Artificial intelligence has developed at breathtaking speed over the last decade. From simple beginnings, AI is now a common feature in many business interactions across multiple industries. Moreover, modern AI is now even better than ever at interacting with people and delivering fantastic customer experience.
One way that AI has learned to deliver a better experience for users is through its growing understanding of emotions. In 2018, a study by the University of Ohio found that they could programme computers that were better at detecting emotions than people, with that technology now available to chatbots! Here, we take a look at how modern AI technology understands human emotions, and how your business can take advantage.
Understanding Human Cues
People may have once believed that humans have a unique, intangible understanding with one another when it comes to emotions. However, that innate understanding is actually our ability to pick up and analyse the many cues that we give to each other that indicate our emotional state.
The most common emotional cues we give when interacting with one another are visual, such as our body language or eye contact. As mentioned above, while some may believe our understanding of these is natural, it’s actually something we learn throughout our lives. Artificial intelligence turns these cues into data which, through intelligent machine learning, can lead to computer systems capable of detecting human emotions.
However, what do you do when you can’t see someone? It turns out that, while we provide visual cues regarding our emotions, there are also many audio cues given through our voice. Some of these are obvious, such as suddenly raising your voice, but many nuanced changes can indicate someone’s state. These include speed, pitch and length of pause, alongside the actual words chosen. As with facial cues, AI systems can learn all of this in data format, allowing them to develop an accurate understanding of the emotional state of their users.
Chatbots that Understand Customer Emotions
A recent study at the University of Texas supported the long-held belief that we as people make more emotional decisions than we initially suspect. When related to product purchasing decisions, they found that rational reasoning was used “mostly as justification after a buyer makes a decision based on emotional response.” Businesses have always tried to connect with customers on an emotional level, and new technology allows that to happen in a smarter way than ever before.
There are many preconceived ideas about chatbots, and a common myth is that they can lead to unnatural conversations. The truth is that technology has developed leaps and bounds since the early days of chatbots, where DTMF was the primary option for businesses. Modern chatbots are capable of handling all manner of conversations in a user’s natural language, allowing customers to be treated as individuals in a system that caters for everyone.
By understanding the emotional meaning behind certain words and tones of voice, sophisticated chatbots can take this ability even further and adapt based on the user’s state. For example, if a user phones about an issue and is upset, the chatbot can ensure it uses language that acknowledges the user’s disappointment, improving the likelihood of customer retention. On the other hand, if a chatbot detects that a user is pleased, it can use more positive and friendly language to deepen the emotional relationship between the customer and the business.
The Best Chatbot for Your Business
AI chatbot technology has developed so much over the last few years and is now readily available in sophisticated call centre chatbots like those offered by us at Hostcomm. We have provided chatbot solutions to businesses in a range of industries, and our bespoke packages can deliver significant improvements in customer satisfaction. If you would like to know more about how our chatbots can achieve results for your company, why not get in contact with us or request a free chatbot demo?
