Introducing the Oration Chatbot

The rise of chatbots during the past decade has been nothing short of amazing. From technically humble beginnings, the introduction of generative AI and natural language processing has fostered an environment where customers are embracing the technology like never before and countless businesses can no longer imagine a world without them. The ability to manage large volumes of simultaneous conversations has revolutionised the customer service space, while the cost savings they generate have been a boon for balance sheets.

For all that, the mind still boggles when presented with figures that showcase the growth of the sector. Data captured by the highly respected Statistia platform¹ reveals that in 2016 the global chatbot market size stood at $190.8 million. Less than a decade on and it is forecasting that number will rise to $1.25 billion by 2025 – an extraordinary leap by anyone’s account.

From booking medical appointments and ordering takeaway meals to rescheduling flights - no matter the time of day or night, chatbots are improving customer experience across multiple industries, all the more so as developers design and deploy features that enhance the scope and breadth of their capabilities. Where customers may have once cursed upon being greeted by a chatbot, research has found:

• 65% of consumers feel comfortable handling an issue without a human agent²;
• 69% of consumers were satisfied with their last interaction with a chatbot³; and
• 80% of consumers who have engaged with a chatbot say it was a positive customer experience⁴.

With the technology clearly here to stay, one of the leaders in natural language call routing solutions is now raising the bar even higher by incorporating a chatbot feature into its flagship platform, Oration Chatbot.

^{Source: 86 Critical Chatbot Statistics: 2021 Data Analysis & Market Share - Financesonline.com}

Introducing the Oration Chatbot

Across more than 20 years, Convai has earned a reputation for using conversational AI to enable better conversations and optimise performance in contact centre environments. Today this is showcased by Oration by Convai, an easy-to-implement, low-cost, cloud-based contact centre plugin for organisations looking to create exceptional CX.

From full self-service, deflecting calls, identifying callers and determining intent, Oration increases contact centre efficiencies and reduces costs by working its magic before calls reach agents. Not only can it be up and running within a matter of days but its user-friendly interface requires no technical experience or expertise.

Now, into this mix, comes its Chatbot feature, Oration Chatbot.

A simple click of the button takes Oration customers to a ‘Welcome’ page where a chatbot is waiting to be created with supporting tools such as:

• Appearance: configure headings, borders and window colours, with images able to be easily uploaded and assigned
• Cookies and sessions: enable device identification and session cookies
• Spell check: choose a language preference and get the spelling correct every time
• CSS: take complete control of the look and feel of your chatbot from the start.

One of the joys of Oration Chatbot is it combines a world-leading voice platform with chatbot development that enables the sharing of complex language modelling and dialogues, which, in turn, reduces the complexity of ensuring CX is the same across channels.

Configuring a conversation or potential responses also requires the most basic of skills, with no need for extensive training or technical nous. The Flow section allows users to name an ‘Action’ (eg: Animal Control) and manually input ‘Prompts’ to be shared with customers (eg: animals are not allowed in public places unless on a lead). Better still, further detail can be added such as bullet points, images or click-through links to websites or alternate prompts.

It’s all so simple.

There is no limit to the number of layers that can be created with Oration Chatbot. Today’s customers expect to ask multiple questions of a chatbot and as long as it is clearly leading them towards an answer, they will be content to keep engaging until potentially being transferred to a voice agent.

^{Source: Key Chatbot Statistics You Should Follow in 2023}

Other Oration Chatbot features

• Content management: build a library of prompts or images (think of it as a knowledge base), with any prompt changes or edits made within Content Management automatically shared across the system.
• Interactive view: the ideal visual of a chatbot conversation, Interactive View enables users to walk through the conversational tree from welcome messages and questions to responses and potential agent transfer. The perfect tool for seeing where modifications may need to be made.
• Self-service: compile a micro-FAQ by collating snippets of information in a designated tab that can be referenced in a chatbot conversation and provide customers with access to responses to common queries.
•  Integrate: provide users with transactional information such as bank balances by talking to and sharing data with a back-end host using AWS Lambda.

With the initial version created, it is now time to put the technology to the test. One click on a designated URL and you can see the chatbot as it will appear to customers and ask test questions to ensure it is running as planned.

Summary

Befitting a platform that never stops evolving, this is just the beginning for Oration Chatbot. Convai is committed to incorporating the best technology in its offerings so users can expect to see both new and improved features in the not-too-distant future. In the meantime, businesses can rest easy knowing their customers and agents are benefiting from cutting-edge and easy-to-use technology that is setting a new standard for chatbots.

They say knowledge is power, which is why smart businesses are investing in strategies that benefit both staff and customers. Tap into a comprehensive guide that shows executives and managers how to strengthen their knowledge management systems and deliver positive change.