Smart Virtual Assistant: It’s no secret that the world is transitioning towards a digital transformation of majestic proportions.
The advancement of technologies such as cloud computing, Big Data, artificial intelligence, and derivatives is already changing the ways of communication, entertainment, and work. One of the technologies encompassed by this transformation is the intelligent virtual assistant.
The possibility of being able to search, control devices and carry out functions just using voice commands is no longer something from futuristic movies and is in our hands.
Technology giants such as Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Samsung are developing artificial intelligence solutions that allow people to search and execute voice commands, providing more security and generating opportunities for companies.
In this text, you will understand more about virtual assistants and some of the advantages this technology brings to people and companies.
After All, What Is A Smart Virtual Assistant?
Have you ever used “Ok Google” to search on your smartphone? Or chatted with Siri on your iPhone? So, you have already had your first contact with an intelligent virtual assistant, this technology that has a promising future. Although the most recurrent use is for searching, these software are becoming increasingly sophisticated.
Thanks to machine learning, or machine learning, virtual assistants are perfecting themselves autonomously. As it is used, the algorithm is refined to get closer to each user’s wishes, delivering better and better answers.
This improvement makes virtual assistants leave the scope of smartphones and become solutions for companies and autonomous homes, the famous voice user interfaces.
In a house, for example, the intelligent virtual assistant can perform functions such as lighting control, door locking, control of electronic devices, and even home appliances. Integrating the Internet of Things, cloud, and artificial intelligence offers a wealth of material for developing virtual assistants.
What Are The Most Popular Virtual Assistants?
Although studies related to the development of virtual assistants permeate the world’s leading institutions and development companies, most are based on the most popular ones developed by technology giants. Check it out below.
Alexa
Inspired by the computer from the Star Trek series, Alexa is the most popular and widely used virtual assistant outside Brazil. It is integrated with an Amazon Echo smart speaker.
It presents a version aimed at the business world, with tools that help improve a corporation’s productivity by scheduling meetings, managing videoconferences, and mechanical actions, such as opening and closing blinds.
Crab
Famous for its unusual answers to subjective questions, such as life dilemmas or love problems, Apple’s Siri virtual assistant is available on all brand devices.
Google Assistant
While Apple and Amazon have given quasi-human names to their tools, Google hasn’t been as creative with its Google Assistant. However, the lack of creativity is only in the name, as the application is one of the most refined.
With the launch of Google Home, an accessory released in May 2016 with similar functionality to the Echo, Google began to pitch itself as a competitor to Amazon in virtual assistants for the home.
Cortana
With less appeal than competitors, even because its smartphone operating system is not licensed, Microsoft has launched its virtual assistant, Cortana, which is present on PCs with Windows 10.
Like the previous ones, it can be integrated into a smart speaker, the Invoke, but it is far from the popularity and technology of its competitors.
Bixby
In addition to bringing the Google model via Android, Samsung smartphones gained a virtual assistant from Bixby, which was implemented in the S8 and S8+ models. Despite being tested and perfected only on mobile devices, Samsung plans to implement it as a domestic assistant in branded refrigerators.
As it could not be otherwise, the Korean brand could not stay out of the trend of smart speakers and launched Otto, which has advanced features of facial recognition and a camera and promises to invest heavily to compete with market leaders, Alexa and Google Home.
What Are The Advantages Of Smart Virtual Assistants?
We’ve already seen that smart virtual assistants are changing how people use their smartphones and even their home routine. However, its benefits do not stop there.
The business world is taking advantage of the development of these technologies, combining them with internal processes and the demands of emerging consumers. Check out some of the benefits corporations have with virtual assistants.
Cost Reduction
With an increasingly demanding and participatory consumer, companies have to dedicate themselves to customer service systems. This represents expenses not only with equipment and software but also with hiring, training, overtime, etc.
As virtual assistants are capable of answering countless questions and even solving technical problems with virtual assistants, companies can reduce their operating expenses related to customer service, being able to reallocate investment in other sectors of their core business.
Personalization Of Calls
The virtual assistant refines its performance according to the user’s preferences, main searches, requests, etc. This ensures the consumer has the best service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
This personalization is enhanced thanks to the diversity of channels, which increases availability and the possibility of capturing data and aligning the algorithms with the users’ routines.
Virtual assistants will be on PCs, tablets, smartphones, televisions, smart speakers, and home appliances. Even with this diversity, the data will be centralized, allowing the improvement of Machine Learning.
Practicality
We live in the age of practicality, where people want to do everything quickly and easily, whether it’s a search, asking a question, buying, running an application, etc. Intelligent virtual assistants bring all these facilities and, if well explored by companies, can help them to build even more customer loyalty.
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