• Home
  • Product
    • Capabilities
    • Technology
  • Industry Solutions
    • Telecommunication
    • Banking & Finance
    • Insurance
    • Healthcare
    • E-Commerce
  • About Us
    • Company
    • Join Us
  • Resources
    • Featured Article
      • English
      • Bahasa Indonesia
    • News
  • Home
  • Product
    • Capabilities
    • Technology
  • Industry Solutions
    • Telecommunication
    • Banking & Finance
    • Insurance
    • Healthcare
    • E-Commerce
  • About Us
    • Company
    • Join Us
  • Resources
    • Featured Article
      • English
      • Bahasa Indonesia
    • News
Schedule a Demo

  • Home
  • Product
    • Capabilities
    • Technology
  • Industry Solutions
    • Telecommunication
    • Banking & Finance
    • Insurance
    • Healthcare
    • E-Commerce
  • About Us
    • Company
    • Join Us
  • Resources
    • Featured Article
      • English
      • Bahasa Indonesia
    • News
Schedule a Demo

Artificial intelligence

03
Sep
Pengenalan Talkbot
Masa Depan Lead Generation
Jennifer Zhang

Jennifer Zhang

CEO & Co-Founder

Setiap bisnis memiliki cita-cita untuk menjaring pelanggan sebanyak-banyaknya. Masing-masing bisnis pun menggunakan strategi dan tools berbeda untuk mendapatkan pelanggan. Tapi, hampir semua strategi bisnis yang ada melibatkan pemantauan pasar dan mengumpulkan daftar calon pelanggan sebelum dihubungi oleh sales yang akhirnya melakukan aktivitas penjualan. 

Pada proses ini, calon pelanggan juga dikenal dengan istilah leads. Untuk mengumpulkan leads tersebut, perusahaan biasanya melakukan suatu proses yang dikenal dengan lead generation. Ada beberapa cara yang  digunakan oleh perusahaan untuk melakukan lead generation. Salah satu cara yang paling sering digunakan adalah melalui telepon dengan strategi yang disebut dengan cold calling. Sebuah survei dari Deloitte mengklaim bahwa pelanggan masih memilih komunikasi suara dibanding dengan metode komunikasi lainnya, terutama jika melibatkan hal-hal yang agak rumit. cold calling juga memberikan kemampuan bagi perusahaan untuk menjangkau calon pelanggan dengan cepat, yang nantinya memberikan kesempatan bagi perusahaan untuk mendapatkan respon dari calon pelanggan secara langsung dan lebih cepat. 

Sayangnya, walaupun cold calling terbilang efektif, strategi ini juga memiliki banyak kelebihan seperti kebutuhan resource perusahaan yang  besar, atau return of investment yang sulit diukur. Belum lagi, ketika telepon tidak dijawab oleh calon pelanggan. Jika hal ini, terjadi lead tersebut bisa dianggap hilang. Selain itu, mengingat potensi faktor kesalahan manusia atau human error, cold calling agak sulit untuk diandalkan. Bahkan agen call center terbaik pun memiliki waktu-waktu dimana mereka tidak mampu memberikan yang terbaik dalam melakukan pekerjaan, dan bisa saja saat itu adalah waktu yang baik untuk mengumpulkan leads. Jadi dapat disimpulkan, menggunakan cold calling untuk lead generation seringkali efektif. Tapi, kadang sulit diandalkan dan tidak efisien, terlebih lagi ketika kesalahan manusia atau human error menjadi faktor utama. 

Dengan kemajuan teknologi, berbagai solusi untuk aktivitas lead generation mulai bermunculan. Chatbot misalnya. Dengan adanya teknologi kecerdasan buatan, dibantu dengan teknologi-teknologi penunjang lainnya, pengembang sekarang mampu membuat alat futuristik yang dapat dengan mudah menjangkau pelanggan dengan otomatis. Selain itu, dengan sistem dan mesin yang presisi faktor kesalahan manusia dapat diminimalisasi, yang artinya efisiensi dan reliabilitas proses lead generation dapat dipastikan. 

Namun, sehebat-hebatnya teknologi chatbot, masih banyak kekurangan yang dimiliki chatbot. Salah satu contoh, chatbot merupakan alat komunikasi berbasis text, jadi sangat mungkin pesan yang dikirimkan chatbot diabaikan oleh pelanggan. Selain itu, chatbot juga tidak memiliki kemampuan untuk mengklasifikasi leads untuk memilih leads mana yang memiliki nilai dan kualitas baik, atau sebaliknya. Chatbot juga dapat terlihat kaku saat berinteraksi dengan calon pelanggan. Chatbot memang dapat mengotomasi beberapa tugas yang mudah. Tapi, hasil yang diberikan masih jauh dari memuaskan. Lalu apakah ada teknologi yang menggabungkan efektifitas cold calling dengan efisiensi yang dimiliki chatbot?

Lead Generation yang efektif dan efisien

Untuk menjawab masalah ini, beberapa perusahan pengembangan teknologi kepintaran buatan seperti WIZ.AI menghadirkan teknologi Talkbot, yaitu teknologi kecerdasan buatan untuk percakapan suara atau conversational voice AI. Talkbot merupakan conversational voice AI assistant yang dapat mengotomasi pekerjaan-pekerjaan kompleks yang dilakukan lewat percakapan telepon, termasuk lead generation. Sistem AI talkbot dibangun secara komprehensif dengan kemampuan untuk menghubungi beberapa calon pelanggan sekaligus. Dibuat dengan teknologi mutakhir seperti Natural Language Processing, Text to Speech, Speech to Text, dan teknologi-teknologi lainnya, talkbot dapat berinteraksi dengan calon pelanggan secara natural layaknya manusia. Hal ini juga membantu talkbot mengidentifikasi leads dengan kualitas tinggi. Artinya, dengan talkbot, perusahaan dapat memastikan proses lead generation yang lebih baik, yang nantinya akan menghasilkan leads yang lebih baik dari segi kualitas dan kuantitas leads yang didapatkan. 

Talkbot juga mengurangi kebutuhan perusahaan dalam menggunakan stafnya untuk pekerjaan yang bersifat repetitif. Staf-staf tersebut akan lebih berguna pada pekerjaan-pekerjaan yang lebih penting seperti melakukan penjualan, atau membantu pelanggan yang membutuhkan bantuan langsung terkait kendala yang mereka alami. Saat pekerjaan-pekerjaan kecil yang repetitif dapat di handle oleh talkbot, proses lead generation akan menjadi lebih efisien. Talkbot juga mampu mengkonsolidasi seluruh best practice yang dibutuhkan dalam proses lead generation, sehingga tidak ada tenaga, waktu, dan kesempatan yang terbuang percuma saat melakukan lead generation. 

Lebih hebatnya lagi, seluruh pencapaian dapat dilakukan secara konsisten karena AI tidak merasakan stress ketika harus melakukan suatu pekerjaan berkali kali. Ini berarti talkbot dapat secara konsisten menghasilkan leads dengan kualitas tinggi. Selain itu, Talkbot juga merekam seluruh percakapan dengan calon pelanggan. Setiap informasi dari panggilan yang berhasil akan digunakan untuk mengembangkan talkbot lebih baik lagi, sehingga hasil pekerjaan dari talkbot akan menjadi lebih baik dari waktu ke waktu. 

Talkbot bukan hanya teknologi masa depan yang keren dan berguna untuk dimiliki, tapi juga merupakan masa depan lead generation yang dapat membantu perusahaan untuk melakukan lead generation secara efektif, efisien, dan secara konsisten menjadi lebih secara terus menerus.


30
Aug
Pengenalan Talkbot
Istilah-istilah yang sering digunakan dalam teknologi Conversational Voice AI
Jennifer Zhang

Jennifer Zhang

CEO & Co-Founder

Terlepas dari ketenarannya yang meroket, Conversational Voice AI, atau Kecerdasan Artifisial yang mampu berkomunikasi secara verbal, belum benar-benar mendapatkan perhatian dari industri. Masih banyak yang belum paham bahasa-bahasa yang digunakan dalam dunia Voice AI. Artikel ini akan membahas bahasa, istilah, maupun singkatan terkait Voice AI. 

Conversational Voice Artificial Intelligence: Kecerdasan Artifisial yang mampu berkomunikasi secara verbal

Untuk memahami tentang hal-hal lain terkait Voice AI ada baiknya kita memahami apa itu Conversational Voice Artificial Intelligence atau yang juga dikenal sebagai Voice AI. Conversational Voice Artificial Intelligence terdiri dari beberapa hal yang dikenal dengan nama Voice Activated Machine atau teknologi yang dapat diaktifkan lewat suara seperti Siri dari apple, Google Home  Assistant, Alexa milik Amazon, atau Talkbots buatan WIZ.AI. Teknologi Voice AI ini memiliki fungsi yang mirip dengan chatbot yang biasanya menyapa anda ketika mengunjungi sebuah situs. 

Dalam penggunaan Conversational Voice Artificial Intelligence pengguna tidak hanya dapat mengaktifkan teknologi tersebut dengan suara atau memberikan pertanyaan, Voice AI juga memiliki kemampuan untuk berbincang dengan pengguna dengan suara dan respons yang realistis layaknya manusia. Kemampuan unik yang dimiliki Kecerdasan Artifisial untuk memahami respons pengguna dengan konteks dan gaya bahasa tertentu ini mampu dicapai lewat teknologi Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Natural Language Understanding, dan Text to Speech Engine. Dengan memadukan teknologi-teknologi tersebut, pengguna dapat memiliki pengalaman berinteraksi yang natural dengan Kecerdasan Artifisial seperti saat berinteraksi dengan seseorang. 


Apa itu Machine Learning?

Machine Learning atau Pembelajaran Mesin merupakan bagian dari dunia Kecerdasan Buatan yang fokus pada penggunaan data dan algoritma untuk melatih mesin (Kecerdasan Buatan) mengimitasi manusia. Dalam hal ini, Machine Learning digunakan untuk melatih voice AI untuk dapat memberikan respon lebih akurat kepada pengguna. 


Mengenal Lebih Jelas Natural Language Processing (NLP)

Natural Language Processing (NLP) merupakan teknologi yang berfokus pada interaksi antara komputer (Mesin/AI) dengan bahasa yang digunakan manusia, yang dikenal dengan natural language. NLP memperbolehkan mesin untuk memahami bahasa tersebut, dalam bentuk lisan maupun tulisan (Speech Recognition). NLP juga memberikan komputer kemampuan untuk mengerti konteks sebuah percakapan serta gaya bahasa dari respon yang diberikan pengguna. kemampuan ini dikenal dengan istilah Intent Recognition atau kemampuan untuk mengenali niat dan maksud dari pengguna. Selain digunakan pada teknologi Speech Recognition, NLP merupakan aspek fundamental Kecerdasan Artifisial yang memberikan  komputer kemampuan untuk memahami ucapan manusia, mengolah informasi dari ucapan tersebut, dan menghasilkan informasi penting secara efisien. 


Lalu apa bedanya NLP dengan Natural Language Understanding (NLU) ?

Sebenarnya. Natural Language Understanding (NLU) adalah subtopik dari Natural Language Processing yang menggunakan sintaksis (tata kalimat) dan aturan gramatikal pada suatu bahasa untuk memahami respon yang diberikan oleh pengguna, termasuk konteks dari respon tersebut. NLU melibatkan proses seperti sentiment analysis dimana suatu kalimat dianalisa untuk mengetahui sentimen yang terkandung di dalamnya (bisa positif, negatif, atau neutral). Sering digunakan pada survei atau review pelanggan, teknologi NLU mampu memproses data secara cepat dan efisien, sekaligus juga memberikan pengetahuan yang lebih dalam sesuai dengan konteks dan sentimen saat melakukan analisa. NLU juga mampu mengkategorisasi informasi sesuai topik. Dalam aplikasinya di call center misalanya, NLU dapat memastikan bahwa pengguna dilanjutkan ke agen call center yang tepat tergantung kebutuhan layanan pelanggan yang dibutuhkan. 


Fungsi Text To Speech (TTS) Dalam Memabangun Personalized Experience

Text to speech (TTS) melibatkan penggunaan suara manusia untuk menghasilkan lafalan yang realistis dari tulisan menjadi kata-kata yang diucapkan. Salah satu contoh penggunaan TTS pada Kecerdasan Buatan untuk sistem Customer Service dapat dilihat saat nomor telepon pelanggan (yang spesifik bagi penelepon, dan berbeda untuk orang lain) harus disebutkan di dalam panggilan telepon untuk memberikan pengalaman personal bagi pelanggan. Pastinya akan sangat sulit jika harus meminta seorang pengisi suara untuk membacakan seluruh kombinasi nomor dalam pembuatan nomor identifikasi. Untuk itu, teknologi TTS mempercepat proses tersebut dengan kemampuannya untuk mengubah tulisan menjadi rekaman suara. Selain itu, teknologi TTS sederhana tetap membutuhkan usaha yang besar untuk membuat suara robot terdengar realistis dan natural, karena intonasi dan sentimen yang selalu ada pada percakapan kita sehari-hari. Karena itulah, bermunculan pengembang  yang memuat suara Voice AI Takbit terdengar lebih natural.


Membuat Transkripsi Secara Efisien Dengan Teknologi Speech to Text (STT)

Berbalik dengan teknologi Text to Speech, Speech to Text merupakan teknologi yang mengubah ucapan menjadi text atau dikenal dengan istilah transkripsi. Dalam teknologi call center. proses ini dikenal juga dengan nama Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR), yang artinya “mencatat” atau “membuat transkripsi” panggilan telepon. Dengan adanya teknologi yang secara otomatis mentranskripsi panggilan telepon menjadi teks, akan lebih mudah bagi perusahaan untuk menganalisa dan membuat segmentasi pelanggan, yang merupakan hal penting dalam membuat strategi targeted marketing  untuk meningkatkan kesuksesan bisnis. Melakukan transkripsi telepon merupakan proses yang kadang membuat frustasi. selain itu, proses ini juga membutuhkan kemampuan mendengar yang baik, dan kemampuan menulis yang secepat kilat. Jadi, tidak heran jika otomatisasi proses ini dapat membuat bisnis lebih efisien dan memangkas pengeluaran.


Mengatur Alur Percakapan Kecerdasan Buatan dengan Dialogue Management

Dialog Management merupakan sebuah sistem yang mengatur alur percakapan. Untuk mengembangkan komputer (Mesin/AI) yang mampu berkomunikasi dengan pelanggan, sangat penting untuk membangun struktur alur perbincangan untuk memastikan pengalaman panggilan telepon terasa sangat intuitif dan realistis. Untuk mencapai hal tersebut, dibutuhkan analisis panggilan telepon yang terjadi di dunia nyata untuk memahami kebutuhan dan jalan pikiran pelanggan. Dialogue Management terdiri dari dua proses utama, yaitu: Pertama, adalah proses Dialog Modeling untuk memonitor kondisi sebuah dialog. Kedua, Dialog Control, dimana dialog manager menentukan bagaimana alur percakapan dengan A.I. akan berjalan. 


Mengenal proses Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

Seringkali, suara dering hotline customer service diikuti dengan instruksi seperti “Untuk pertanyaan terkait ___, tekan satu”, kemudian anda akan melanjutkan dengan menekan angka satu pada telepon anda. Input ini kemudian akan mengalihkan anda ke agen khusus yang akan membantu anda. Proses menginput angka pada telepon anda inilah yang disebut IVR; yaitu fitur dasar yang digunakan untuk mengelola panggilan telepon dan mengalihkan panggilan telepon ke agen yang sesuai. 


Secara keseluruhan, komponen-komponen yang disebutkan tersebut berkolaborasi untuk membuat robot pintar yang mampu meningkatkan efisiensi biaya operasional, dan juga meningkatkan sales karena kemampuannya untuk mengaplikasikan best practice yang dimiliki agen customer service. Kemudian jika dipasangkan dengan mesin dan teknologi deep learning, inovasi teknologi Kecerdasan Buatan untuk percakapan akan menjadi lebih baik dengan setiap interaksi pelanggan dan panggilan telepon. Selain itu, setiap percakapan dengan pelanggan yang dicatat, didokumentasikan, dan dianalisis memperbolehkan perusahaan untuk mendapatkan pengetahuan mendalam tentang pelanggan dengan mudah. Informasi ini  akan sangat berguna dalam membangun pengalaman pelanggan yang lebih personal dan meningkatkan brand loyalty. 

Tapi perlu diingat, walaupun Conversational Voice AI merupakan inovasi teknologi terdepan dan akan terus berkembang,  slalu dibutuhkan sentuhan manusia dalam usaha customer engagement terutama karena aspek sosial. Solusi terbaiknya adalah dengan menggabungkan keduanya, Conversational Voice AI untuk membantu pekerjaan berulang dengan rules tertentu, dan pilihan self-service bagi pelanggan. Sedangkan, Agen Call Center dapat  menghandle tugas-tugas yang lebih kompleks termasuk melayani pelanggan-pelanggan yang lebih penting.


 
Hubungi kami untuk mendapatkan demo singkat, dan ketahui bagaimana bisnis anda dapat meningkat dengan bantuan Talkbots WIZ.AI. 


09
Aug
Wiz-forbes
Featured Articles  ·  Main Display  ·  Main Posts
Forbes Asia 100 To Watch

Wiz-forbes

This story appears in the August 31, 2021 issue of Forbes Asia. 


From underwater drones to satellite propulsion systems and everything in between, the inaugural Forbes Asia 100 to Watch list spotlights notable small companies and startups on the rise across the Asia-Pacific region. At a time when economies worldwide are struggling from the pandemic, these agile companies are on a growth path. Their inclusion in the list comes in part from addressing problems such as improving transportation in congested cities, expanding affordable connectivity in remote regions and preventing food waste. Seventeen countries and territories are represented. Top categories include biotechnology & healthcare, e-commerce & retail, food & hospitality and education & recruitment. The lively startup communities in India and Singapore produced 22 and 19 companies, respectively. Hong Kong has 10 and Indonesia eight. Mainland China has just four, as many candidates were above the required maximums for revenues or funding.

Edited by Jeanhee Kim with John Kang

Reporting by Jonathan Burgos, Rina Caballar, Ramakrishnan Narayanan, Danielle Keeton-Olsen, Amit Prakash, James Simms, Yue Wang and Ardian Wibisono.

 METHODOLOGY: To select the 100 to Watch, Forbes Asia solicited online submissions, and invited accelerators, incubators, SME advocacy organizations, universities, venture capitalists and others to nominate companies as well. The final 100 was selected from over 900 submissions. To qualify for consideration, companies had to be headquartered in the Asia-Pacific region, be at least one year old, privately owned, for profit, and have no more than $20 million in its latest annual revenue or total funding through Aug. 1. Forbes team evaluated each submission, looking at metrics such as a positive impact on the region or industry, a track record of strong revenue growth or ability to attract funding, promising business models or markets, and a persuasive story. The editors reserve the right to remove or replace any company or individual included in a list in light of any new information that would disqualify them from inclusion.

 

  • Ackcio
  • Singapore
  • Category: Construction & Engineering
  • Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Nimantha Baranasuriya
  • Key backers: Foundamental, Seeds Capital, Wavemaker
  • Ackcio produces automated geotechnical remote sensors that verify ground stability at construction sites. Its backers include Wavemak
 
  • Agrist
  • Japan
  • Category: Agriculture
  • Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Jyunichi Saito
  • Key backers: Eneos Innovation Partners, Jafco
  • Answering a critical farmer shortage in Japan, Agrist has applied for Japanese and international patents for its AI-driven robot harvester. It says it charges $15,000 for a three-year lease plus 10% of a harvest’s profits, and has raised over $4.5 million in capital.
 
  • Alesca Life Technologies
  • China
  • Category: Agriculture
  • Year founded: 2013 • CEO: Stuart Oda
  • Investment banker-turned entrepreneur Stuart Oda’s Alesca works with customers worldwide to build indoor farms. The company says its base of turnkey farm equipment grew by 200% in 2019 and another 750% in 2020. It benefited from rising demand for local produce after Covid-19 disrupted food supplies and made consumers more health conscious.
 
  • Algal Bio
  • Japan
  • Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
  • Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Amane Kimura
  • Key backer: University of Tokyo
  • Based on two decades of University of Tokyo research, Algal Bio says it cultivated 3,000 unique algae strains for use in biofuels, cosmetics, medicines and supplements. The company says it has raised $4.1 million in total funding, including from the university’s Edge Capital Partners, and expects to double sales this year to $1 million.
 
  • Ampd Energy
  • Hong Kong
  • Category: Construction & Engineering
  • Year founded: 2014 • CEO: Brandon Ng
  • Key backer: HKSTP
  • Using lithium-ion battery technology, Ampd Energy’s electric generators are said to power construction cranes while emitting less greenhouse gas and making less noise than traditional diesel generators. Ampd Energy says it launched its generators early last year and that they are already used by 20 property and construction companies, including Jardine Matheson’s Gammon.
 
  • Aquaconnect
  • India
  • Category: Agriculture
  • Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Rajamanohar Somasundaram
  • Key backers: Rebright Partners, Flourish Ventures
  • The Coastal Aquaculture Research Institute, operating as Aquaconnect, provides services for fish and shrimp farmers. In addition to a farm advisory and an online shop for equipment and supplies, Aquaconnect provides financing, insurance and a network for farmers to connect with potential customers. It says it raised $4 million in July in pre-series A funding led by Rebright Partners and Flourish Ventures.
 
  • Aroma Bit
  • Japan
  • Category: Technology
  • Year founded: 2014 • CEO: Shunichiro Kuroki
  • Key backers: Seiko Epson, Kyocera
  • A developer of chips to identify and digitize the data of scents, Aroma Bit released its first compact aroma sensor in January. Its uses include quality control for food products, health management and disease detection. The company’s backers include Japanese tech firms Seiko Epson and Kyocera.
 
  • Authing
  • China
  • Category: Technology
  • Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Xie Yang
  • Key backers: GGV Capital, MiraclePlus
  • In under two years, Authing says it has attracted investment from A-list investors including GGV Capital and MiraclePlus (previously called Y Combinator China) with its identity management tool. The product allows a single sign-on to multiple cloud-based applications, and protects against security breaches. Authing says its customers include China Merchants Bank, Toyota and Volkswagen.
 
  • Autocrypt
  • South Korea
  • Category: Logistics & Transportation
  • Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Daniel Kim
  • Key backers: Hyundai, Ulmus Investment
  • As self-driving cars rise in use, security for their computer systems becomes increasingly important. Autocrypt, a spinoff from Seoul-based Penta Security Systems, provides these cars with cybersecurity and data theft protection. Autocrypt says it has raised $15 million from investors including Hyundai’s venture arm and Ulmus Investment and is valued at about $45 million. The company expects to make $8.5 million in revenue this year, up from $3.4 million last year. Besides South Korea, Autocrypt says it has offices in Canada, China and Japan, and will expand to Europe, Singapore and the U.S.
 
  • BeatO
  • India
  • Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
  • Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Gautam Chopra
  • Key backers: Orios Venture Partners, Blume Ventures
  • Health Arx Technologies’ BeatO is a platform for managing chronic diseases such as diabetes through subscription-based smart-phone monitoring, information and online supplies. Of its half-million app installs, nearly 300,000 are paid members with 25,000 joining monthly, according to BeatO. It says it recently raised $5.7 million and has partnered with a major insurer to expand beyond India.
 
  • Beau Bakery
  • Indonesia
  • Category: Food & Hospitality
  • Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Talita Setyadi
  • Key backer: SEAF Women’s Opportunity Fund
  • Founded by a Le Cordon Bleu graduate, Beau is a bakery and café brand operating restaurants and producing artisanal bread and pastries using locally sourced ingredients. Operated by Cahaya Mahakarya Lestari, Beau has a mission to train and grow talent. In 2019, Beau obtained funding from SEAF Women’s Opportunity Fund.
 
  • Bellatrix Aerospace
  • India
  • Category: Logistics & Transportation
  • Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Rohan Ganapathy
  • Key backers: IDFC Parampara, Survam Partners
  • Founded by then-university students, Bellatrix aims to create high performing, cost-efficient satellite propulsion systems, including a patented one that uses water as a propellant. Pre-revenue, Bellatrix says it raised about $3 million in 2019 from investors including IDFC Parampara and Survam Partners.
 
  • Belun Technology
  • Hong Kong
  • Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
  • Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Lydia Leung
  • Key backers: HKSTP, Sino Group
  • Belun Technology developed a ring-like wearable device that can help medical professionals remotely monitor and assess patients’ sleep health. It can also collect biomarkers while a patient is asleep. Belun says it raised $7 million from investors including Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks (HKSTP) and property developer Sino Group’s Sino Inno Lab.
 
  • Betterplace
  • India
  • Category: Education & Recruitment
  • Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Pravin Agarwala
  • Key backers: 3one4 Capital, Jungle Ventures
  • Betterplace lets companies digitally hire and manage blue collar employees, while bots help them upgrade their skills. The workplace management platform, the company says, is used by clients including Amazon and food delivery services Swiggy and Zomato to verify, track and pay staff such as security guards and construction workers.
 
  • BionicM
  • Japan
  • Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
  • Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Sun Xiaojun
  • Key backers: Japan Science and Technology Agency, University of Tokyo
After 15 years of using crutches in his native China, Sun Xiaojun got a prosthetic leg in Japan, where he relocated and earned a Ph.D. in engineering from the University of Tokyo. Sun founded BionicM to develop more natural and safer prosthetics, including battery-powered knees and ankles. For example, it says its robotic ankle-foot can push off the ground and lift over obstacles. He says BionicM will begin sales of its robotic prosthetic leg this year, charging around $45,000—less than the cost of similar prosthetics from the U.S. or Europe. In August 2020, BionicM says it raised $4 million in a series A round from investors including Japan Science and Technology Agency and University of Tokyo’s investment arm, nearly doubling its total funding.
 
  • Bobobox
  • Indonesia
  • Category: Food & Hospitality
  • Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Indra Gunawan
  • Key backers: Alpha JWC Ventures, Horizons Ventures
Bobobox Mitra Indonesia offers affordable capsule hotel accommodations in Indonesia, with sleeping pods in 14 locations across Indonesia. Customers pay per night but soon could rent by the hour in several locations. Bobobox has expanded from hotel pods to cabin rentals in the woods, called Bobocabin, and a campervan, Bobovan.
 
  • BondEvalue
  • Singapore
  • Category: Finance
  • Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Rahul Banerjee
  • Key backers: Citigroup, MassMutual Ventures
  • BondEvalue is making bonds more widely accessible to individual investors. The company has been approved by Singapore to operate BondbloX Bond Exchange, calling it the world’s first fractional bond exchange that allows trading in minimum denominations of $1,000. In June, the company announced a $6 million series A round from investors including MassMutual Ventures and Citigroup.
 
  • Brick & Bolt
  • India
  • Category: Construction & Engineering
  • Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Jayesh Rajpurohit
  • Key backers: Foundamental, Sequoia Surge
  • Pluckwalk Technologies’ Brick & Bolt is a design-to-build platform for the construction industry including project management and regular quality checks. The startup says it has over 700 individual and commercial developer clients, and has raised $4 million in funding. Investors include Sequoia Surge and Foundamental.
 
  • BrioHR
  • Malaysia
  • Category: Education & Recruitment
  • Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Benjamin Croc
  • Key backers: East Ventures, Global Founders Capital, Y Combinator
  • A cloud-based human resources management platform, BrioHR offers all-in-one services, from recruitment to payroll, for SMEs in Southeast Asia. A recent graduate of the Y Combinator incubator, BrioHR announced in March that it bagged $1.3 million from investors including Global Founders Capital and East Ventures.
 
  • Captain Fresh
  • India
  • Category: E-commerce & Retail
  • Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Utham Gowda
  • Key backers: Accel Partners, Matrix Partners India
  • Captain Fresh, developed by Infifresh Foods, uses digital technology to streamline India’s fragmented $30 billion seafood industry. It says its real-time B2B platform uses AI to help 550 retailers—a base that has grown over 500% in one year—match customer orders with India’s fishermen and fish farms. Founder Utham Gowda says predictive models help source supplies of specific fish days before customers place orders, enabling overnight delivery to some cities. In July, Captain Fresh says it raised $12 million in a series A round led by Accel Partners and Matrix Partners India.
 
 
  • ChatGenie
  • Philippines
  • Category: E-commerce & Retail
  • Year founded: 2020 • CEO: Ragde Falcis
  • ChatGenie combines online platforms and Grab’s delivery into Facebook Messenger to allow customers to shop by direct message. It was launched a month before Manila’s first pandemic lockdown.
 
  • Classum
  • South Korea
  • Category: Education & Recruitment
  • Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Chaerin Lee
  • Key backers: Pearl Abyss, Smilegate
  • Classum simplifies class communication for teachers and corporate trainers by providing video, chat and learning tools on one platform. The startup says it has raised $7.5 million so far from investors including the VC arms of Korean gaming companies Pearl Abyss and Smilegate.
 
  • CloudEats
  • Philippines
  • Category: Food & Hospitality
  • Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Kimberly Yao
  • CloudEats’ secret sauce is its cost efficiency—operating 60 restaurant brands out of versatile “cloud kitchens.” It is also developing its own brands and tailors recipes and concepts based on customer feedback. Cloudeats says it has raised $1.8 million in funding off its lightning-fast scaling, with another round scheduled to close this year.
 
  • CoCooking
  • Japan
  • Category: Food & Hospitality
  • Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Kazuma Kawagoe
  • Key backer: PE&HR
  • Chef Kazuma Kawagoe cofounded CoCooking to hold culinary events and workshops. Its Tabete app, launched in 2018, reduces food waste by allowing its users to buy food nearing expiration from bakeries, restaurants and takeout food stores. The company says it has 400,000 users and gets food from some 1,500 sources. CoCooking says in June it got a $1.4 million pre-series A funding round led by VC firm PE&HR.
 
  • Conicle Co.
  • Thailand
  • Category: Education & Recruitment
  • Year founded: 2014 • CEO: Nakorn Phuekphiphatmet
  • Key backer: Intouch Holdings
  • Conicle develops online learning and employee development programs for companies, including certificates, coursework and evaluation. It says customers include over 500 organizations in various industries in Southeast Asia, with more than 500,000 registered users. This fiscal year the firm says it expects to double last year’s revenue of $1.7 million.
 
  • Convosight Analytics
  • India
  • Category: Technology
  • Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Tamanna Dhamija
  • Key backers: IvyCap Ventures, Sequoia Surge
  • As a community marketing platform for Facebook groups, Convosight uses data analytics and machine learning to help brands tap into communities. It says it has raised $4.5 million in funding from investors including IvyCap Ventures and Sequoia Surge. Convosight forecasts it is on track to more than double its revenues from $1.4 million in 2020-21.
 
  • Dayta AI
  • Hong Kong
  • Category: E-commerce & Retail
  • Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Patrick Tu
  • Key backers: HKUST, ParticleX
  • Dayta AI’s cloud-based platform uses surveillance cameras to analyze customer behavior, allowing retailers to improve sales and customer experience. Launched in 2018, Dayta AI says it has raised $3 million, including from the Entrepreneurship Fund of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and accelerator ParticleX.
 
  • Dekoruma
  • Indonesia
  • Category: E-commerce & Retail
  • Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Dimas Harry Priawan
  • Key backers: Foundamental, InterVest, OCBC NISP Ventura
  • Dekoruma has grown its e-commerce platform from just furniture into a one-stop-shop for home and living, including architecture services and residential sales listings. Last year it bagged undisclosed pre-series C funding from InterVest, Foundamental, OCBC NISP Ventura, Skystar Capital and others.
 
  • DoctorOnCall
  • Malaysia
  • Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
  • Year founded: 2016 • Managing Director: Maran Virumandi
  • Key backer: Conny & Co.
  • DoctorOnCall is a digital health platform that offers telehealth consultations with board-certified doctors, online pharmacy and delivery services, as well as booking services for doctors and specialists. DoctorOnCall says it serves an estimated 3 million users nationwide. The company plans to build mobile clinics to make healthcare more accessible to rural communities.
 
  • DrinkPrime
  • India
  • Category: Food & Hospitality
  • Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Vijender Reddy Muthayala
  • Key backers: Omidyar Network, Sequoia Surge, Titan Capital
  • Given the lack of clean water in parts of India, DrinkPrime offers a pay-per-use model for water purifiers, so customers don’t have the high upfront costs of buying and installing filtration equipment. WaterWala Labs, owner of DrinkPrime, says it has raised $4 million from Sequoia Surge, Omidyar Network and Titan Capital.
 
  • Dropee
  • Malaysia
  • Category: E-commerce & Retail
  • Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Lennise Ng
  • Key backers: Vynn Capital, Y Combinator
  • Claiming to be the country’s leading B2B e-commerce marketplace, Dropee provides an integrated supply chain network that facilitates transactions between businesses and their suppliers. The company says it serves around 70,000 businesses, with revenue up 600% in the last three years. Dropee says it raised $1.3 million in seed funding last year from investors including Vynn Capital and Y Combinator.
 
  • Ease Healthcare
  • Singapore
  • Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
  • Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Guadalupe Lazaro
  • Key backer: Insignia Ventures Partners
  • Ease’s app allows efficient and discreet delivery of women’s health services, and the company says its customer base grew from 1,000 to 4,000 users last year. Ease says it can deliver birth control, STD test kits and emergency contraceptives within four hours. It also offers online health consultations, resources and forums as an alternative to traditional healthcare delivery and to remove the stigma surrounding women’s health.
 
  • En-trak
  • Hong Kong
  • Category: Construction & Engineering
  • Year founded: 2013 • CEO: Vincent Chow
  • Key backers: Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, CLP
  • En-trak’s AI-powered software personalizes room temperatures and lighting in offices to create an optimal work environment and save electricity. The company claims its AI helps users cut up to 20% of heating, ventilation and air-con energy consumption. En-trak backers include Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund and Hong Kong’s CLP.
 
  • Entri Software
  • India
  • Category: Education & Recruitment
  • Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Mohammed Hisamuddin
  • Key backer: Good Capital, Innospark Ventures
  • A language learning app for job skills, Entri’s market is the estimated 400 million Indians aged 18 to 35 who are not proficient in English. The company says it acquires about 350,000 new users every month and about 5.5 million people have used Entri. The company claims nearly 50,000 of them have since found jobs.
 
  • Evermos
  • Indonesia
  • Category: E-commerce & Retail
  • Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Iqbal Muslimin
  • Key backers: Alpha JWC Ventures, Jungle Ventures
  • Setiap Hari Dipakai, operating as Evermos, is a Muslim-focused social commerce platform, connecting consumers to resellers and brands offering halal goods. In two years Evermos says it has attracted 500 brands and a network of 75,000 resellers that are paid by commission.
 
  • Farm66 Investment 
  • Hong Kong
  • Category: Agriculture
  • Year founded: 2013 • CEO: Tam Chi Ho
  • Key backers: Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, Cyberport, ParticleX
  • Using its own environmentally sustainable technologies like multilayer vertical planting and hydroponics, Farm66 grows organic vegetables for airline caterers, supermarkets and local consumers. Farm66 says investors have provided $4 million in funding, include Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, Hong Kong’s Cyberport, accelerator ParticleX and Sino Inno Lab.
 
  • Fasal
  • India
  • Category: Agriculture
  • Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Ananda Verma
  • Key backers: Flipkart Leap, Omnivore, Wavemaker
  • AI-powered platform Fasal takes the guesswork out of farming by providing real-time data on farm conditions in local languages to farmers on any device. In July, Wolkus Technology Solutions, owner of Fasal, graduated from accelerator Flipkart Leap’s inaugural program. The company says it has a total of $2 million from investors including Omnivore and Wavemaker.
 
  • Gamezop
  • India
  • Category: Entertainment & Media
  • Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Yashash Agarwal
  • Key backer: Bitkraft Ventures
  • A multigame platform, Gamezop allows users to play their favorite games without having to install individual apps. According to Gamezop, its parent company Advergame Technologies raised about $4.3 million from investors including Bitkraft Ventures. Gamezop says it expects its 2020-21 revenue to double to $3.2 million.
 
  • Global Gene Corp.
  • Singapore
  • Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
  • Year founded: 2013 • CEO: Sumit Jamuar
  • Adding to the diversity of genetic databases, where 80% of samples come from developed countries, Global Gene is mapping the DNA of populations on the Indian subcontinent. Better data would help drugmakers tailor medicines for each genetic type. The Singapore-based company has a R&D center in the U.K.
 
  • Gramophone
  • India
  • Category: Agriculture
  • Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Tauseef Khan
  • Key backers: Asha Impact, InfoEdge
  • Launched as an e-commerce farming supplies platform, Agstack Technologies’ Gramophone expanded to offer a full range of farming services including a post-harvest trade network and crop management advisory. In the last two years, it says it has added 500,000 customers and more than doubled revenue.
 
  • H2O Hospitality
  • South Korea
  • Category: Food & Hospitality
  • Year founded: 2015 • CEO: John Lee
  • Key backers: Dadam Investment, IMM Investment
  • H2O Hospitality is digitalizing the hotel industry. It auto-mates both front- and back-end processes, such as reservations, checking in and revenue management. Despite the pandemic, the startup says it has rising demand for its products, now managing 7,500 rooms in 16 cities across Korea, Japan and Thailand.
 
  • Haulio
  • Singapore
  • Category: Logistics & Transportation
  • Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Alvin Ea
  • Key backer: PSA
  • Haulio aims to be the Uber of Southeast Asia trucking. Backed by Singapore port giant PSA, Haulio says over 90% of truckers and drivers in the city-state use its app to book jobs. It’s also moving containers for shipping behemoth CMA CGM in Thailand and has set its sights on Indonesia next.
 
  • Hivary
  • Australia
  • Category: E-commerce & Retail
  • Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Jason Hosking
  • Key backer: Blackbird Ventures
  • Hivery uses AI and data management to help retailers and consumer packaged goods companies optimize product selection and merchandising. Hivery says its clients include Coca-Cola’s Australian distributor and Walmart. In December, it announced it will help East Japan Railway optimize the vending machines in its train stations.
 
  • Hoozing
  • Vietnam
  • Category: Finance
  • Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Hai Le
  • Hoozing’s app provides user reviews, price calculation tools, and digital payment options to speed property leasing and sales. Despite the pandemic, Hoozing earned about $1.1 million in revenue in 2020, CEO Hai Le says, adding the company will become profitable by year-end with $2 million in revenue.
 
  • Hyper Anna
  • Australia
  • Category: Technology
  • Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Natalie Nguyen
  • Key backers: IAG, Sequoia Capital
  • A virtual data scientist, Hyper Anna is AI-powered software that quickly analyzes data and automatically produces charts and narratives such as infographics for business customers. The Australia-based company is backed by investors such as IAG and Sequoia Capital. It says it has raised a total of $13 million and customers include Microsoft and Singtel.
 
  • i2e1
  • India
  • Category: Technology
  • Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Satyam Darmora
  • Key backer: Omidyar Network India
  • Omnia Information’s i2e1 (Information To Every One) has enabled digital inclusion for millions of Indians by turning local shops into WiFi hotspots. The shops provide internet access for as little as 5 rupees (7 cents) a day or for free if users agree to participate in corporate surveys, i2e1 says.
 
  • iHandal Energy Solutions
  • Malaysia
  • Category: Construction & Engineering
  • Year founded: 2009 • CEO: Aaron Patel
  • Key backer: Bintang Capital Partners
  • Building ventilation and heating contribute 10% of global electricity consumption. The company says its systems capture and reuse buildings’ wasted heat and recycle it, offsetting up to 70% of thermal emissions, with energy savings as high as 80%. It says it has raised more than $5 million in a recent round led by Bintang Capital Partners.
 
  • Immediation
  • Australia
  • Category: Technology
  • Year founded: 2017 • Managing Director: Laura Keily
  • Key backer: Thorney Investments
  • Founded by corporate lawyer and barrister Laura Keily, this legal tech startup saw surging pandemic-led demand for its secure videoconferencing and communication tools, which help courts operate virtually during lockdowns and other restrictions. In December, Immediation says it raised $2.8 million including from Thorney Investments.
 
  • Inspace
  • Australia
  • Category: Technology
  • Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Justin Liang
  • Key backers: Artesian, Sydney Angels
  • For property leasing and sales, Inspace lets landlords and agents create 3D digital renderings of buildings, give virtual tours and make videos. The startup says it partners with global property managers Brookfield, CBRE, JLL and Lendlease, and saw healthy revenue growth last year.
 
  • International Compliance Workshop
  • Hong Kong
  • Category: E-commerce & Retail
  • Year founded: 2014 • CEO: Lam Chi Him
  • Key backers: Betatron Venture Group, Cyberport, Headline
  • International Compliance Workshop’s platform matches buyers with suppliers vetted by the startup. ICW says its platform has a database of 30,000 accredited manufacturers used by global retailers, including Boots, Kroger and Walgreens. The startup’s backers include Hong Kong government-backed Cyberport and VC firms Betatron Venture Group and Headline.
 
  • Kalibrr
  • Philippines
  • Category: Education & Recruitment
  • Year founded: 2013 • CEO: Paul Rivera
  • Key backers: Omidyar Network, Wavemaker, Y Combinator
  • AI-powered recruitment company Kalibrr says it serves 5 million job seekers in Indonesia and the Philippines, looking to make the hiring process simpler, faster and better for companies and applicants. According to the company, it has raised $7.5 million from Omidyar Network, Wavemaker and Kickstart Ventures. It was the first Filipino company to be accepted by Y Combinator.
 
  • Kami
  • New Zealand
  • Category: Education & Recruitment
  • Year founded: 2013 • CEO: Hengjie Wang
  • Key backer: Right Click Capital
  • The digital classroom online tool is riding the online learning tsunami as the pandemic forced schools to adapt to remote learning. Its Google Chrome extension version has more than 4 million users. 
 
  • Lhamour
  • Mongolia
  • Category: E-commerce & Retail
  • Year founded: 2014 • CEO: Khulan Davaadorj
  • After developing skin rashes, Khulan Davaadorj founded her own natural skincare brand and now makes over 40 products, using many locally sourced ingredients such as yak’s milk. The zero-waste company says its products are sold in department stores in Mongolia and has distributors and sales outlets around the world.
 
  • Loca
  • Laos
  • Category: Logistics & Transportation
  • Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Souliyo Vongdala
  • The first and leading ride-hailing service in Laos, Loca has recently added new services to its platform such as out-of-home advertising, a trucking service and on-demand groceries. Pre-pandemic, Loca says most customers were tourists but widening local use has helped the business grow 30% monthly.
 
  • Log 9 Materials
  • India
  • Category: Technology
  • Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Akshay Singhal
  • Key backer: Sequoia Surge
  • A nanotech company working to develop both energy storage and filtration technologies, Log 9 says it has over 25 patents. During the pandemic, it launched advanced UV disinfectant products and has also produced long-lasting battery packs to charge two- and three-wheeled vehicles. The company is backed by Sequoia Surge and says it has raised $4.5 million.
 
  • Logivan
  • Vietnam
  • Category: Logistics & Transportation
  • Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Linh Pham
  • Key backers: Insignia Ventures Partners, K3 Ventures
  • The answer to Vietnam’s fragmented highway transportation network, Logivan allows companies to quickly locate and hire truck drivers who might otherwise return with empty trunks. Logivan says it has more than 60,000 drivers working for the likes of Coca-Cola, Olam and Wilmar. It says it has raised $8 million including from Insignia Ventures Partners and K3 Ventures.
 
  • Lozi
  • Vietnam
  • Category: Logistics & Transportation
  • Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Trung Hoang Nguyen
  • Key backer: Daal Ventures
  • Lozi’s delivery platform Loship is taking on giant rivals such as GoTo and Grab by promising delivery of anything—meals, raw materials, food supplies and people—within one hour. Covering Vietnam’s main and second-tier cities, Lozi says it has raised $16 million to expand its services.
 
  • Makers Hive
  • India
  • Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
  • Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Pranav Vempati
  • A fully functioning bionic hand can cost $30,000 or more, a prohibitive price for most of the 39 million amputees worldwide. Makers Hive says by creating its parts in-house it could introduce KalArm last year for just $5,000, garnering $3 million in orders within a year.
 
  • Med247
  • Vietnam
  • Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
  • Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Tuan Truong
  • Key backer: KK Fund
  • This offline-to-online health provider provides round-the-clock care through tech-driven health services on its app to full-service clinics. The company, which says it raised $1 million, aims to scale through partnerships.
 
  • MediConCen
  • Hong Kong
  • Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
  • Year founded: 2018 • CEO: William Yeung
  • Key backers: Cyberport, ParticleX
  • MediConCen uses blockchain technology to automate medical insurance claims. By using digital signatures and smart contracts, the startup claims it can reduce fraud. MediConCen says it has over 600,000 users, who are connected to over 900 doctors. Investors include Hong Kong government-backed Cyberport and accelerator ParticleX.
 
  • Merico
  • China
  • Category: Technology
  • Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Ren Jinglei
  • Key backers: GGV Capital, OSS Capital, Polychain Capital
  • Merico’s algorithm monitors the efficiency and quality of software development by analyzing source codes. It says its service has attracted customers that include Bytedance, Didi and Tencent. Merico says it has raised $9 million, including from GGV Capital, Polychain Capital and OSS Capital.
 
  • Miso
  • South Korea
  • Category: Technology
  • Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Victor Ching
  • Key backers: FundersClub, Strong Ventures, Y Combinator
  • Miso is one of the most-used housekeeping service apps in Korea. Since launching, Miso has processed over 3 million bookings from 350,000 users, according to founder and CEO Victor Ching. Miso’s backers include Y Combinator and VC firms FundersClub and Strong Ventures.
 
  • Musiio
  • Singapore
  • Category: Entertainment & Media
  • Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Hazel Savage
  • Key backer: Wavemaker
  • Musiio is a B2B company using AI to organize and search large catalogs of music mainly for other companies in the music industry. In July, Musiio announced funding that values the company at $10 million and signed a strategic client, music investment fund Hipgnosis.
 
  • MyCloudFulfillment
  • Thailand
  • Category: E-commerce & Retail
  • Year founded: 2014 • CEO: Nithi Satchatippavarn
  • Key backers: Gobi Partners, Siam Commercial Bank
  • E-Empowerment’s MyCloudFulfillment receives, packages and ships orders for e-commerce stores and provides data analytics to its customers. Last year, the company says it posted $3.8 million in revenue and aims to double that this year. In October, it says it raised $2 million in series A funding from investors including Gobi Partners and Siam Commercial Bank’s investment arm.
 
  • Nalagenetics
  • Singapore
  • Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
  • Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Levana Sani
  • Key backers: East Ventures, Intudo Ventures
  • Nalagenetics is a genetics testing company that focuses on Asian populations. In response to the pandemic, it helped Indonesian hospitals build labs for Covid-19 testing and in July launched a saliva-based test that is faster and cheaper than PCR tests. Nalagenetics is using its Covid-19 proceeds to focus on pharmacogenomics—a study of how a person’s genes react to drugs. The company expects annual revenue to grow 80% next year, driven in part by reimbursements from insurance firms and licensing data to pharma companies.
 
  • NDR Medical Technology
  • Singapore
  • Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
  • Year founded: 2014 • CEO: Alan Goh
  • Key backer: MicroPort, SGInnovate
  • NDR Medical’s image-guided robots help doctors identify lesions and conduct minimally invasive surgeries such as kidney stone removal. NDR’s automated needle targeting system has been successfully tested in Japan and is in clinical trials in South Korea and other Asian countries, NDR says. Pre-revenue, NDR says it raised $8 million last year.
 
  • Okra Solar
  • Cambodia
  • Category: Technology
  • Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Afnan Hannan
  • Key backers: Greenway Grid Global, Schneider Electric
  • Okra Solar’s hardware and software supplies electricity to villages off traditional grids. The company says it has given power to 2,500 people across 26 villages in four countries, and is backed by Schneider Electric and Greenway Grid Global. It is now seeking to raise $6.5 million in a series A round.
 
  • Otoklix
  • Indonesia
  • Category: Logistics & Transportation
  • Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Martin Reyhan Suryohusodo
  • Key backer: Sequoia Surge
  • Otoklix connects car owners in Indonesia to vetted auto repair shops with standardized and transparent pricing. It says it has partnered with over 1,300 repair shops to fix over 10,000 cars a month. The company gets a commission for each booking and a cut of spare parts sold to the shops.
 
  • Oye! Rickshaw
  • India
  • Category: Logistics & Transportation
  • Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Mohit Sharma
  • Key backers: Chiratae Ventures, Matrix Partners India
  • Oye! Rickshaw provides app-based last-mile ride-sharing and delivery in Delhi and nearby cities via electric rickshaws. Oye! says it has over 7,000 drivers and completed over 8.7 million rides. Founded by engineers Mohit Sharma and Akashdeep Singh, Oye! says it plans to expand its service across India.
 
  • Parcel Perform
  • Singapore
  • Category: Logistics & Transportation
  • Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Arne Jeroschewski
  • Key backers: 500 Startups, Wavemaker
  • A carrier-independent parcel tracking service for e-commerce companies, Parcel Perform says it works with over 700 carriers, enabling merchants to improve end-to-end service after point-of-sale. The pandemic-led e-commerce boom meant a 45% increase in customers, the startup says, including global brands Decathlon and Nespresso.
 
  • Nalagenetics
  • Singapore
  • Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
  • Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Levana Sani
  • Key backers: East Ventures, Intudo Ventures
  • Nalagenetics is a genetics testing company that focuses on Asian populations. In response to the pandemic, it helped Indonesian hospitals build labs for Covid-19 testing and in July launched a saliva-based test that is faster and cheaper than PCR tests. Nalagenetics is using its Covid-19 proceeds to focus on pharmacogenomics—a study of how a person’s genes react to drugs. The company expects annual revenue to grow 80% next year, driven in part by reimbursements from insurance firms and licensing data to pharma companies.
 
  • NDR Medical Technology
  • Singapore
  • Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
  • Year founded: 2014 • CEO: Alan Goh
  • Key backer: MicroPort, SGInnovate
  • NDR Medical’s image-guided robots help doctors identify lesions and conduct minimally invasive surgeries such as kidney stone removal. NDR’s automated needle targeting system has been successfully tested in Japan and is in clinical trials in South Korea and other Asian countries, NDR says. Pre-revenue, NDR says it raised $8 million last year.
 
  • Okra Solar
  • Cambodia
  • Category: Technology
  • Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Afnan Hannan
  • Key backers: Greenway Grid Global, Schneider Electric
  • Okra Solar’s hardware and software supplies electricity to villages off traditional grids. The company says it has given power to 2,500 people across 26 villages in four countries, and is backed by Schneider Electric and Greenway Grid Global. It is now seeking to raise $6.5 million in a series A round.
 
  • Otoklix
  • Indonesia
  • Category: Logistics & Transportation
  • Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Martin Reyhan Suryohusodo
  • Key backer: Sequoia Surge
  • Otoklix connects car owners in Indonesia to vetted auto repair shops with standardized and transparent pricing. It says it has partnered with over 1,300 repair shops to fix over 10,000 cars a month. The company gets a commission for each booking and a cut of spare parts sold to the shops.
 
  • Oye! Rickshaw
  • India
  • Category: Logistics & Transportation
  • Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Mohit Sharma
  • Key backers: Chiratae Ventures, Matrix Partners India
  • Oye! Rickshaw provides app-based last-mile ride-sharing and delivery in Delhi and nearby cities via electric rickshaws. Oye! says it has over 7,000 drivers and completed over 8.7 million rides. Founded by engineers Mohit Sharma and Akashdeep Singh, Oye! says it plans to expand its service across India.
 
  • Parcel Perform
  • Singapore
  • Category: Logistics & Transportation
  • Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Arne Jeroschewski
  • Key backers: 500 Startups, Wavemaker
  • A carrier-independent parcel tracking service for e-commerce companies, Parcel Perform says it works with over 700 carriers, enabling merchants to improve end-to-end service after point-of-sale. The pandemic-led e-commerce boom meant a 45% increase in customers, the startup says, including global brands Decathlon and Nespresso.
 
  • PayMongo Philippines
  • Philippines
  • Category: Finance
  • Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Francis Plaza
  • Key backer: Y Combinator
  • PayMongo’s digital platform for merchants accepts all types of online payments. It says it serves around 7,000 mostly micro, small and midsized companies moving beyond brick-and-mortar stores to e-commerce. PayMongo is backed by Y Combinator and says it has raised $14.7 million in funding.
 
  • Pentester Academy
  • Singapore
  • Category: Education & Recruitment
  • Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Vivek Ramachandran
  • Key backer: Sequoia Surge
  • Binary Security’s Pentester Academy trains government agencies and companies in cybersecurity. The CEO is known for uncovering a security breach in WiFi networks. The company says sales have doubled during the pandemic.
 
  • Planys Technologies
  • India
  • Category: Construction & Engineering
  • Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Tanuj Jhunjhunwala
  • Key backers: IIT Madras, Kris Gopalakrishnan
  • From searching for trapped miners to inspecting ports and offshore energy facilities, Planys’ underwater drones serve a variety of clients in India. Incubated at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), Planys is backed by investors including Infosys founder Kris Gopalakrishnan.
 
  • Populix
  • Indonesia
  • Category: E-commerce & Retail
  • Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Timothy Astandu
  • Key backers: Intudo Ventures, Pegasus Tech, Quest Ventures
  • Through its research platform, Populix says it connects businesses with 260,000 Indonesian shoppers who are incentivized to share their insights. From 2019 to 2020, it says revenue grew more than 380%. In April, Populix closed a $1.2 million pre-series A round with Intudo Ventures and Quest Ventures.
 
  • PrivyID
  • Indonesia
  • Category: Technology
  • Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Marshall Pribadi
  • Key Backers: Google for Startups, Mandiri Capital Indonesia, Telkomsel
  • Privy Identitas Digital is Indonesia’s leading digital identity provider and provides legally binding digital signatures. Its service is used by banks, telecom and healthcare firms. PrivyID recently graduated from the Google for Startups incubator.
 
  • Qzense Labs
  • India
  • Category: Agriculture
  • Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Rubal Chib
  • Key backers: Entrepreneur First, Lumis Partners
  • In a country where much fresh produce spoils, Qzense charges a monthly subscription for its IoT sensors to help growers and retailers assess and manage food quality, helping reduce India’s $14 billion annual produce losses.
 
  • Raglan Food
  • New Zealand
  • Category: Food & Hospitality
  • Year founded: 2014 • CEO: Latesha Randall
  • Known for its coconut-milk based yogurt, Raglan says it sells 25,000 glass jars per week across New Zealand and through distributors in China, Hong Kong and Singapore. With its dairy-free products, the Carbon Zero organization is helping promote plant-based diets.
 
  • RaSpect Intelligence Inspection
  • Hong Kong
  • Category: Construction & Engineering
  • Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Harris Sun
  • Key backers: Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, Hong Kong Innovation And Technology Venture Fund
  • Based in a city filled with skyscrapers, RaSpect uses a combination of AI, IoT sensing technology and robotics to inspect buildings for hazards—which it says is a more accurate, faster and cheaper method than traditional inspections. RaSpect says it is also expanding into predictive maintenance of elevators, escalators, heating and other systems used in buildings. This year it expects revenue to grow 275% to $3 million. Aside from Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund and Hong Kong’s Innovation and Technology Venture Fund, it says it is also funded by HKSTP, MindWorks and accelerator ParticleX.
 
  • Rct Studio
  • China
  • Category: Entertainment & Media
  • Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Yuheng Chen
  • Key backer: Y Combinator
  • Rct Studio helps create immersive interactive games with its Chaos Box algorithm, which can generate new storylines and character responses in real time. The startup says it is codeveloping the multiplayer online game Code: Odyssey with Chinese gaming studio Umi, which uses Rct Studio’s technology.
 
  • Regional Fish Institute 
  • Japan
  • Category: Agriculture
  • Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Tadanori Umekawa
  • Key backers: Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, NTT Docomo, Ube Industries
  • This startup uses gene editing to quickly improve fish breeds for consumption, such as a faster growing tiger pufferfish and a sea bream with more fillet meat. Regional Fish says it arose from a joint research group between Kyoto and Kindai universities, and investors include machinery firm Ebara, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, NTT Docomo’s venture arm and Ube Industries.
 
  • Rice Robotics
  • Hong Kong
  • Category: Technology
  • Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Victor Lee
  • Key backers: Alibaba, Cyberport, New World Development
  • Rice Robotics builds autonomous delivery and disinfection robots. The startup says it has more than 100 customers, including hotels, malls and subway stations. Backers of Rice Robotics include Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, Hong Kong’s Cyberport and property giant New World Development.
 
  • Robotics Plus
  • New Zealand
  • Category: Agriculture
  • Year founded: 2008 • CEO: Steven Saunders
  • Key backer: Yamaha Motors
  • Robotics Plus’ technology helps make agriculture and other industries safer and more efficient with products such as a kiwi fruit harvester, a robotic tree scaler and a pollinator. Robotics Plus says it is backed by $10 million from Yamaha Motors and New Zealand’s Accident Compensation Corp., and sells its products in Australia, Europe and the U.S.
 
  • Safepay
  • Pakistan
  • Category: Finance
  • Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Raza Naqvi
  • Key backers: Stripe, Soma Capital
  • A graduate of Y Combinator, Safepay allows online merchants in Pakistan to process payments on their sites and apps. The firm says it takes a 2.5% commission on transactions and in February announced a seven-figure funding round that included fintech Stripe.
 
  • Sampingan
  • Indonesia
  • Category: Education & Recruitment
  • Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Wisnu Nugrahadi
  • Key backers: Altara, Antler, Golden Gate Ventures
  • Enabling the gig economy, Sampingan connects companies with freelancers to do part-time and full-time temp work. So far, Sampingan says it has bagged $7.1 million in total funding from investors including Altara, Antler and Golden Gate Ventures. It operates in 80 Indonesian cities, it says, with clients that include GoTo and Unilever.
 
  • Sarva
  • India
  • Category: Education & Recruitment
  • Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Sarvesh Shashi
  • Key backers: Fireside Ventures, Jennifer Lopez
  • A yoga studio with 93 locations across India and London, Sarva quickly pivoted to yoga instruction via a mobile app during the pandemic. Within 12 months Sarva says the app was downloaded 600,000 times. Owner Zorba Renaissance says it has raised $11 million from VC firms such as Fireside Ventures as well as celebrity investors such as Jennifer Lopez.
 
  • Sastaticket
  • Pakistan
  • Category: E-commerce & Retail
  • Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Shazil Mehkri
  • Key backer: Gobi Partners
  • Claiming to be Pakistan’s largest online travel search and booking site, Sastaticket says it had $10.5 million in gross sales from nearly 70,000 transactions in 2020, and raised $1.5 million in a series A round in 2018 led by Gobi Partners.
 
  • See-Mode Technologies
  • Singapore
  • Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
  • Year founded: 2017 • Directors: Milad Mohammadzadeh, Sadaf Monajemi
  • Key backers: Cocoon Capital, Entrepreneur First, SGInnovate
  • Stroke is a leading cause of death, and See-Mode helps predict the disease using AI-powered software. With the software, vascular ultrasound scans can be analyzed in one minute with a single click. See-Mode says it has been approved for use in Australia, Europe, Singapore and the U.S., and has raised $8 million in funding so far.
 
  • Sophie’s Bionutrients
  • Singapore
  • Category: Food & Hospitality
  • Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Eugene Wang
  • Key backer: Temasek
  • Creating alternatives to meat and milk, Sophie’s Bionutrients expects to turn profitable within three years amid growing demand for its microalgae-based products in Europe and North America. Backed by Singapore’s Temasek, the company sells their plant-based proteins to food manufacturers.
 
  • Speedoc
  • Singapore
  • Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
  • Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Shravan Verma
  • Key backer: Vertex Ventures
  • Serving Singapore and Malaysia, Speedoc has over 100 full-time and part-time doctors and nurses providing house calls and telemedicine, services made more attractive by the pandemic. Since 2018, annual revenue has risen an average of 300%, Speedoc says. Last year, the startup says it closed a $5 million series A round led by Vertex Ventures.
 
  • SWAT Mobility
  • Singapore
  • Category: Logistics & Transportation
  • Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Jarrold Ong
  • Key backers: Global Brain, UTEC
  • Providing ride-sharing services using route optimization, SWAT devises efficient car-pooling that cuts both road congestion and energy consumption. SWAT says it operates in seven countries and has raised $18 million from investors including Global Brain in Japan.
 
  • Transcelestial Technologies
  • Singapore
  • Category: Technology
  • Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Rohit Jha
  • Key backers: 500 Startups, Wavemaker
  • Transcelestial Technologies wants to provide high-speed internet connections to far-flung regions underserved by telcos and in congested urban areas. The startup claims its solution is cheaper and faster than conventional fiber optic cables.
 
  • Traverse Technologies
  • Singapore
  • Category: Construction & Engineering
  • Year founded: 2017 • CEO: Thet Lin Thu
  • Key backers: Golden Gate Ventures, Y Combinator
  • Using AI and software, Traverse produces optimal engineering designs of large infrastructure projects such as wind farms, hydropower plants, roads and transmission lines. A 2019 graduate of incubator Y Combinator, it says it has contributed to 3 gigawatts of wind and transmission projects in Japan, Spain, India and Southeast Asia totaling around $4.5 billion.
 
  • Truemeds
  • India
  • Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
  • Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Akshat Nayyar
  • Key backers: Asha Impact, Indian Angel Network Fund, Info Edge Ventures
  • Using AI to help patients purchase generic medicine, Intellihealth Solutions’ Truemeds says it had about $1.5 million in revenue last year. With expanding geographical coverage, it expects revenue to increase 650% in 2021. The company says it raised about $5.8 million, including $5 million in a recent series A round from investors including Asha Impact, Indian Angel Network Fund and Info Edge Ventures.
 
  • Turtle Shell Technologies
  • India
  • Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
  • Year founded: 2015 • CEO: Mudit Dandwate
  • Key backers: Prime Venture Partners, YourNest
  • When hospitals turned away non-Covid-19 patients during the pandemic, Turtle Shell’s Dozee monitors changed homes into mini-ICUs. A WiFi-enabled hub connects to sensors placed under a mattress to transmit real-time data such as heart rate and oxygen saturation levels to doctors and family. It says customers include over 160 hospitals in 18 cities.
 
  • UnaBiz
  • Singapore
  • Category: Technology
  • Year founded: 2016 • CEO: Henri Bong
  • Key backers: ENGIE Ventures, KDDI, Soracom IoT Fund
  • Claiming sales in over 25 countries, UnaBiz is a massive IoT service provider specializing in product design, manufacturing and cloud services priced from $1 per device, per year. UnaBiz says it broke even in 2020 with $18 million in revenue.
 
  • Us2.ai
  • Singapore
  • Category: Biotechnology & Healthcare
  • Year founded: 2017 • CEO: James Hare
  • Key backers: EDBI, Sequoia India
  • Us2.ai is fighting heart disease, the world’s top killer, with AI. It says its software, which reads echocardiograms consistently, quickly and cheaply, is awaiting regulatory approval in the U.S. and EU. It says it licenses its software to pharmaceutical giants such as AstraZeneca and Roche, and has raised $4 million, including from Sequoia India and Singapore’s EDBI.
 
  • Vahdam India
  • India
  • Category: Food & Hospitality
  • Year founded: 2014 • CEO: Bala Sarda
  • Key backers: Fireside Ventures, Sixth Sense Ventures
  • Backed by Fireside Ventures, Sixth Sense Ventures and prominent angel investors, Vahdam India says it has raised $17 million in its quest to create a global Indian tea brand. It appears well on its way, saying revenue is nearly doubling annually and its products have been delivered to 130 countries.
 
  • Wada Bento
  • Hong Kong
  • Category: Food & Hospitality
  • Year founded: 2018 • CEO: Jason Chen
  • Key backer: Mizuho
  • Wada Bento helps food-service providers dispense prepared hot meals through vending machines. The startup says it raised $1.1 million so far from angel investors and is supported by Japanese bank Mizuho’s accelerator program, Mizuho Crowd Brain. 
 
  • Water Design Japan 
  • Japan
  • Category: Construction & Engineering
  • Year founded: 2020 • CEO: Kazushi Fujita
  • Water Design makes a patented device that produces nanosize bubbles in water. Its Ultra-Fine Bubble technology can clean equipment without harsh chemicals, promote growth in plants and keep seafood fresh for longer. The company says it has partnered with trading giant Sumitomo and chemical maker Asahi Kasei and is seeking large-scale expansion.
 
  • Wiz.AI
  • Singapore
  • Category: Technology
  • Year founded: 2019 • CEO: Jennifer Zhang 
  • Key backers: GGV Capital, K3 Ventures, Insignia Ventures Partners, Wavemaker
  • Wiz Holding’s Wiz.AI chatbot understands and speaks in local Asian languages (Indonesia, Malaysia, Mandarin, Philippines)  or local accents (such as Singlish) to provide customer support. It also analyzes and stores data from these voice calls for customer relationship management systems. According to CEO Jennifer Zhang, the company has raised $8.5 million in funding and already has some multinational companies in Asia as clients.
 
 
 
 This article originally published on Forbes.com

10
Jul
WIZ
Featured Articles
Wiz.AI devises AI talkbots for Southeast Asia | Startup Stories
WIZ
AI talkbots are being used by enterprises around the world to provide customer service at scale.

Most of us have spoken to voice assistants, whether it is Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant. Some have even dealt with customer service agents powered by conversational artificial intelligence applications.

AI talkbots have been adopted by enterprises around the world to provide customer service at scale. The ASEAN market, however, represents a major challenge for AI conversational firms due to the many languages and dialects spoken in the region.

Jennifer Zhang, CEO and co-founder of Wiz.AI, saw an opportunity. “When we started in early 2019, there was nobody actually bringing voice AI products to Southeast Asia,” she told KrASIA. “Doing this in Southeast Asia is very challenging, but we want to target this market as our starting point to create our competitive technology advantage.”

Singapore-based startup Wiz.AI develops conversational AI technology. Its solutions serve enterprises of all scales in the region. The firm, which has offices in Nanjing and Jakarta, closed a USD 6 million pre-Series A round in May last year, led by GGV Capital. Wavemaker Partners, ZWC Partners, Insignia Ventures, and the Orion Fund managed by K3 Ventures were also part of the investment.

Conversational AI is a “programmatic and intelligent way of offering a conversational experience to mimic conversations with real people, through digital and telecommunication technologies,” according to Deloitte Digital. The firm expects the global conversational AI market to reach USD 17.64 billion by 2024, carrying a compound annual growth rate of 30.2%.

Jennifer Zhang, CEO and cofounder of Wiz.AI. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Zhang.

 
Automated customer voice services
To foster a natural, smooth conversation flow between an AI chatbot and a human user, the first step is to recognize the speaker’s speech pattern. That means understanding her language or dialect, slang, as well as inconsistencies and interruptions in lines, Zhang explained. The process involves automatic speech recognition to convert spoken words into text, running alongside natural language processing to interpret the meaning of that text.
 
The next step is for the chatbot to provide a valid answer. For this, Wiz.AI has a dedicated team that performs “conversational design” to generate dialogue mimicking realistic human-to-human interactions. The team has developed voices and tones for different scenarios to provide “a better engagement feeling,” Zhang said.
 
For instance, a middle-aged woman’s voice—gentle and comforting—is preferred in a healthcare scenario, said Zhang. In another common situation, talkbots are able to answer customers’ questions such as How much should I pay? or Where to pay? They can even “bargain” with the customer, steering them to the minimum acceptable charge. If a speaker does not speak clearly, the chatbot will issue queries like Do you mean this? or Can you repeat yourself? And, of course, it asks for and logs all the necessary information from customers.
 

Wiz.AI’s talkbot automates outbound calls for enterprises to reach their customers. Graphic courtesy of Wiz.AI.

 
Wiz.AI has developed talkbots that are able to communicate with customers in several languages, including English, Mandarin, and Indonesian. They also cover informal forms such as Singlish, a blend of Singaporean slang and English, as well as Manglish, an informal variant of Malaysian English. At present, the company counts over 30 clients from various industries, including healthcare, insurance, banking, telecommunications, e-commerce, and the government.
 
AI voice assistants are optimized to answer particular clients’ demands, Zhang said. For example, for healthcare clients, Wiz.AI’s talkbots proactively reach out to patients, track their symptoms, and help them arrange health visit appointments. For another client, Singaporean virtual telco Zero1, talkbots call users to offer promotions and address their queries.
 
Wiz.AI conducted a survey and found that 97% of medical patients are comfortable with receiving calls that utilize talkbots, Zhang said to KrASIA. Rather than sending emails or using online chat clients, most people still prefer to make phone calls for complex interactions compared.
 
Even so, the company also offers automated chat apps for their customers. On top of that, Wiz.AI leverages customer relationship management software for clients to track and manage data about their customers’ needs.
 

A virtual assistant developed by Wiz.AI checks in with patients and arranges hospital appointments. Graphic courtesy of Wiz.AI.
‘Last-mile delivery’
Wiz.AI has its work cut out for itself.
 
When asked about running up against Big Tech players like Apple, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft that make similar applications, Zhang responded with a metaphor. “They’re making the freeway, but we’re handling the last-mile delivery.” Wiz.AI positions itself as a service provider in “the untapped and challenging Southeast Asian market, which might not be the priority of big firms.”
 
Last year, Wiz.AI’s talkbots found rapid, immediate use cases. The COVID-19 pandemic suspended the operations of many call centers around the world. Budget slashes meant the workers who staffed these facilities were laid off or put on furlough. That’s when Wiz.AI’s products filled in, replacing fleets of human operators.
 
Even though there were challenges in integrating Wiz.AI’s talkbots with the existing infrastructure of some enterprises, the startup used these opportunities to test out new application scenarios and fine-tune their products, connecting their talkbots with many people around the world.
 
 This article was written by Written by Wency Chen and Published on KrASIA

07
Jul
Talkbot Basics
A.I to your aid — Meet your new administrative assistants
Jennifer Zhang

Jennifer Zhang

CEO & Co-Founder

Remember how Google Duplex mesmerised the audience when it successfully booked an appointment with a hairstylist in a live demonstration? It was not only an introvert’s dream but also a sign of technological breakthrough in our times. Now that we have witnessed what A.I. can do for the consumer’s side, what about the business side of things?

Automation of appointment booking systems

Nothing is more exasperating than waiting for a patient to turn up at their appointment, only to realise there has a been a cancellation that you were unaware of. Every client who cancels their appointment at the last minute is a lost business opportunity. Someone could have replaced them if they logged in their cancellation or arranged for a reschedule at an earlier time. While an appointment booking system can partially automate this process, it still requires someone to man the computer or system. Ultimately, the most efficient way to mitigate cancellations would be to call every single client ahead of time to confirm their appointment booking status; but this is only possible with sufficient manpower which many small enterprises do not have. As busy individuals, reminders for appointments are also extremely useful and closely related to customer service excellence. What if we told you that the process of managing your appointments could be fully automated?

Wiz. A.I specializes in hyper-realistic talkbots that can manage your appointment booking system. From rescheduling appointments to logging cancellations, the talkbot is designed to call a large volume of your clients before their appointments to check their booking status and reduce last minute backouts. This would significantly increase the attendance rate and minimise the administrative nightmare of last-minute cancellations. 

One might argue that creating an appointment booking system on an app is another way to manage the high volume of appointments. However, it is always better to initiate first contact, which is why talkbots are perfect for this job. By calling customers at an ideal time, your business would be able to have enough time to make the necessary schedule adjustments which increases work efficiency by leaps and bounds. Additionally, being called by a company to confirm an appointment booking puts the customer at ease and leaves a positive impression of the company’s sincerity and proactiveness. This is standard of customer service excellence that many businesses would strive to achieve and maintain.

Appointment confirmation and its nuances — Can A.I handle it?

We’ve all seen how appointment confirmation processes can become complicated; with both the customer service personnel and customer flipping through their respective calendars to find overlaps. This back and forth exchange of “is this day okay” or “I can’t make it” can also contain a lot of nuances. Driven by A.I., machine learning, automatic speech recognition (ASR), and natural language understanding (NLU), the talkbot is able to accurately identify the intentions of the speaker and manage their appointments accordingly. Furthermore, it is also able to answer a whole bevy of frequently asked questions like the business’ opening hours and address.

The best part about the talkbot: most people are unaware of their existence. Over 90% of users thought they were conversing with a human customer service agent. Such hyper realistic, humanised experiences are a testament to the talkbot’s advanced text-to-speech system. Additionally, with highly customisable and user-centric scripts, conversations can be designed to be concise and efficient, reducing call and hold times.

While ASR and text-to-speech systems work hand-in-hand to provide the best customer service possible, the system’s continuous improvement further adds to its technological prowess. Machine learning ensures that the ASR system only increases in accuracy with every call and that the text-to-speech engine is further refined to provide an even more realistic caller experience. The talkbot is also an amalgamation of all your top customer service agents as the script would mirror their best practices and perhaps come in handy as an A.I. trainer for your newcomers as well. With machine learning, the peak performance of your best human call agents is now the baseline for the talkbot. Imagine the effect this would have on customer satisfaction.

The start of the pandemic was characterized by panic and a surge of calls for many healthcare organisations. If anything, Covid-19 has shown us how high call volumes can come at unexpected times. In the life & death urgency of a contagious pandemic, call centres need to be able to handle these volume surges to put their patients at ease. With such a short notice, it is impossible to hire a large number of call centre agents and administrative assistants, let alone train them to be able to answer business-related questions. In such cases, the talkbot is the perfect solution as it is able to handle the sudden increase in call volume with no time required to overcome a learning curve.

Now that Covid-19 has normalised the need to book appointments in advance, the demand for IT solutions that handle such bookings is also growing rapidly. When it comes to places like clinics and hospitals where overcrowding detrimental to safety, having a robust system for managing appointments is all the more crucial to maintaining public health.

Talkbots are more than a stop-gap measure for appointment bookings during a pandemic. It is also a viable and permanent solution that many companies can turn to. At a time where most business processes are being forced to digitise, many enterprises are already exploring IT solutions to increase work efficiency and reduce costs. Little wonder that A.I. solutions have increased in popularity in recent months, especially when many of these solutions have proven to be effective and can be implemented for the long term. There is no better time to venture into talkbots than now.


07
Jul
Talkbot Basics
AI in Customer Service: Conversational A.I Talkbots
Jennifer Zhang

Jennifer Zhang

CEO & Co-Founder

Imagine a future where you can have phone conversations with robots. And no, we’re not talking about monotonous sounding robots but hyper realistic ones that bear an uncanny resemblance to humans. Once in the realm of science fiction, this scenario has become reality today. Conversational talkbots are artificial intelligence (A.I.) machines powered by natural language processing (NLU), automatic speech recognition (ASR) and several other mechanisms that makes the hyper realism possible. These technologies translate to improved cost efficiencies through lower labour costs and increased sales volume. With that said, what are the benefits of incorporating talkbots into your call centre?

A disruptive technology in the world of business

It is in every business’ interest to reduce their costs in order to maximise their earnings. In a time of economic disruption, it is essential for businesses to ensure that their resources are optimised. When it comes to call centres, time consuming tasks include those that are repetitive in nature, such as calling customers to check in on their interest in a product or to confirm an appointment, for instance. When a call centre agent that is known to have a knack for securing sales is tasked to only confirm appointments, we would consider this to be a misallocation and underutilisation of talent. This is where Conversational A.I. Talkbots can come in handy.

Riding on the worldwide push for task  automation, conversational A.I talkbots can augment your existing workforce by automating repetitive calls such as sending appointment reminders or other relatively straightforward tasks. Improvements in Natural Language Understanding (NLU), Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR)  has equipped talkbots with the ability to identity the caller’s intent as well as nuances in their speech. By automating such repetitive calls, businesses are then able to divert their best agents to handle more complex call tasks, thereby ensuring cost efficiency when running a business.

As Wiz.A.I creates highly customisable talkbots for your business needs, these talkbots will mirror your best service agents and their best practices to ensure customer service excellence. When it comes to human agents, any changes to their script or sales tactics requires training, and this in turn consumes precious time with an indefinite outcome as to whether the new skill is effectively learnt and applied. With a talkbot, any updates to the information disseminated to your callers can be implemented almost instantaneously, bypassing steep learning curves. Not only is implementing a new sales tactic now a seamless process, feedback is also available almost immediately through data insights and analytics that track the reception of customers.

Driving Sales with A.I

Closing a sale is also a time consuming and time sensitive process. When a company is able to call a customer when he/she is in the midst of deliberating, there is a higher likelihood of successful conversion. Like the proverbial striking of the iron while it is hot, getting the time right is already half the sales battle won. It is however, tricky to know when that window of opportunity will open. This is where customer analytics becomes crucial. Using the Conversational A.I Talkbot, companies would be able to conduct some form of customer segmentation after identifying their intentions. After retrieving this valuable information, businesses can then devise a better strategy to tackle each customer persona. For example, the talkbot would be able to identity who are the customers who have expressed great interest, before shifting their attention to persuading them.

 

Using A.I. for customer service calls can also allow for greater customer outreach and loyalty. Being able to reach out to numerous people at one time while checking in on their interests not only allows for companies to have a higher chance of sealing the deal, it also makes for a memorable customer and brand experience. Small gestures like congratulating customers or letting them in on an exclusive deal will also build brand loyalty, leading to higher returns in the long run.

Furthermore, machine learning which is an integral part of these talkbots allows these intelligent systems to become progressively better at picking up the intentions of the callers. The more data and exposure to different conversations, the better it is and the faster the progress. The rapid rate of technology development in A.I. also allows for system upgrades and hence, customer service excellence.

Most customer service calls are often outsourced to countries where labour costs are more affordable. As such, these agents who are not working directly under the company may not be able to understand the image that the company is trying to present to the general public. Engineering a talkbot and scripting to accurately reflect your company image to deliver the right information to the audience makes a world of difference. Building a talkbot for your company allows your business to regain control of your brand image, while maintaining its consistency through A.I. delivered service standards.

Every call centre agent has their fair share of nasty calls, making it increasingly difficult to maintain a positive and professional tone during a long day at work. Talkbots may hence be in a better position to handle such tricky situations as its tone of speech is maintained. When necessary, the call can be also be transferred to relevant departments. Such arrangements prevent unwelcome scenarios such as when an exasperated customer meets a tired call centre agent who is misunderstood to be insincere.

Companies may also sometimes experience a surge in call volumes where increasing the number of call centre agents in such short notice would be impossible. Once again, talkbots are well equipped to rise to the challenge, handling sudden fluctuations with ease.

All in all, adopting A.I for higher levels of automation is becoming a business strategy proven to have significant returns. This is a golden opportunity to supercharge your call centre services and elevate your business to the next level.


07
Jul
Talkbot Basics
How COVID-19 has changed the call centre
Jennifer Zhang

Jennifer Zhang

CEO & Co-Founder

Covid-19 not only pushed the world to intensify digital transformation efforts, it also made companies aware of the necessity of automating some business processes to meet their immediate needs in times of crises. Numerous call centres screeched to an abrupt halt during the lockdown as many companies were unprepared for remote work. More often than not, call centre agents are outsourced and not within the premises of the company’s office. Moving the phones and its accompanying infrastructure was a logistical nightmare especially in such short notice. While Covid-19 forced the majority of the world to adopt remote work arrangements, it drove companies to realise the potential of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and how automation could revolutionise call centres.

A.I and the changing landscape

The call centre is typically in charge of handling outbound and inbound marketing calls or other relevant customer enquiries. A large team of call agents is often sufficient in handling large call volumes, but when lockdowns are imposed and everyone is forced to stay at home, the workforce immediately gets thinned out, and the usually manageable call volume becomes a formidable task. Enter, Conversational A.I. talkbots. These intelligent talkbots are powered by A.I. and are able to engage in human-like conversations with caller. This is possible because the talkbot is driven by systems like Natural Language Understanding (NLU), Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) and Machine Learning; to name a few. Equipped with the capability to engage a customer, high call volumes are easily handled and when confronted with complex enquiries, the talkbot is smart enough to transfer the call to a human agent who can promptly provide a solution.

As mentioned previously, most companies outsource their call centre agents to other countries where labour costs are lower. As a result, these call centre agents may not have a deep understanding of the company they are working for. By contrast, the talkbot is curated, scripted, and customised according to the company’s needs. The process of building a conversational talkbot is centred on the company’s messaging, the image they would like to portray to the public, or a sales tactic they would like to employ on customer calls. All in all, this allows the company to have better control over their content, messaging, and image – elements which are easily lost when telemarketing calls are outsourced to external labour.

Businesses that were forced to look into automating some processes would also have realised how A.I. is able to reduce the cost of production significantly. Furthermore, the quality of the service is not only maintained but arguably, has become better than before. How does this happen?

While constructing the talkbot, Wiz.A.I looks at the best practices of your top-performing call agents. We then incorporate these practices into the structure of the talkbot’s conversation to ensure that inbound and outbound marketing calls are not only intuitive, but also engaging and convincing. The talkbot is engineered to be strategic in the information that is provided to the caller to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of the conversation; two qualities which have become increasingly important in a society where time is precious and attention spans are shorter than ever.

Take the following scenario: A call centre agent is tasked to call 200 customers by the end of the day to confirm their appointments. It is not surprising that by the time the agent calls the 50th customer of the day, his enthusiasm would have dampened and his tone, noticeably fatigued and exasperated, especially if he/she has endured difficult calls. Talkbots by contrast, are able to maintain a consistent tone throughout all 200 calls, which in turn translates to higher quality calls and consistent service standards. Frustrated customers are more likely to be put at ease when the call agent is patient and sincere.

With one talkbot to handle a large volume of customers at once, your call centre agents can be put on standby to handle more complex tasks instead of repetitive ones. It’s better to let your talkbot do the mundane task of recording the caller’s intentions like whether they are able to make it for the appointment or need to reschedule, while the valuable skills and emotional capacity of your call centre agents can be fully utilised in more productive areas.

This new work environment sounds too good to be true?

A.I. technology is no longer in the realm of science fiction or just another pipe dream, it is being applied to several aspects of daily life. Take smart home devices, for example. With A.I., our personal lives are much easier and it is a given that companies would try to leverage technological advancements to improve their businesses.

Wondering if callers might realise they are speaking to talkbots? Wiz’s A.I. technology has refined the art of human-like conversations to the extent that 90% of our callers thought they were speaking to a human! This is possible because of the text-to-speech technology which generates talkbot voices that sound as human as possible. Additionally, talkbots also recreate the various nuances of human conversations – pausing when interrupted, clarifying questions when confused, and adapting the conversation flow according to new questions. This all makes for a hyper-realistic customer service experience. Additionally, machine learning allow the talkbot to be continually refined in its accuracy in understanding nuances in the human language; a tricky task that is second nature to humans but not so to computers. Trained on large amounts of data, the talkbot only gets better with time. Instead of lengthy learning curves, any updates to the information disseminated or the incorporation of a new sales tactic in outbound marketing can be incorporated into the calls instantaneously, saving the company precious time and money.

In spite of the economic challenges of the past year, there is a golden opportunity to ride the wave of A.I. adoption. Rather than a dystopian narrative of a “robot takeover”, A.I. technology constitutes a handy tool that compliments your workforce, positioning your business for elevated growth, and revolutionising the call centre industry as we know it.


07
Jul
Talkbot Basics
Age of Automation: Which calls should I automate?
Jennifer Zhang

Jennifer Zhang

CEO & Co-Founder

The  pace of workplace automation is expected accelerate in the next three years. The automation of key segments of the production process is critical to boosting efficiency while maintaining competitiveness in the economy. Cutting edge technology such as artificial intelligence (A.I.) is also becoming increasingly popular among companies seeking IT solutions to meet their business needs. The surge in the adoption of A.I. solutions is spurred by the twin pressures of Covid-19 lockdowns, and the constant need for efficiency. When offices closed and remote work became the default arrangement, automation became a solution to labour shortages, causing a substantial spike in the demand for A.I. related technologies. For instance, A.I. can be used to automate both outbound and inbound calls for call centres or companies engaging in telemarketing. Wiz. A.I. specialises in creating hyper-realistic talkbots that are powered by natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning— tools that can be useful for meeting sudden surges in call volumes and increasing your customer outreach.

Wiz’s talkbots are engineered to be able to understand the nuances in the human language (and yes, this includes complex ASEAN languages) while engaging customers in meaningful conversations. Far from being science fiction, our talkbot technology has refined the art of humanised conversations to the extent that over 90 percent of users could not recognise that they were speaking to A.I. over the call. Instead of a monotone, robotic voice that one would commonly associate with voice-layered chatbots like Alexa and Siri, customers speaking to Wiz’s Talkbots are greeted with friendly, human-like voices. This experience is only possible because of the text to speech (TTS) speaker model that is meticulously developed and consistently refined by Wiz’s dialogue engineers to mirror the human voice.

Which types of calls can be handled by talkbots? 

  1. Repetitive tasks

Take the healthcare industry, for example. When it comes to managing appointments, it is not uncommon for people to forget their appointments or cancel them prior to a consultation. To ensure that appointments are managed in an orderly manner, staff in charge of administrative matters will have to spend hours calling patients who have made a booking, lest they miss their appointments entirely. Tasks such as appointment confirmation and reminder calls are rule-based and can be automated with talkbots. By carefully constructing a conversation flow that is user centric and intuitive, talkbots can be utilised for this task. Crucially, the time spent confirming appointments is significantly reduced as the talkbot can manage multiple callers at once. Additionally, the intention of the caller (whether they can make it) is automatically recorded in the system, significantly reducing administrative complexity.

But what if someone does not pick up on the first call? Talkbots are able to identity missed calls and automatically schedule a later time to redial.  With human error minimised, you can rest assured that every caller on the list will be contacted. In the event that the caller has a unique and complicated request that requires the assistance of a human staff member, the call can also be immediately transferred to relevant departments.

  1. Telemarketing

According to Deloitte, voice-based communications are still preferred over emails or chats when it comes to complex conversations. Telemarketing or ‘cold calls’ can also be considered a repetitive task and is arguably straightforward. A user can have one of the following three intentions: (1) interested, (2) uninterested, or (3) on the fence. If it is the second or third option, the talkbot can also be designed to be persuasive by mirroring some of the best practices of top performing call centre agents. At the very least, the talkbot will leave some form of information that the user can easily recall, such as the name of your website. This piece of information can be disseminated either verbally at the end of the call or via a text message. If your potential customer decides to change their mind, they would at least know where to find more information.

Cold calling is both a tedious and time consuming process when done manually. Hence, it is also important to conduct audience segmentation to ensure that calls are targeted at the right people to maximise conversion rates. To this end, call logging or transcribing is necessary but onerous. With conversational talkbots and its speech-to-text capabilities, call logging is automated and the conversations can also be easily analysed. Not only does this generate valuable insights, it can also be used as a guide on how to further improve your script. Furthermore, as talkbots are essentially computers, learning curves are no longer an issue; any updates or changes are instantaneous and no time is lost while attempting to secure a customer. The talkbot is able to provide timely calls and ‘strike while the iron is hot’— and that is the most ideal way of securing a deal.

  1. Calls that require large amounts of emotional labour

Emotional labour is defined as the arduous task of having to perk yourself up every single time you pick up a call from another customer, regardless of whether you have been picking up calls for the past 3 hours or if your previous call was an extremely unpleasant one. This takes an emotional toll on call centre agents which in turn, inevitably affects their performance in the long run. As employees either make or break the business, especially in customer-facing roles, it is in the company’s interests to protect their emotional needs. Adopting talkbots to handle difficult calls allow employees to  monitor calls from a distance and intervene at the right time. Additionally, because the talkbot is able to keep its tone consistent at all times, customers may be more satisfied with the call as it is highly unlikely that they will be speaking to a tired call agent who may come off as insincere – a disastrous setup if customers are already frustrated on their end.

Talkbots are the future

All in all, A.I.-driven automation might be your best bet at increasing cost efficiency and optimising your work processes. Seize the opportunity to leverage A.I. technologies to elevate your business for success.

Schedule a demo now

07
Jul
Pengenalan Talkbot
Revolusi Industri 4.0: Otomasi Bisnis Lewat Kecerdasan Buatan
Jennifer Zhang

Jennifer Zhang

CEO & Co-Founder

Percepatan otomasi industri diperkirakan akan meningkat drastis dalam beberapa tahun kedepan. Otomasi pada segmen-segmen kunci proses produksi sangat penting dalam meningkatkatkan efisiensi sekaligus menjaga kompetisi ekonomi. Teknologi terdepan seperti Kecerdasan Buatan (A.I.) juga makin populer di kalangan pelaku industri yang menggunakan solusi teknologi untuk memenuhi kebutuhan bisnis mereka. Meningkatnya adopsi solusi AI pada 2 tahun terakhir ini terjadi karena dua hal yaitu; Lockdown saat pandemi Covid-19, dan kebutuhan untuk terus menjadi lebih efisien. Saat perkantoran tutup dan sebagian besar orang harus work from home (WFH), otomasi menjadi solusi untuk kurangnya tenaga kerja, yang mengakibatkan peningkatan permintaan yang substansial terhadap teknologi berbasis AI. Misalnya pada call center, AI dapat mengotomasi panggilan telepon inbound dan outbound yang menggunakan telemarketing. Terlebih lagi dengan adanya sistem Talkbot canggih oleh WIZ.AI yang dibuat dengan teknologi Natural Language Processing dan Machine Learning yang sudah. Kedua teknologi ini memberikan kemampuan Talkbot untuk menangani peningkatan volume telepon secara mendadak. sekaligus juga meningkatkan kesempatan perusahaan untuk menjangkau lebih banyak pelanggan.

Lalu apa saja aspek-aspek bisnis dalam cakupan customer service dan call center yang dapat diotomasi?\


 1. Pekerjaan yang sifatnya repetitif

Salah satu kesulitan dalam usaha customer service atau pada call center yang sering dihadapi adalah pekerjaan simpel yang selalu diulang-ulang. Pekerjaan-pekerjaan tersebut sangat penting, namun waktu dan tenaga yang terbuang jika menggunakan tenaga manusia akan sangat sia-sia. Contohnya saja pada industri kesehatan. Ketika pelanggan melakukan janji dengan rumah sakit, atau klinik sering kali mereka lupa atau bahkan membatalkan janji mendadak sebelum waktu pertemuan. Untuk memastikan pelanggan tidak melewatkan janji pertemuan, staff administrasi harus meluangkan banyak waktu hanya untuk menelepon pelanggan dan mengingatkan mereka agar tidak melewatkan atau membatalkan pertemuan di saat-saat terakhir. Pekerjaan seperti konfirmasi janji, dan panggilan untuk mengingatkan janji pertemuan adalah pekerjaan yang mempunyai alur yang pasti dan dapat dengan mudah diotomasi dengan Talkbot. 

Dengan membangun alur percakapan yang intuitif dan berdasarkan percakapan dengan pengguna, Talkbot dapat dengan mudah melakukan pekerjaan ini. Dengan menggunakan Teknologi Talkbot, waktu yang dibutuhkan untuk mengkonfirmasi janji pertemuan secara signifikan dapat dikurangi karena Talkbot dapat menangani beberapa penelepon sekaligus. Selain itu, maksud dari penelepon (terkait apakah mereka dapat menghadiri pertemuan) akan secara otomatis disimpan di dalam sistem, sehingga dapat mengurangi kebutuhan administrasi. Disisi lain, masalah dapat timbul ketika pelanggan tidak menjawab panggilan telepon. Jika hal seperti ini terjadi sistem AI Talkbot dapat langsung menjadwalkan waktu untuk melakukan panggilan pada masa mendatang. 

Dengan tingkat human error yang minimal. perusahaan dapat memastikan seluruh pelanggan yang ada di daftar telepon akan dihubungi. Pada kasus-kasus tertentu di mana pelanggan membutuhkan bantuan yang unik dan spesifik, serta membutuhkan  bantuan dari agen spesialis, Talkbot dapat mengalihkan panggilan ke departemen terkait. 

 

2. Telemarketing

Menurut Deloitte, komunikasi lewat suara masih lebih disukai ketimbang email atau chat text terutama pada percakapan yang kompleks. Telemarketing atau yang juga biasa dikenal dengan cold calls merupakan salah satu pekerjaan yang sifatnya repetitif dan bisa dibilang lugas. Setiap pelanggan yang ditelepon biasanya memiliki tiga motif yakni; (1) Tertarik, (2) Tidak Tertarik, atau (3) Belum pasti. Jika motif pelanggan adalah pilihan nomor 2 dan 3, Talkbot dapat didesain untuk menjadi lebih persuasif, sesuai dengan best practice yang dilakukan oleh agen call center. Paling tidak, Talkbot akan memberikan informasi yang mudah diingat oleh pelanggan. Informasi ini dapat diberikan pada akhir panggilan telepon atau, melalui pesan teks. Jadi, jika sang pelanggan berubah pikiran, mereka tau di mana mereka dapat melihat informasi lebih lanjut. 

Cold calling terkadang bisa menjadi suatu aktivitas memuakan yang memakan banyak waktu jika dilakukan secara manual. Karena itu, perlu dilakukan segmentasi pelanggan untuk memastikan setiap panggilan secara ditargetkan pada pelanggan yang tepat untuk memaksimalkan tingkat konversi. Untuk melakukan hal ini, pencatatan atau transkripsi panggilan merupakan hal yang perlu dilakukan, walaupun sangat sulit. Dengan Talkbot percakapan, dan teknologi speech-to-text, pencatatan dan transkripsi panggilan dapat dilakukan secara otomatis, sehingga dapat dengan mudah dianalisis. Hal ini bukan hanya menghasilkan pengetahuan pasar yang berharga, tetapi juga dapat digunakan untuk memperbaiki skrip panggilan telepon. Lebih dari itu, karena Talkbot adalah mesin komputer, proses pembelajaran bukan lagi menjadi masalah. Setiap update atau perubahan dapat dilakukan secara instan, dan tidak ada waktu yang terbuang saat menutup penjualan. Talkbot dapat melakukan panggilan pada waktu yang tepat dan memanfaatkan kesempatan dengan baik.  Itulah cara paling ideal untuk menarik hati pelanggan. 

 

3. Panggilan Telepon yang Membutuhkan Usaha Emotional Labor yang Besar

Pernah dengar istilah Emotional Labor? Emotional Labor adalah proses mengelola emosi anda dalam melakukan suatu pekerjaan. Contohnya saja ketika anda harus menyemangati diri anda untuk mengangkat telepon dari pelanggan, walaupun anda sudah menjawab telepon selama  3 jam, atau baru saja berbincang dengan pelanggan yang tidak menyenangkan. Hal seperti ini memberikan beban emosional yang berat kepada agen, yang nantinya akan mempengaruhi performa agen tersebut dalam jangka panjang. Perlu diingat bahwa pegawai adalah aspek penting perusahaan terutama dalam berkomunikasi dengan pelanggan. Untuk itu, menjaga kesehatan emosional pegawai adalah salah satu perhatian utama perusahaan. 

Dengan menggunakan Talkbot untuk menangani panggilan telepon yang sulit, memberikan kesempatan untuk agen memonitor panggilan, dan mengintervensi ketika dibutuhkan. Selain itu, karena Talkbot dapat menjaga intonasi secara konsisten, pelanggan juga akan merasa lebih puas karena mereka tidak berbicara dengan agen call center yang sedang lelah, yang mungkin terdengar kasar atau tidak sopan. Terlebih lagi jika pelanggan sedang merasa frustrasi.

Jika dilihat, otomasi berbasis AI merupakan pilihan terbaik dalam meningkatkan efisiensi biaya dan optimasi pekerjaan. Jadi, mulailah berinvestasi pada solusi berbasis teknologi AI untuk meningkatkan kesuksesan bisnis.


07
Jul
Pengenalan Talkbot
A.I. Datang Membantu – Asisten administrasi baru anda
Jennifer Zhang

Jennifer Zhang

CEO & Co-Founder

Apakah anda masih ingat saat di mana Google Duplex mencengangkan seluruh penonton ketika ia berhasil melakukan pembuatan janji dengan seorang hairstylist? Bukan lagi hanya mimpi orang-orang introvert, hal ini juga merupakan tanda terobosan teknologi yang sangat penting. Kehadiran AI sudah mempermudah berbagai hal dari sisi konsumen seperti Asisten Virtual , Mobil dengan kendali otomatis, hingga perangkat-perangkat smart home, smart cities, dan infrastruktur “Smart” lainnya. Lalu bagaimana dengan kegunaan AI untuk bisnis?


Otomasi Sistem Booking (Buat Janji otomatis)

Tidak ada yang lebih menjengkelkan daripada menunggu pelanggan yang sudah membuat janji, yang ternyata membatalkan pertemuan secara sepihak tanpa memberitahu anda. Setiap klien yang membatalkan pertemuan pada sesaat sebelum pertemuan adalah kesempatan bisnis yang sia-sia. Bukan hanya karena janji yang dibatalkan, tapi juga karena waktu dan tenaga yang terbuang untuk mempersiapkan pelayanan bagi klien yang ujung-ujungnya membatalkan pertemuan. Jika klien tersebut membatalkan pertemuan lebih cepat, anda dapat mengalihkan waktu dan tenaga untuk melayani pelanggan lain, atau bahkan melakukan reschedule untuk pertemuan dengan pelanggan tersebut. Dengan adanya sistem booking ada beberapa aspek pembuatan janji yang dapat diotomasi, tapi tetap dibutuhkan admin yang harus siap standby menangani sistem tersebut. Tapi, pembatalan janji pada menit-menit terakhir masih menjadi masalah. Bisa dibilang cara terbaik untuk mitigasi pembatalan janji adalah dengan menelpon pelanggan beberapa waktu sebelum pertemuan untuk mengkonfirmasi status booking mereka. Tapi hal ini hanya dapat dilakukan jika perusahaan mempunyai tenaga kerja yang cukup yang tidak dimiliki oleh kebanyakan perusahaan-perusahaan dengan ukuran kecil dan menengah. Pengingat janji pertemuan adalah hal yang sangat berguna dalam memastikan pelanggan menepati janji pertemuan, dan merupakan hal faktor penting dalam memberikan pelayanan terbaik bagi pelanggan anda. Jadi, bukankah akan sangat baik jika proses manajemen janji pertemuan dapat sepenuhnya dilakukan dengan otomatis?

Untuk mengotomasi manajemen pembuatan janji ada beberapa sistem yang dapat digunakan. Salah satunya adalah penggunaan sistem Talkbot hyper-realistic yang dibangun dengan teknologi AI terkemuka seperti teknologi Machine Learning Natural Language Understanding, Automatic Speech Recognition, dan Interactive Voice Response (IVR). Teknologi Talkbot ini didesain untuk membantu perusahaan menghubungi pelanggan dalam jumlah besar lewat panggilan telepon untuk mengkonfirmasi status booking mereka, dan juga mengurangi pembatalan janji pada menit-menit terakhir. Dengan teknologi ini perusahaan dapat secara signifikan memaksimalkan tingkat kehadiran pelanggan, dan meminimalisir masalah administrasi yang disebabkan oleh pembatalan janji di saat-saat terakhir.

Ada beberapa pendapat yang mengatakan bahwa membuat aplikasi sistem pembuatan janji adalah salah satu cara untuk mengelola jadwal pertemuan yang banyak. Tapi, akan selalu lebih baik jika perusahaan melakukan kontak terlebih dahulu. Inilah mengapa Talkbot merupakan menjadi pilihan yang tepat. Ketika kita dapat menghubungi pelanggan pada waktu yang ideal, perusahaan dapat melakukan penyesuaian jadwal yang dibutuhkan yang dapat  meningkatkan efisiensi kerja secara signifikan.  Lebih dari itu, menelepon pelanggan untuk mengkonfirmasi pertemuan dapat membantu pelanggan merasa lebih tenang dan diapresiasi, yang akhirnya akan memberikan kesan positif bagi pelanggan, dan membuat perusahaan terlihat tulus dan proaktif. Inilah standar kualitas layanan pelanggan yang harus dipenuhi oleh perusahaan. 


A.I. untuk mempermudah seluruh aspek pembuatan janji

Kita semua sudah tahu bagaimana rumitnya proses untuk mengkonfirmasi janji pertemuan ketika pelanggan dan agen customer service harus repot-repot mengecek kalender untuk mencari jeda pada jadwal mereka yang padat. Percakapan tentang “apakah bisa dilakukan hari ini?” atau “Maaf saya sibuk pada tanggal ini” juga dapat memiliki konteks yang berbeda. Dengan teknologi  machine learning, automatic speech recognition (ASR), dan natural language understanding (NLU), Talkbot dapat secara akurat mengidentifikasi maksud dari pelanggan dan memanage janji pertemuan mereka sesuai dengan keinginan pelanggan. Selain itu, Talkbot juga mampu menjawab berbagai pertanyaan yang sering diajukan (FAQ) seperti waktu operasional, lokasi usaha, maupun layanan atau produk yang ditawarkan.

Hal terbaik tentang Talkbot adalah banyaknya orang yang tidak tahu akan keberadaan Talkbot. lebih dari 90% pengguna mengira mereka sedang berbicara dengan agen customer service. Padahal, mereka sedang berbicara dengan Talkbot. Kemampuan talkbot untuk terdengar seperti manusia dapat dicapai dengan sistem text-to-speech yang mutakhir. Sistem text-to-speech juga bekerja sama dengan teknologi ASR untuk memberikan pelayanan terbaik bagi pelanggan.  Selain itu, pengembangan sistem yang berkelanjutan juga memberikan nilai lebih dalam penggunaan Talkbot. 


12345
Page 4 of 5


Product

  • Capabilities
  • Technology

Industry Solutions

  • Telecommunication
  • Banking & Finance
  • Insurance
  • Healthcare
  • E-commerce

About Us

  • Company
  • Join Us
  • Terms & Conditions

Resources

  • How To Design A Talkbot
  • The Rise Of Conversational AI In Customer Service
  • Understanding Asia – Natural Language Processing in AI

Countries

  • Singapore
  • Indonesia
  • Philippines
  • China

Email

  • marketing@wiz.ai
Copyright © 2022 WIZ Holdings PTE. LTD. All Rights Reserved
Privacy Policy