'AI in online transactions and real time transactions helps create interactions that are more meaningful, entertaining, delighting and endearing customers,' says HMC Marketing, who are in the process of creating the sales force of the future.
Jabberwacky is an example artificial intelligence technology HMC Marketing is testing. A chat robot, often known as a 'chatbot' or 'chatterbot'.... it simulates natural human chat in an interesting, entertaining and humorous manner. Jabberwacky differentiates itself in its capacity to learn. In some ways it models the way humans learn language, facts, context and rules and become more intelligent and sociable in transactions and conversations.
HMC Marketing are customizing this avatar for use in selling insurance. Customisation is now in progress, and Korean, Japanese and Chinese versions of the avatar are being created, to include full lip synchronization, which will be a world first.
The application of Artificial Intelligence(AI) in the prospecting, contact and sales process will help future businesses to create a continuous flow of activities, overcoming the stops and starts that are typical with manual interventions.
The consumer will enter a client site and will be presented with an avatar that will be custom-selected to reflect their likely preferences, using location, address and any other known details to predict the age, sex and socio-economic class of the prospective customer. The avatar will have a face that is generated for each market, one that “matches” the most probable profile age, sex, and race of the customer.
The avatar will talk to the customer and will also allow the customer to talk to it via text to speech and, where available, voice recognition software. The avatar will talk to the customer on just about any subject, and in a verbal style that to a good extent reflects the person talking.
Initially at least, there will be no time limit on the customer interaction with the avatar, and there will there be no obvious scripting that would lead the customer into a conversation about products objective initially will be to build a relationship with the customer through conversation that is, quite simply, entertaining. Products offered in the first stages will be high demand volume products, including auto, life, accident, health and home insurance, as well as simple savings. Artificial Intelligence and scripting will be implemented in the avatar software program that will enable it to discuss and sell products based on the customer’s requests and feedback.
The avatar has numerous advantages over traditional call centre operatives. The avatar will be totally compliant operating in scripted mode, will not be able to say anything it has not been programmed to say. All interactions are recorded for audit.
Reduction of agent sales problems through mis or overselling results in both customer satisfaction and low cost of customer acquisition. Once deployed avatars do not incur salaries! Avatars operate 24-7. Customers knowing they are talking to a machine have the freedom to act without social constraint or fear of unwanted pressure or commitment – they will be more likely to commence a sales process because they know that they can stop when they wish without any offence being caused.
One of the key objectives is to improve the progression of “Online Research” into “Online Sales”. Currently only 3% of people browsing actually purchase the browsed product. Any small increase in sales rates will increase profitability substantially.
The AI software with its interactive capability gain customer respect and trust and do a better job of following up activities. Of course, other marketing tactics to gain interest such as special offers, multiple policy discounts, loyalty rewards and an advocacy program will support avatar marketing.
Sophisticated algorithms will be used to provide feedback into the AI software such that the avatar learns which sales interactions are the most successful and then uses those results to guide its interaction with new customers. Additionally the AI will learn which products most suit which customer profiles, and even according to the customers’general language usage style.
HMC Marketing specializes in direct marketing of insurance products and services through consumer business partners. For more information visit HMC Marketing .
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