Virtual Agents
A virtual agent (sometimes called an intelligent virtual agent (IVA), virtual rep, or chatbot) is a software program that uses scripted rules and, increasingly, Artificial Intelligence applications to provide automated service or guidance to humans. Virtual agents are most commonly used by organizations in their customer service functions to answer routine customer queries, fulfill standard requests, and/or handle simple problems. For example, virtual agents are often used for initial customer interactions with call centers or click-to-chat features on websites. Virtual agents are also used in some organizations to handle employee-driven needs. For example, virtual agents are commonly deployed within the IT function to provide help desk-type services, such as employee requests for resetting computer passwords. They can also be used in organizations to guide employees through work tasks or processes. In this way, a virtual agent is akin to a digital assistant, an applicat...