AI helps with better conversation

For me, one of the great benefits of digital technology is that it can help you listen better to your target audiences: both verbal and nonverbal. With recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI), there seems to be a promising spurt in automated listening to interlocutors.

That automated listening helps us understand much more and better about our target audiences and respond appropriately. In this way, the organisation grows to a higher responsive maturity level.

Not a replacement, but an enrichment

There are already several AI tools in the market that are proven to help improve conversations with target audiences. These AI tools are not a replacement for employees in call centers and sales departments, for example, but an enrichment. Especially in the training and improvement of both new and experienced employees.

This new generation of tools can be used in a variety of ways. Consider analysing call transcripts to identify trends in customer inquiries, detecting emotions in speech to personalise service, or providing real-time feedback to employees during a call.

For example, tools can be used to instantly indicate whether an employee is taking enough breaks, speaking too fast, or missing certain keywords or other cues in the call. Now these tools are still limited to text and spoken word, but perhaps analysis of nonverbal behaviour will also be possible in the future.

Through listening a better understanding

The benefit of this approach is that it not only improves individual performance, but also leads to a better understanding of the needs and expectations of the target audience. This understanding is crucial for developing more effective communication strategies and delivering a better customer experience. Moreover, these insights can also be used to optimize processes and increase efficiency.

The applications extend beyond commercial environments. In the public sector, these tools can also help improve interaction with citizens, for example by analysing feedback forms or monitoring social media. Better alignment with citizen needs leads to increased trust and participation.

Dare to play and learn from experience

The possibilities are vast, and developments are rapid. The most important step is to experiment and discover how these tools can help your organisation listen better, learn faster and respond more effectively.

Dare to play with the technology and see what results it produces. An investment in these experiments can significantly help increase your organisation's maturity in responsiveness and customer focus.

A practical example

To show that this is not just a future, I give the example of Databricks, one of the few companies actually using such an AI tool at scale. Earlier this year, the data analytics software provider gave 1,000 employees in its sales group access to an AI sales coach from Yoodli, a small startup.

It would be too expensive to give employees individual coaching lessons. Salespeople have the option of listening to recordings of other people's conversations, but in doing so they don't get personal feedback. With Yoodli's software, salespeople can replay conversations with customers and give tips afterwards on how to improve. For example, Yoodli can suggest a different way to describe a product depending on the type of customer having the conversation.

But the technology is not limited to sales. One of the Databricks managers used Yoodi for a role-play in which she gave feedback to one of her employees. To her surprise, the AI bot told her she could improve her empathy for her comments - feedback that a human might be less likely to give, she said.

More than enough tools

There are more such AI tools, but to highlight one: Yoodli is a platform that offers private, real-time and judgment-free role-play coaching for pitch certification, sales, onboarding, manager training and more. Powered by generative AI, Yoodli can simulate realistic scenarios, provide feedback and track progress for various use cases.

Google Cloud also has similar positive results and that is being picked up by other vendors. The market for AI sales coaching could grow very quickly. Salesforce has said it will release such a product, as will smaller sales software vendors such as Gong.