How to Start Conversational AI Projects
When our customers start their first conversational AI (chatbot) project, there is usually some confusion on how to do it; this guide should help to find an answer to that question.
Define Use Cases
In many of the Cognigy AI projects I have been involved in, much of the initial confusion was created by technologies that had been heavily promoted by others but were not useful in the project’s context. A good example for this would be an Amazon Alexa Skill in a B2B automation setting. Imagine an office with everyone shouting at their Amazon Alexa-enabled devices. Now imagine the same office with people typing with a chatbot on a website. I would much prefer the second scenario, based on noise level, data protection and legal requirements.
You should have your use cases defined before you select the technology.
However, sometimes it is not possible to do that, technology selection has often been a very political topic in projects. You always have to work within the restrictions of your environment.
Use Case Environment
Chatbot use cases can generally be categorized in external and internal use cases. This categorization defines the handling of sensitive information and data. It also determines how polished the release must be; internal application is often more forgiving and has less legal requirements. In case you have not thought about your target audience before, this is a good point to start.
External Use Cases
are often based on marketing campaigns
Campaign Promotion:
- Brands
- Products
- Limited time offers
- …
or focus on service desk automation
Incident Reporting:
- Orders
- Cancellations
- Warranty claims
- …Information Retrieval:
- How to XXX?
- What is XXX?
- What to do when XXX?
- …
Internal Use Cases
often fall into the area of RPA (robotic process automation), the most common application area is the internal service desk, covering one or more of the following aspects:
Incident Reporting:
- Printer not working
- Hardware requests
- Vacant job position
- …Information Retrieval:
- Who is responsible for XXX?
- Who can help me with XXX?
- Where can I find XXX?
- …
Value Creation
Both internal and external use cases need to create value for your company to ensure project success. They usually do it in one of the following ways:
Cost Efficiency:
Reduce call center engagement by:
- Solving the issue without the need for human interaction
- Providing necessary information before the human interaction, therefore reducing call time
Reduce generated paperwork by:
- Preventing mail
- Reducing necessary amount of coordination between employees
Reduce licensing costs by:
- Reducing the necessary number of employees with system access
Reduce opportunity costs by:
- Reducing the churn rate of customers
Process Efficiency
Freeing up time of existing employees for high value processes:
- Reduce time spent on searching for information
- Reducing the time employees spend on low value processes (e.g. password resets)
Reach Extension
Serve new channels, previously blocked by:
- Missing integration
- Staff shortage
- Staffing costs
Serve channels 24/7, previously blocked by:
- Labor laws
- Staff shortage
- Staffing costs
Use Case Prioritization
A prioritization should take place once you have identified your use cases. This will make it easier to work iteratively and create maximum value within the project constraints. It will also help with decision making, when the requirements for two use cases conflict with each other.
Use Case Evolution
Keep in mind that the initial use case definition might not be that perfect, technical, legal or other circumstances have not been taken into consideration. We also often see that the initial use case definition and vision expands over the course of the project, with new ideas being generated during testing. Therefore, keep in mind that you might have to change the use case definitions during the project and adjust Flows and Intents accordingly.
Use Case Implementation
Feel free to get in touch with us by requesting a demo!
