September 26, 2018

Google Enhances Dialogflow for More Intelligent Contact Centers

by Nicole Speciale

Summary: Google is adding AI-powered virtual agents, analytics, natural language understanding (NLU), and more to its Dialogflow offering. Google also introduced its new Contact Center AI, which builds upon Dialogflow features with additional tools specifically designed for improving contact center function. In addition to unveiling technological aspects, Google announced its partnerships with fourteen vendors to enhance its platform, tools, and integration.

Event: On July 24, 2018, Google announced key details of its Dialogflow updates, and how Google Cloud is transforming contact center.

Google introduced its new Contact Center AI, which builds upon Dialogflow features.

Analysis

Artificial intelligence is now a key component of contact center platforms and offers substantial benefits for both the customer and service ends. Demand for integrations and customization is strong: users want to be able to update their platforms quickly and use them with their integrations of choice. Customizable features, like virtual agents, are another way that enterprises are able to streamline features to meet their specific needs and capabilities and those of the client bases they serve.

Dialogflow Enterprise Edition

Google’s new enhancements to Dialogflow Enterprise Edition allow users to build custom virtual agents, powered by artificial intelligence. The new Phone Gateway allows customers to create natural language understanding (NLU) use cases that can be enabled via telephony for a more natural method for customers to engage with Dialogflow. In addition, the new Knowledge Connectors allow customers to connect this telephony gateway and traditional chat interfaces to a company’s knowledge base. This enables custom virtual agents to respond to customers based on the knowledge base. The Knowledge Connectors allow Dialogflow to more closely simulate a real agent.

Google also announced the addition of sentiment analysis via its Cloud Natural Language API. Newer technologies like sentiment analysis, which uses AI technology to extract emotion and attitudes in real time, can help virtual and live-agents provide more tailored responses based on the sentiment of the conversation. Equipped with this technology, contact centers can improve the customer journeys of those they serve.

Google Cloud Contact Center AI

Contact Center AI, which Aragon sees as part of the intelligent contact center (ICC) market, addresses enterprise demand for integrating live support, automation, and analytics. This offering includes the new Dialogflow features as well but has additional features—like Agent Assist (assisting live agents with real-time article and answer suggestions) and call handling logic—that specifically address contact center needs. Part of Google’s plan is to advocate for fair and trustworthy technology practices and adopt a human-centered design.

Google’s Conversational Topic Modeler, driven by Google AI, can analyze batch audio and chat data to reveal insights and trends which can be leveraged offline to improve contact center operations. Insights about the customer base and its relative needs can also be directed towards the development of customized virtual agents specific to a contact center. The partners, listed below, have played a large role in integration with Cloud Contact Center AI.

Strategic Partnering

Google has partnered with a range of vendors on several fronts. These partnerships strategically address one of three areas: platform, tools, or integration. Google has announced partnerships with the following vendors:

Appian
Chatbase
Cisco
Deloitte
Five9
Genesys
KPMG
Mitel
Quantiphi
RingCentral
Twilio
UiPath
Upwire
Vonage
Voximplant

Google has also selected a handful of partners—including Cisco, Five9, and Genesys—to promote responsible Cloud AI usage. This is part of Google’s plan to advocate for fair and trustworthy technology practices.

Aragon Advisory

Enterprises should evaluate Google’s contact center offering, along with others.
Enterprises should also take security precautions and be aware of both the risks and benefits with any use of the cloud.
Enterprises would be wise to leverage and integrate AI technology with their contact center platforms.

Bottom Line

Contact center must evolve to keep up with the needs and market demand. Currently, this involves practices that simplify service requests, thus enhancing customer journeys and saving time for both the agent and the client. As more AI is added to the contact center, agents will be better equipped for resolving issues, and the time they save from task automation can be directed towards other efforts that can maintain customers for life.

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