Here are some ways in which conversational AI can bring about a digital revolution in the healthcare sector and enhance the citizen-to-government engagement. By Kartik Walia
The novel Coronavirus has grabbed an large-scale attention across the globe. However, it also needs an effective solution of an equal scale to build awareness, bust myths and educate everyone about maintaining health and distance. The solution needs to be customised to cater to the audience being spoken to in different parts of the country, and even the world. Various government and health organisations have a huge responsibility here of keeping the public informed and educated about the preventive measures, a guide on the next steps to tackle infection, and enforce lockdown rules on a large scale.
The sudden and fast-spreading crisis has put all organisations and their communication measures to test. It now encourages governments and agencies to think beyond the traditional media (radio, TV, print) and basic one-way information-disseminating websites and to fully leverage cutting-edge technology that will reach and engage the audience from metros to rural cities using smartphones and the internet. And one such technology that has enabled authorities to build awareness and enhance their responsiveness to this mega-crisis is — Conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is the set of technologies behind automated messaging and speech-enabled applications that offer human-like interactions between computers and humans.
At the forefront of creating deep and engaging conversations via media interactions, conversational AI has proven itself to be of immense value in the current crisis with vast potential as a new powerful form of two-way communication. It enables brands to overcome the difficulties and limitations that they face while communicating digitally with their customers and always be accessible and consistent across multi-platforms.
The need
False information about Coronavirus has been spreading faster than the virus itself. And has further given rise to concerns, questions, and requests for more information. It made its way to the top of search terms and trending topics on social media and has created a paranoia everywhere. Nefarious parties on social media add fuel to the fire with the escalated spreading of misinformation. There is a need to put an end to misconceptions regarding the outbreak and its risks, symptoms, and statistics, and disseminate real-time, up-to-date information on the ways to tackle it. It is very clear that the COVID-19 pandemic has strangely changed our work and life culture globally. Traditional forms of communication or mass-broadcasting were not as effective as the reach was still restricted with publications slowing down or even closing during the lockdown, call centres employees being restricted to their homes for safety purposes. The speed of disseminating relevant information as the news and updates too kept changing quickly and what was being shared soon became stale. Even the text-based notifications executed by certain local authorities were not effectively reaching their target audience, leaving a large part of the population living amid outdated or erroneous information. Apart from this, many companies faced problems while communicating with their customers due to the lockdown.
How it comes to rescue
The importance and effectiveness of Conversational AI have always been spoken about in the ecosystem. In fact, before the pandemic, a Gartner report from July 2019 stated that by 2025, customer-service organisations that embed AI in their multi-channel customer engagement platform will elevate operational efficiency by 25 per cent. The Conversational AI platforms have also helped authorities in disseminating information and solving crises across borders in real-time, enabling the pro-active distribution of real-time information, receiving feedback, evaluating needs, and anticipating outbreaks. These platforms are not restricted to linguistic barriers and support healthcare authorities and government in engaging in meaningful conversations and offering emergency services in times of the pandemic. From automated patient outreach to patient engagement and reminders, and providing the right drug information, the conversational AI can act as a complete remote medical equipment kit.
The best use of technology is when it can help enhance a human’s productivity and efficiency. In these unprecedented times, Conversational AI has also enabled call centres to deploy minimum human agents to maintain social distancing norms while functioning itself at the forefront of this battle. To fight back COVID-19, the Indian government deployed a conversational AI-based virtual assistant through MyGov, a government-to-citizen digital infrastructure, with more than half a billion users. This unique engagement solution is discoverable on the website (www.mygov.in) via webchat, on Google Search, Maps, Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp. Not only were these services accessed by millions of users across India but they were also accessed by people around the world that were monitoring the rapidly changing pandemic.
Redefine the communication ways
Brands are also leveraging Conversational AI to redefine the way they communicate with consumers as their focus moves further into digital with always-on, real-time, and interactive experiences. These changes spurred on by the pandemic will become part of the new normal for digital communication. This shift is happening across the customer journey, from driving user acquisition to sharing updates about their orders, products, and promotions, Conversational AI superpowers are enabling natural language-driven, self-service engagement.
Well, the tool has certainly been a powerful one to help combat the COVID-19 pandemic. It has proven it’s utility at scale, working to address the concerns of millions of citizens around the world while personalising the experience along the way, keeping millions informed and at ease, and most importantly, safe. It has brought about a digital revolution in the healthcare services and enhance the citizen-to-government engagement. It opens a lot of opportunities for government and healthcare authorities to tap into the power of Conversational AI to vastly improve the dissemination of important information and to engage constituents in interactive experiences that will enrich and empower citizens around the world.
(The writer is Head of Operations, India, Amplify.ai.)
