Xerox Introduces New Virtual Customer Care Agent

WDS, a Xerox company, has introduced an intelligent, virtual customer care agent that it says can understand, diagnose, and solve customer queries in the same way a human agent would.

Drawing on artificial intelligence research from PARC, another Xerox company, and the Xerox Research Centre Europe (XRCE), the new WDS Virtual Agent manages customer care interactions by analyzing data and learning from its human colleagues. Silently listening, it detects how human agents diagnose customer problems and offer solutions. In doing this it quickly develops the intelligence it needs to understand and solve customer queries itself, without having to be programmed.

"Because many first-generation virtual agents rely on basic keyword searches, they aren't able to understand the context of a customer's question like a human agent can," said WDS' Nick Gyles, chief technology officer, in a statement. "The WDS Virtual Agent has the confidence to solve problems itself because it learns just like we do, through experience. The more care data it's exposed to, the more effective it becomes in delivering relevant and proven responses."

The WDS Virtual Agent provides a way for organizations to tap into the terabytes of data that exist in contact centers, including customer sentiment, described symptoms, problem types, root causes, and the techniques agents use to resolve customer problems.

"We've found a way for organizations to unlock that data potential to deliver benefit across their wider care channels," Gyles said. "No other virtual agent technology is able to deliver this consistency and connect intelligence from multiple sources to ensure that the digital experience is as reliable and authentic as a human one."

"Our technology helps overcome one of the key barriers brands face in trying to deliver a truly omnichannel care experience: the ability to be consistent. Digital care tools often lag behind the intelligence that resides in the contact center, with outdated content or no awareness of new problems. Our research in artificial intelligence is changing this," said Jean-Michel Renders, senior scientist at XRCE, in a statement. "With our machine learning technology, the WDS Virtual Agent has the ability to learn how to solve new problems as they arise across a company's wider care channels."

Delivered as a cloud-based solution, WDS Virtual Agent can be adapted to suit a brand by adjusting not only the avatar but also the response tone and manner.

WDS Virtual Agent will be available later this year.

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