Pegasystems Launches Pega Self-Service Advisor

Pegasystems bolstered its software package today with the Pega Self-Service Advisor, a tool that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to determine customers' intentions and quickly present them with follow-up options based on their browsing patterns. The feature aims to surface only the most important content and actions in a simplified view, allowing businesses to cut down the number of navigational steps a customer must go through to accomplish their desired tasks

According to Jeff Nicholson, vice president of CRM product marketing at Pegasystems, many companies tend to offer self-service functions on their websites to reduce the number of service calls they receive. But these companies often find that customers get confused, have trouble finding the sections they want to consult, and get frustrated with toggling between an overwhelming number of available resources. The greater the effort customers must exert to figure out how to use a product or solve a problem, the more likely they are to look for the answer elsewhere—whether with a competitor or on another channel—or give up altogether.

"It shouldn't be up to you as the customer, or as the employee, to look up data and find information from across an enterprise or a website," Nicholson holds. "In the new world, Pega believes that insight should go and find you, at the precise moment, in your context, for the purpose and moment that you're in."

Pega's Self-Service Advisor aims to keep customers on track by bringing the answers to them, rather than having them search for them. The system applies the company's AI engine to analyze past engagements and behavioral data across digital properties and then predict what the user hopes to accomplish next. Both mobile and web customers can click a "Need Help" button to access a dynamic pop-up screen that presents them with personalized links and options gathered from different parts of the site in one place.

The capability can be useful to customers in a number of areas, including paying outstanding bills, making purchases on new items, or changing existing orders, for instance. Bank customers who have noticed an unauthorized charge to their account can access the screen to make a dispute claim, view a video clip on how to prevent fraud, or chat with an expert who can meet them where they are. Similarly, a patient with a scheduled doctor's appointment can potentially change the date and time of the meeting, consult a set of health tips, or turn to an informed manager for further assistance.

"The experience is brought to you, and wrapped around you as an individual, versus the other way around," Nicholson says. "It's a win-win for both sides—faster resolutions for the individual, and lower costs for the contact center.

"While organizations may have wanted to make available capabilities like this through self-service sites, in the past they've had to re-architect that entire experience to be able to do that," Nicholson adds. Typically, that is a costly endeavor. He says that the add-on installation can be deployed easily and within minutes, with minimal coding and configuration requirements that don't call for elaborate consultations with IT professionals.

The addition is available as part of Pega's Customer Service application and is powered by its Customer Decision Hub.

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