Virtual Agent - Tips for Implementation success

Nabil Asbi · ‎10-22-2020

How to start with Virtual Agent?

The recommended approach is to think big and start small, allowing for any adjustments and iterations before going full-scale. Please see the below diagram outlining how to start small with VA, and how to scale up once you’ve defined the strategy that is right for your organization.

How many topics should I go live with?

There is no exact number. Try to start with a small, manageable number of topics so that you’re able to collect and incorporate feedback into the initial topic set. Having many topics in the first iteration makes it difficult to incorporate recommended changes from gathered feedback. Also, try to leverage the out-of-box topics as much as possible in this initial phase. From there, you can better determine which additional topics will best meet the needs of the organization.

Should I use NLU or Keyword?

It is recommended to start with keywords as this approach gives you more time to focus on the topic quality and its effectiveness. When you start with a small number of topics, it won’t matter if you are using NLU since the user will have only a few options. NLU will become crucial when you start scaling up your Virtual Agent to handle more topics, as natural language discovery will provide a more intuitive experience.

How do I design a good conversation flow?

Be succinct, straight to the point, focus on the topic outcome, and don’t continue trying to resolve the user’s request if it is not directly supported within the topic. A poor user experience is one in which the user gets stuck in loops and is forced to answer many seemingly unrelated questions. If the request is not supported, the Fallback topic is designed to provide suitable options. It is recommended to also define what the outcome of each topic should be. For example, a topic could provide the user with a way to search for a knowledge article, complete a request, redirect to another system, or guide the user through a process. For each of these topic types, it is good practice to use focus or testing groups to determine at which point the user should have the option to leave the topic if their request is not fully supported. To accomplish this, you may want to provide options to connect with a live agent, search knowledge, or create a request. It is also recommended to avoid too-customized greetings and loops as these should be handled by the setup topics.

How do I get users to start using Virtual Agent?

Change management typically occurs across both users and admins when considering Virtual Agent’s impact on the business. User adoption is the most obvious candidate for change management; however, a great user experience starts with the analysis done by admins to determine which topics make the most sense for Virtual Agent to handle, and which topic categories are the most requested among users. The first step is to find the users’ most common channels: do they use their phone or an app from their mobile device, collaborative workspaces, the company portal, walkup, or prefer to chat with Live Agent? Second, admins must determine the most common asks that occur in each of these channels, and decide which of these asks make the most sense to create Virtual Agent topics to address these routine and repetitive requests. Once you’ve established your initial list of topics, it is recommended to create awareness campaigns in these channels to educate users on what your Virtual Agent can handle, typically at a much faster speed than previous channels. You also may want to invest in branding Virtual Agent with a name or a unique moniker so that users quickly become familiar with your new Assistant, and can easily refer to it when sharing their experience with peer groups. It is also helpful to launch any new topics around routine events, such as software migrations, tax season, benefits enrollment, performance and compensation reviews, and anything new to your organization so that users can freshly navigate to Virtual Agent for their related questions and requests. Analysis and creativity are the keys to a successful launch and establishment that Virtual Agent is a resourceful, reliable channel available to users 24x7.

How should structure my greeting topic?

First impressions are important. As such, having a personalized, smart greeting helps to set the expectation of what the Virtual Agent can and cannot do. Your greeting message also sets the tone of Virtual Agent, and how well Virtual Agent appears to know the user. Generic greeting messages can leave the user confused and wondering if Virtual Agent is equipped to handle their request. It is recommended that you personalize the greeting message, in conjunction with the Show Me Everything topic list menu, to optimize the user experience. Some ideas may include adding the user’s first name, their location, or any relevant organizational announcements.

I am not using the setup topics, but should I?

YES, we can’t emphasize enough how important it is to use these powerful topics. It can save weeks of work. The setup topics are there to help the Virtual Agent admin govern and keep the experience consistent. The setup topics run at crucial moments during the user’s interaction with Virtual Agent; such as displaying the greeting message when a conversation is first initiated, displaying the fallback message when the ask is not part of the Virtual Agent topic library, and when a system error happens or before transferring to live agent.

Do I need to have the intent and topic in the same scope?

Not necessary, but it is recommended to have the topic and the corresponding model contained within the domain the same scope. As a rule of thumb, setup topics should be created in the Global scope. For domain-specific topics, such as ITSM, HR, and CSM, you can decide whether you want to build these topics using the delivered scopes or use the Global scope. One thing to note is the builders are designed to work with the domain scopes. For example, if you build an HR-specific topic that contains an HR case creation step in the topic flow in the Global scope, the link to the newly created HR case will not open in the portal view. However, if you create this same topic in the HR Virtual Agent scope, the link to the newly created HR case will open in the portal view. It is also recommended to use scopes if different teams are creating and maintaining various topics in their respective domains.

What type of branding and tone should I use for Virtual Agent?

Virtual Agent should reflect the tone and tempo of your organization, and provide basic knowledge of the user at a minimum. More emphasis on Virtual Agent’s personality can greatly increase user adoption, especially if the user is presented with helpful information specific to them as they initiate a conversation. Colors and images also help Virtual Agent stand out on the portal, especially if the portal contains colorful images and infolets. It is not uncommon for Virtual Agent to have a name so that users have something to refer to Virtual Agent to as they share their helpful experiences with peers. If you are deploying Virtual Agent across multiple internal domains such as HR and IT, it is recommended to coordinate on tone and branding to promote a consistent experience.

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