Goodbye Chatbots, Hello IVAs

How AI is Redefining Customer Conversations & Support

by Fastbrand Copywriter | 02.10.2024

Have you ever encountered scripted chatbots on platforms like WeChat, WhatsApp, Trello, or Messenger, trying to answer your questions?

Do these responses sound familiar? “I can’t answer that right now,” “I’m still learning,” or “Would you like to speak with a live person?”

Or perhaps you’ve been frustrated by having to provide personal information just to get a simple answer, only to be routed to a live agent who either takes an hour to respond, never replies, or directs you to email or phone communication for a single question?

The Rise of IVA’s

Did you know there are technologies available that allow an Intelligent Virtual Assistant (IVA) to engage your customers in a personalised, human-like conversation on their preferred platform—whether it’s WhatsApp, Trello, Messenger, Instagram, or WebChat? These IVAs can capture key insights about your customers’ behaviours, interests, concerns, problems, needs, and desires, all while maintaining a two-way conversation for as long as needed.

Additionally, these IVAs can ask follow-up questions and guide customers through your sales and onboarding processes using targeted micro-goals. This ensures they have the information and resources necessary to make informed decisions about purchasing your products or services.

Traditional Scripted Chatbots vs Intelligent Virtual Assistants

Conclusion:

In a world where customer engagement can make or break your business, relying on outdated chatbot technology is no longer enough. Intelligent Virtual Assistants (IVAs) offer a new level of personalised, dynamic, and context-aware communication that your customers expect. Whether it’s handling multi-turn conversations, guiding sales, or providing 24/7 support, IVAs transform customer experiences while optimising your operations.

Don’t settle for limited, scripted responses. Elevate your customer interactions with AI-driven IVAs—built to scale, adapt, and personalize like never before.

Discover how an Intelligent Virtual Assistant can revolutionise your business today.

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Conversation Flow

Traditional Chatbots:

Rely on pre-defined scripts and decision trees; follow a linear, rule-based flow.

AI-driven IVAs:

Understand context dynamically, handling natural, multi-turn conversations with flexible responses.

Understanding Language

Traditional Chatbots:

Depend on keywords and simple pattern matching; limited in grasping nuances and varied expressions.

AI-driven IVAs:

Use natural language processing (NLP) to comprehend user intent, tone, and complex queries..

Learning Capability

Traditional Chatbots:

Can only handle scenarios they are explicitly programmed for; static in nature.

AI-driven IVAs:

Continuously improve through machine learning, adapting to new data and improving accuracy over time.

Handling Unstructured Data

Traditional Chatbots:

Operate best with structured, formatted input.

AI-driven IVAs:

Capable of processing and generating responses from unstructured data, like open-ended questions or conversational text.

Contextual Awareness

Traditional Chatbots:

Struggle to maintain context beyond single-turn interactions; lose track of previous inputs.

AI-driven IVAs:

Maintain context throughout conversations, allowing for coherent and logical exchanges across multiple turns.

Response Variety

Traditional Chatbots:

Limited to predefined responses; rigid and repetitive.

AI-driven IVAs:

Generate a wide range of responses, making interactions more dynamic, natural, and personalised.

Scalability

Traditional Chatbots:

Require substantial manual updates for scaling across new use cases or topics.

AI-driven IVAs:

Scale quickly by leveraging generalised knowledge from vast datasets; minimal additional training needed for new scenarios.

Personalisation

Traditional Chatbots:

Offer minimal or no personalised responses; treat all users similarly.

AI-driven IVAs:

Leverage user data and context to provide personalised recommendations, responses, and interactions tailored to the individual.

Error Handling

Traditional Chatbots:

Fail when presented with unexpected inputs or complex queries outside their script.

AI-driven IVAs:

More resilient to diverse or unexpected queries, capable of reinterpreting and re-routing conversations intelligently.

Integration with Business Logic

Traditional Chatbots:

Require hardcoded logic to connect with business systems, often cumbersome and brittle.

AI-driven IVAs:

Easily integrate with business processes, using APIs and real-time data to provide contextual and accurate information or actions.

Why More Industries are Getting Results Using AI-driven iVA’s

Industries are increasingly adopting AI-driven Intelligent Virtual Assistants (IVAs) due to their ability to enhance customer engagement, streamline operations, and reduce costs. Unlike traditional chatbots, IVAs can handle complex, multi-turn conversations and adapt to evolving customer needs with minimal human intervention.

These assistants excel in delivering personalised, real-time responses, improving customer satisfaction and loyalty. Additionally, they can scale effortlessly across various touch points, making them ideal for businesses looking to automate support, sales, and routine tasks.

Key Benefits for Businesses: