How to choose the right virtual agent for your business?

Virtual coworkers are becoming the new norm to improve customer support and operational efficiency for any modern business. Especially in e-commerce, because it can be a valuable way to diversify your online store. But with quite a lot of different AI tools on the market, which one is the right one for you? And what’s the difference between the different tools? Look no further, this article has all the right answers for you.

Key takeaways on selecting the perfect virtual agent

When you're looking for a virtual coworker, it's best to start with assessing your business needs. Whether it’s upgrading customer support, reducing costs, or improving engagement. Based on your goals you can look for specific capabilities such as adaptability, natural language processing (NLP), and integration possibilities with a variety of systems and company data. 

These possibilities ensure the virtual coworker can handle complex queries and deliver accurate, natural responses. Consider scalability, flexibility, and the quality of onboarding and support provided to guarantee a smooth integration process. 

The right virtual coworker can improve customer satisfaction, boost operational efficiency, increase employee happiness, and provide valuable data-driven insights. Regular performance reviews are also crucial to optimize results, increase ROI and keep your virtual coworker aligned with your evolving business goals.

Curious to learn more? Let’s dive into the details. This article will guide you with all the information you need to make the best decision for your business.

What is a virtual coworker exactly? 

Essentially, a virtual coworker, or digital coworker, is a software solution designed to automate routine tasks, assist with finding and summarizing information, handle translations, and more—all to improve customer support. Digital coworkers, like Neople, act as digital colleagues, providing personalized, human-like interactions.

What are virtual agents capable of doing? 

Virtual coworkers can support plenty of tasks. Let’s have a look at how they can help customer service teams best: 

• Handling routine inquiries and tasks to free up human agents for more complex issues.
• Providing 24/7 support to meet the expectations of modern consumers.
• Managing a high volume of inquiries simultaneously, ensuring efficient customer interactions.
• Reducing errors and improving the accuracy of responses.
• Offering scalability to handle peak demands during busy periods.
• Integrating with different tools and systems to personalize and provide the most accurate responses.
• Offering multilingual support.
• Providing instant answers to common questions, significantly improving response and ticket handling times.

By deploying digital agents and integrating them with your business processes and tools, you can free up valuable human resources. This enables your support team to focus on more complex, value-driven tasks. The result? An increase in customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Key factors to consider when selecting a digital coworker

If you want to be sure you’re investing in the right virtual coworker solution, you need to make sure it suits your business needs. Here are a few factors to consider when choosing the right solution. 

Define business needs

Start by identifying your specific objectives. What are you looking to accomplish with a digital coworker? You can think of the following goals:

• Improve customer service response times
• Reduce operational costs
• Improve customer engagement
• Increase CSAT
• Increase employee happiness 

Understanding these goals will help you select a digital agent that aligns with your business priorities.

Evaluate technical capabilities

Not all solutions offer the same capabilities. Some are more in-depth than others. Here’s what to consider:

• Does the virtual agent work with natural language processing (NLP) to understand and respond to diverse customer queries? 
• How is machine learning applied for continuous improvement in response accuracy?
• What existing tools and systems does the solution work with? 

These capabilities are essential for handling complex queries and delivering precise responses.

Consider scalability and flexibility 

Besides the technical capabilities, it’s crucial to assess how scalable the solution is as your team grows and how flexible it remains when you switch to other tools, for example.

• Review integrations with your existing systems
• Review the capabilities to handle growing customer interactions
• Consider potential new requirements and systems you might use in the future

Adaptability is crucial for efficiency and effectiveness over time. 

Review onboarding support and service levels  

Adopting new technologies and AI within your team can be challenging, especially since many support teams fear job loss with the introduction of automation.

Here’s what to consider when choosing a solution:

• What level of support is given in the long run? 
• Do you get help with integrating the digital coworker in your workflows?
• How long does it take for the digital coworker to be up and running and do you get the support to make this as quick as possible? 

Service levels can make a huge difference in the success of your new virtual coworker.

Comparing different types of virtual agents

Digital agents come in various forms, each with its unique strengths and applications. Basic chatbots are suitable for handling simple, repetitive tasks, while more advanced digital agents like Neople offer a higher level of sophistication and personalization.

For businesses seeking to enhance customer support, digital agents with advanced AI capabilities are ideal. These agents can understand and respond to complex queries, provide personalized recommendations, and even predict customer behavior based on historical data. This level of intelligence is essential for businesses looking to improve customer satisfaction and retention.

If your primary goal is to automate routine tasks, a simpler digital agent may suffice. These agents can efficiently manage tasks such as data entry, order processing, and basic customer inquiries, freeing up human resources for more strategic activities.

Benefits of having the right digital colleague for your business

Integrating the right virtual coworker is a no-brainer. Seriously, they basically only come with benefits. Let’s explore the results you can expect.

• Increased customer satisfaction: By delivering quick and accurate responses to customer inquiries, digital agents help create a positive customer experience—crucial for building lasting relationships.
• Increased operational efficiency: Digital agents automate routine tasks, reducing the workload on your human team. This allows staff to focus on more complex, strategic initiatives, boosting productivity while minimizing the risk of human error.
• Improved employee happiness: By taking over repetitive, time-consuming tasks, digital agents free up employees to focus on more meaningful work. This not only enhances engagement and reduces stress but also increases job satisfaction, leading to higher employee retention.
• More data-driven insights: By analyzing customer interactions, virtual agents provide valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences. These insights empower businesses to make informed decisions and tailor their offerings to meet customer needs—an essential advantage in today’s fast-paced market.

How to assess the performance of a virtual agent?

Evaluating the performance of a virtual coworker is vital to ensure it meets your business objectives. Start by setting clear performance metrics, such as response time, customer satisfaction scores, and task completion rates. These metrics will help you evaluate the effectiveness and calculate the ROI of your investment. 

Regularly review these metrics and compare them against industry benchmarks and human performance to identify areas for improvement. Also make sure to gather feedback from customers and employees to gain insights into your virtual coworker’s performance and identify any potential issues.

Last but not least, it’s crucial to monitor how well the virtual coworker adapts to your evolving business needs. Track the percentage of its output used by your team and aim for consistent growth over time. The more interactions it handles, the better its performance and output will become.

Ultimately, hiring a virtual coworker should consistently deliver optimal results for both your business and your team. If it’s not, you might not have found the right solution yet.

How to integrate a virtual agent into your business?

Successfully integrating a digital colleague into your business processes requires careful planning and execution. Begin by pinpointing the specific tasks and processes the digital agent will manage. This will help you identify the necessary integrations with your existing systems and workflows.

Next, ensure the digital agent is trained to reflect your company’s tone of voice and brand values. This is essential for maintaining consistency in customer interactions and building trust with your audience. A great way to start is by having your virtual coworker interact with your team through internal communication channels. This allows for quick feedback and continuous performance improvements.

Finally, provide ongoing support and training for your team to ensure a smooth transition. Encourage collaboration between human employees and your digital colleague to maximize its potential and achieve the best results. 

By carefully selecting and integrating the right digital agent, you can improve your business operations and customer satisfaction, and build lasting relationships with your customers. 

Why Neople is your favorite digital coworker for support

At Neople we envision a future where people and technology collaborate naturally, making work more fulfilling and joyful. Our unique digital coworkers become a natural and indispensable part of your team, so your people will love to work with them.

We prioritize adoption over adding more tooling, which ensures that your team truly enjoys working with a Neople and gets trained to be the ideal digital colleague. A Neople is designed to provide support in multiple ways, so your team can focus on the work that truly matters. Such as building customer relationships and solving complex issues that require a human touch. 

Here’s what makes a Neople stand out as the ideal digital coworker for your support team:

• Consistent brand voice: A Neople learns and applies your tone of voice, ensuring every customer interaction feels authentic and on-brand, building trust and a memorable experience for customers.
• Always-on, multilingual support: Equipped to handle over 60 languages, a Neople is available 24/7 to help manage queries from diverse customer bases, providing immediate assistance wherever and whenever it’s needed.
• Ease of integration: A Neople works within your existing tools, meaning no new platforms to learn or juggle. They fit right into your workflows, delivering fast, accurate information and responses directly through your preferred channels.
• Scalable and adaptive: As your business grows, so does a Neople. They scale with your team and adapt to new requirements, whether you need them to manage seasonal peaks or handle evolving workflows.
• Engaging and easy to work with: A Neople brings a friendly, personable approach to AI, making them a coworker your team enjoys working with. They’re trained to feel like a trusted team member, not just another piece of tech.
• Dedicated support and training: We offer a managed service. Our customer success team supports you in every step of the way, ensuring your Neople is not only quickly onboarded but continuously optimized to meet your evolving needs.

If you choose to partner with us, your team can achieve higher customer satisfaction, boost productivity, and last but definitely not least, create an engaging experience for both your staff and customers. Curious about the results in numbers? Calculate your ROI here.

Want to know what your Neople will look like and understand how it’ll work with your support team? Plan a free 30-minute demo and we’ll show you exactly how they work.