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Google is Building 'Virtual Agents' To Handle Call Centers' Grunt Work (qz.com)
Google is officially building AI technology to replace some of the work in call centers, the company announced at its Cloud Next conference today, confirming earlier reports. From a report: The software is called Contact Center AI, and Google is working with at least a dozen partners, such as Cisco and Vonage, to install "virtual agents" that will be the first to pick up the phone when a customer is routed to a call center. When the customer asks something that the AI can't do, it will automatically forward the call to a human, according to a blog post by Google Cloud chief scientist Fei-Fei Li. Li writes that new AI shares some underlying technology as Google Duplex, the AI service showed off earlier this year that emulates a human voice to call restaurants and make reservations. This means that with Contact Center AI, it's unlikely a customer would know they're talking to a robot unless it was disclosed at the beginning of the call.
They used to call me crazy when I yelled on the phone "are you human????â whenever I dialled somebody. Now who's laughing?
Also, can an AI consent to be recorded, and how far can it go acting as an agent for the company? What if I tell it I want something ridiculous and it assents? I wouldn't know I was talking to a wacky software bot, so as far as I'm concerned I have records of my communication with the company to the extent that I'm legitimately receiving my strange order.
"I'll record this conversation."
"Ok"
"Now, does acme corp accept my terms to send me a sack of gold in exchange for a dollar?"
"Ok"
was not bad enough
It's called a voice menu...
I find if you start swearing immediately voice menus will often take you right to a human. Perhaps this Google system will make that happen more reliably.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Being that level 1 support is mostly treated like a robot anyways. A script that they need to follow rather strictly. This script cannot become too advanced because it will be hard for the Level 1 support to follow. An AI can probably do this job a bit better, just because it can follow complex rules much more easily.
That said, most companies have a Phone Tree system already for Level 1 support. and Google will be replacing an automated system with a better one.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
I can tell you as someone who worked in a support call center when younger that people love to be transferred during calls, everyone loves to explain something twice. The robo-operator better be really good for a wide variety of topics and replace tele-menus or whatever they're called or people won't be happy about this.
Any one who has been in a call center for a time will know this will not work
OOOOBoy, I have had some characters on the other line. Would like to see a bot handle that.
The millennial that doesn't like most of the stuff designed for millennials.
It will still be obvious it's not a human. Not as though I can do any where near what they've done but it's still painfully obvious it's a bot talking.
Although it might well be better than the average call centre employee anyway.
I wonder if it can change accents on the fly when it hears someone speaking.
Google 3 weeks ago: "Don't worry we're not planning on using our AI technology to put call center workers out of their jobs."
--FAST FORWARD THREE WHOLE WEEKS--
Google today: "We're taking away call center workers' jobs with our AI technology."
and they are no longer as cheap to run call centers there. Thats why most call centers have resorted to support scams instead of legitimate companies because its more profitable. The robot revolution will lead to billions of unemployed indians and there will be a robot vs human war.
VA: "Have you restarted the equipment"
Customer: "I restarted my cell phone is that the same?"
VA: "Have you restarted your network modem?"
Customer: "Yeah, was that the box with the lights?"
VA: "It should say Linksys on the box."
Customer: "Ummmmm..... I don't have a box that says Linksys. Wait, my son says it's the box that says Cisco..... um, okay, I'm rebooting my TV now."
VA: [smacks virtual head and transfers to a human....again]
There goes all that texas job growth.
Phone trees are even worse. If I were the CEO of a company and someone brought that up as an option at a board meeting, they'd be walking out of the building with their boxes thinking it sucks to be fired. Then when they got home, they'd seen their house had burnt down only to be abducted and sent to a black site to slowly starve to death on their least favorite food.
Google won't work with the government to protect the country because some employee's hate the current administration, but google will work with call centers to make ruining dinner time for most Americans that much worse. Good thing they got rid of the "don't be evil" slogan
You fucking fuckers, if i call you, I don't want to talk to a FUCKING MACHINE, you IDIOTS. OK, you DUMB PIECE OF ROBOT SHIT, make a note of this: I cancel this fucking service.
I am a nice person, but don't expect me to hold back when you make me talk to a robot.
Erwin: Greetings and salutations. Welcome to the emergency line of the San Angeles Police Department. If you'd prefer an automated response, press 1 now.
-From Demolition Man.
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
You might think that. I mean, I'm certain if you agreed to send a sack of gold for a dollar, they'd hold you to it. But if it went the other way - must be a software malfunction.
But hey, at least you know you can trust Google. I mean it was what, a couple weeks ago they swore that Google Duplex wasn't going to be used to automate call centers - and they stood by their word. It won't be Google Duplex, it'll be a related product that draws on the underlying technology.
--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
Other companies already have these "Virtual Agents", it's the dreaded Call Tree you have to navigate before you are able to talk to a live person. Assuming you can get through the tree without throwing your phone at the nearest hard surface or jumping in front of a bus to end your misery.
It: Before we get started, can you tell me what your call is about ?
Me: Agent
It: Okay, I can help you with that, let me get a bit more information first. . . . .
Me: -facepalm-
Even more amusing is when you're talking to the damn bot and they include the sounds of typing in the background after you answer a question to give the impression you're actually talking to someone.
EVEN MORE AMUSING is after you finally get to a live person, it's in an overseas call center where the accent is so thick you can't understand them. The answers they give are simply scripted flow charts and you're in no better position after the call concludes than you were before it started.
Them: Okay, have you tried rebooting your router ? Or unplugging / replugging your cable ?
Me: -gunshot to head-
As a final jab, they then send you a survey request over and over again until you go insane or write an email rule which auto-deletes the damn thing.
( Because no one reads the surveys and, if they do, no one acts upon them )
We have strong privacy protections in our State Constitution.
Just saying.
Doesn't matter what your excuse is, get a warrant.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
What will become of them?
What will they do then?
Do we care?
Should we care?
APK is building virtual security in that it provides virtually no actual security.
first thing in all AI theorem, ignore a persons first attempt to ask for an agent.. frustration level goes up x10..
then, do I need to repeat myself again, and the account info, I need to repeat again... disparate systems not passing info and handling...
oh well. been there.. seen it.. done it..
google, please add AI to the elevator and take away the buttons...and listen to everything I say.. so you can change my floor by mistake. ;-)
mtn287 at it again...
We have strong privacy protections in our State Constitution.
Just saying.
Doesn't matter what your excuse is, get a warrant.
In Washington, you can satisfy the consent requirement by "announc[ing] to all other parties engaged in the communication or conversation, in any reasonably effective manner, that such communication or conversation is about to be recorded or transmitted," so long as this announcement is also recorded. Wash. Rev. Code 9.73.030(3).
http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/washington/washington-recording-law
We got calls from the towers, apparently they couldn't get through to 911 so they fucking called me... ya Google can have the call center jobs, it would make for a better world.
[($)]
All it is is reacting to certain words and providing canned solutions which is sort of worthless if you ask me in terms of help. I could get more specific help through a web forum. At least maybe they provide more then a canned support message for a solution. Although some of that happens in forums too. I feel lucky I am able to fix most issues myself without much assistance. Google in my experience using their help forums a few times are worthless and provide solutions that the person with the issue already said they had done. Or its that old standby solution just uninstall and reinstall. Or try Canary as if a beta would be better then their public release??
about 70-80% of the work on a help desk is password resets. This will be the first to go. It'll mean huge reductions in the call center workforce. Those employees aren't going to say "Welp, guess I'm not needed anymore" and eat a bullet. Most will leave IT. Some will struggle to stay in. And they'll be gunning for _your_ jobs.
Best case scenario you get stuck pulling the weight of a whole slew of newbs out of their depth who passed a job interview by sheer luck and/or nepotism. Worst case (and this will happen) your boss notices that when he goes to fill a position there's 5000+ applicants and decides he can cut your pay and increase your hours instead of hiring.
Either way now would be good time to do something about these massive productivity increases and job losses due to AI and automation.
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
Some of the people handling the incoming calls are so awful, even rudimentary AI may be an improvement.
I wonder, if Google's AI will get the hint, when I swear at it, though — and transfer me to a real human. If, that is, I would ever want, considering the first part...
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
Did I miss something here?
I'm just not seeing what's unique about this idea. It just sounds like any old IVR application out there, where you listen for keywords in the responses to try and figure out what the caller wants.
The technique is to prompt the user, then listen, and if the IVR doesn't understand with a specific level of confidence, start to "train" the user on easily recognizable words and phrases. How's AI going to help this? All it's going to do is make some likely vain attempt to parse the words said and try to equate that (with some level of confidence) to some predetermined set of options. It will say "I'm not sure what you mean" and proceed to prompt the user again by outlining a list of things it knows how to do, or (worse) just telling them to "try again". Trying again will likely get you EXACTLY the same input, said slower, which isn't going to help the AI any. The result with and without AI will be the same and take just as long.
Unless I missed something, this is nothing more than Google hype or the musings of some inexperienced IVR engineers trying to sound like they are thinking outside the box. Doesn't look like it's new to me.
"File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
I could write a version 1 of this bot and I think mine would be worth about 90% of whatever they end up paying for their highly-tuned AI beast. Here's how it would work...
"Hi! Please email a carefully-written description of your problem to support@example.com. Our support people don't want to talk to you on the phone, and don't even want to help you AT ALL if all you say is that you have a problem, rather than saying what the problem is. So keep that in mind when writing your email! Good bye, and good luck!"
Customer request out of range.
Cause: Unprogrammed Request
Customer Request: "Stick this thing up your ass."
My AI doesn't accept that answer.
Therefore, consent was not heard.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
Doesn't matter what your excuse is, get a warrant.
Thank you for calling 911. Please stay on the line and as soon as we get a warrant to record this call we'll be right back to you ... [muzak] ..."
I always make a statement to the effect that by continuing this call you are agreeing to being recorded and that any consent arrived on this call is legally binding and considered contractual.
World Saving would immediately forward me to a supervisor, and Wells Fargo agents would hang up. When dealing with what I suspect might be an AI or robocall I make a nonsensical statement like "purple monkey dishwasher sauce ?" and ask for agreement. You can generally determine the nature of the call by the response or lack thereof from something like that.
errr....umm...*whooosh* *whoosh* Is this thing on ?
"This call may be monitored or recorded for quality assurance purposes."
Can the AI understand that I want to talk to a fucking human!
I'd pay money to have their agent block spam calls to my phone.
Whenever the person says, "This call may be recorded..." I tell them, "You bet I'm recording this!" Some come back and say that I'm not allowed to do that. I tell them, too late.
-- I have a private email server in my basement.
Your software is just fine - well written, functional... I'm going to continue using the Host File Engine by mmell February 17, 2017
Your premise that hostfiles are a good way to deal with advertising and malvertising is quite valid - by JazzLad April 20, 2016
his hosts program is actually pretty good by xenotransplant August 10 2015
his hosts tool is actually useful for those cases in which one does indeed want to locally block stuff outright while consuming minimum system resources by alexgieg September 25 2015
I like your host file system by Karmashock September 09 2015
that APK guy, I use his host file by rogoshen1 Tuesday March 03, 2015
I personally use a HOSTS file blocker produced from a genius called APK by 110010001000 October 27 2017
* Best part = Linux 64-bit model's faster/more efficient (2x work & 1/2 the time)
APK
P.S.=> For a faster/safer/more reliable internet... apk
I've had enough of incomprehensible Indian accents.
..is they will use this technology to "revolutionize" robocalls and telemarketing
Does this mean I can't drive spammers crazy using various spambaiting techniques the next time one of those solar companies, IRS agents, or 'Microsoft Support' scammers calls me?
Until now some barely trained teen (usually on his first day, at least always for me) tries to understand a few words I say and types these into his 'expert system' and reads the answers on screen.
Can't be worse than that.
It will be interesting to see what the value add is going to be besides google filtering your personal data to better target you for advertisement.
so you can speak to humans
Would you like another extra big search result?
You account has been charged.
Your balance is zero.
Please surf the web again when you can afford to buy a product.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
I deal with 2 GoogleFi phones -- 'Personality AI' agents are the most annoying feature of Google's AI Call Center.
"Hey pardner, ..." -- fake cowpoke dude.
"It certainly is sunny here, how's the weather there?" -- fake nature lover.
"Roger that." -- fake roger dodger.
Per Douglas Adams' classic - “A new generation of Sirius Cybernetics Corporation robots and computers, with the new GPP feature.” Arthur: "GPP? What’s that?" Ford: "Er It says Genuine People Personalities."
When I ask Google Call Center responders, "Are you a real human or an AI?" The question is completely ignored, not YES, nor NO. I THINK THE ROBOTIC AI NATURE OF MY INTERACTION SHOULD BE DISCLOSED, that way I can skip the 'how are you' pleasantries, at least.
Google has low profit margins, but many sales (eg, ads), This makes it suicidally expensive to use humans at ~ $15.00/hr to address a problem that arose out of a 3-cent sale. So they don't let you call them.
I'll happily talk to an AI if they can solve my problem (;-))
davecb@spamcop.net
they're going to lose their livelihoods. Most of them will die in a gutter (seriously, 45,000 people in America die every year from preventable diseases). But the desperation will force some of them to improve enough to compete at higher tiered jobs, like the ones you occupy.
It doesn't matter if they have skills or not. They'll work 80+ hours a week to try and hang on. Their burn out. Die of heart attacks. But in the meantime wages will plummet.
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
assuming they had passwords to reset. People lock themselves out of password reset automation all the time. Most secure businesses will force a call after 3 failed attempts.
You're thinking about the guys that fix computers for a companies businesses. That's not where most of the call center work is. It's in supporting the dozens of custom apps for your bank, your credit card company(ies), your patreon account, etc, etc, etc.
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
Now if they could just make the AI good enough so i can use social engineering on it.
So telling the AI to go fsck itself will get you directly to an agent now. Interesting.
This is all part of Big Brother Google's master plan to ensure all working class people die unemployed in the gutter. Those deplorable Nazis - they all deserve it!
Hold your breath, cram your head up your own ass, and then count to infinity by prime numbers only.
And if you goof, hang up and restart this call.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
How come time flies like an arrow and fruit flies like a banana?
Is the difference between a fish purely that one of its legs are both the same?
I wasn't originally going to get a brain transplant, but then I changed my mind. Is that funny? Why?
THEN the bot will transfer you to a human to talk to.
This is how our company's system has worked for 15 years. Anything the ASR can't understand gets forwarded to an analyst that plays back what the caller utters (an utterance) who then manually sends the call to the appropriate entity. These human decisions are logged and used to "train" the speech recognition models further.
See subject: It ticked you off https://tech.slashdot.org/comm... since you WISH you were ME (but you don't have the skills OR intelligence + work ethic to do so, lol).
* It's NOT easy being "World-Class" (like ME)...
(Especially since I have to put up w/ UNIDENTIFIABLE anonymous STALKERS like you OR when you IMPERSONATE me https://linux.slashdot.org/com... )
APK
P.S.=> HOWEVER: 3 things tell me I am doing it well & doing it right:
1st = User feedback/praise of my hosts engine https://tech.slashdot.org/comm...
2nd ALL THE "ATTACKS" I GET (especially from UNIDENTIFIABLE anonymous fools, just like Elon Musk got yesterday https://tech.slashdot.org/stor... )
3rd BEING IMITATED (as you allegedly intend to try & so far have FAILED in 'doing it in an afternoon' which tells me you really aren't a GOOD coder making shoddy estimates like THAT, lol (Many have only to produce inferior models)) as "Imitation IS the sincerest form of flattery" https://linux.slashdot.org/com... ... apk
If you call customer service, and someone picks up the phone right away and starts talking to you, that's all you need to know...it's a robot. Real humans are too expensive to have enough excess capacity to pick up the phone right away, so you'll always have to wait to talk to one.
"I'll record this conversation."
"Ok"
"Now, does acme corp accept my terms to send me a sack of gold in exchange for a dollar?"
"Ok"
How this is supposed to go into the mind of the investor currently giving money to google :
- I'll record this converstion.
- Okay
- Now, does Acme corp accept my terms to send me a sack of gold in exchange for a dollar?
- Uhm... I'm sorry, Sir. I'm not qualified to answer you question. I'll transfer your call to someone from Sales.
- Hello, my name is Sandy, welcome to the Sales department of Acme. How might I help you?
How this will actually go in the real world a couple of months down the line :
- I'll record this converstion.
- Okay
- Now, does Acme corp accept my terms to send me a sack of gold in exchange for a dollar...
(...small barely audible burst of line noise...)
- Okay, Sir. Your ordered item will be shipped tomorrow, have a nice day
And the Chaos Computer Club Conference on-stage demo version :
"- Hello my name Bob, Acme corp's new AI assistant, how might I help you ?
(...loud modem-noise on the line...)
- Okay, have a PENIS!!!! day ! LORDZOFLULZ was here !"
(And then bunch of strippers all paid by Acme's bank account arrive at the conference)
---
where:
"Uhm..." = artificial simulation of human noise that Google currently use to mask the processing time.
"Sandy" = actual human
noise = sounds very much like some noise due to some failing analog link along the line (crappy wireless phone used by the caller, bad copper POTS lines from the caller's house, etc.) but is actually wrongly interpreted by the AI as some weird command tricking the AI into uttering the desired response. (Like : "No, actually, could you please send me one of your free catalogs ?" See all the noisy (looking like analog noise) pictures that actually completely tricks the ImageNet to recognise bogus objects)
modem noise = very densely compressed horribly complex and weird audio sequences specially crafted by LordzOfLulz that eventually ends up buffer-over-running and pwning some server deep in the company.
The next security conference after that will show that it's possible to actually achieve the same result by singing "Marry has a little lamb" a capella over a simple cheap smartphone and substituting a weird color name, but they'll only order soda drinks delivered on Acme corp's budget (because the conference organizers reported attendees' complains about breaches of "Code of Conduct")
"Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]