If your business is suffering from the loss of humans who handle your customer service or other processes, consider that a digital human or digital capability might be able to streamline your interaction with your customers and your operation.

Over 4.4 Million people resigned their jobs in September of this year – a record high.  This sudden exodus of people from the workforce has been dubbed “The Great Resignation.”   While the reasons for resignations vary, it is clear that the wants and needs of the workforce are changing and employers need to adapt.

Many employers are learning to make do with fewer employees, which requires redesigning processes so they are not dependent on people. This is where digital humans have an opportunity to shine – not only by filling the open positions, but also by improving and streamlining process, making the work experience more efficient for all. At NTT DATA, digital humans are being integrated into customer service processes to handle situations that were once only managed by humans.

So, what is a digital human?  A digital human is a representation of the human form.  Similar to the humans in video games and animation, digital humans are created using the latest in motion capture technology and photorealist facial scans.  How these “humans” respond is created by algorithms that mimic human behavior.

For example, the video below demonstrates how Mia, the digital human, interacts with people looking to purchase a Kia.  Mia was first introduced for Kia in an airport kiosk where she would inform curious buyers of the features of Kia Motors’ first electric car.  Today, that same digital human interfaces with people in Kia showrooms.  Tomorrow, we can imagine her as part of the car itself – giving instructions, warning of hazards or system failures.

Mia is a unique digital human in that she is gifted with memory, can read facial expressions, and respond to people appropriately.  Because she is based on AI deep learning algorithms, she continues to learn from each interaction.  She never gets tired, is always patient, and knows her limits.  When she can’t respond appropriately, she will hand a customer over to a live human.

Here’s Mia in action:

But Mia is just the next generation of digital capabilities that are being deployed worldwide today.  Chatbots, for example, have been answering your questions for years.  And integrating AI algorithms to chatbot technology gives customer service a new capability – the ability to continue to learn from customer interactions.

The best of the chatbot technology is designed to solve the customer’s problem.  It doesn’t just respond to the question asked.  This takes a new kind of look at AI and the data required for digital humans, or even chatbots, to respond appropriately.  Look at this digital human interaction designed to help a telecom company handle bill payments in stores. Notice how the interaction is more than just answering “Why is my bill so high?”

If you are interested in applying digital human or chatbot technology to your customer service process, here are a few actions you might take:

1. Clearly define the process into which a digital capability will be applied.
2. Ensure that the data that supports your process is accurate, internally consistent, and accessible to those people and applications managing the process.
3. Enlist support of consultants or systems integrators that understand process design, digital transformation, and the innovative capabilities that are available to you. No business is too small or too big to begin incorporating this capability.

If your business is suffering from the loss of humans who handle your customer service or other processes, consider that a digital human or digital capability might be able to streamline your interaction with your customers and your operation.

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