customers contact details and a description of the issue and then logs it with the repairs team.
- Neighbourhood Management — Residents can look up who their Neighbourhood Manager is with their post code and then book an appointment online with them.
- Financial Support — Residents can book an online appointment with our Financial Support team.
The Roadmap for Continued Success
To ensure Basil remains a valuable asset, Origin Housing continually refines the chatbot to prevent conversation loops and improve overall user experience. By integrating Basil with various systems, they’ve successfully deflected inquiries, freeing up human agents to tackle more complex issues.
Moving forward, Origin Housing plans to expand Basil’s reach, offering an internal virtual agent for corporate employees, streamlining internal processes and improving employee experiences.
Conclusion
Revolutionizing customer experiences with chatbots like Basil is a testament to the power of AI and technology in enhancing customer interactions. By investing in the right tools and strategies, businesses can create dynamic and engaging chatbots that not only meet customer demands but also redefine the customer service landscape
