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Learning in the infancy of virtual agents
Journal of Digital Banking,
3
(4),
295-306
(2019)
Abstract
This paper shares learnings from the early stages of virtual agent (VA) implementation. While the paper presents hands-on practical insights and highlights areas to consider when building a VA, it will mainly discuss two issues. The first is the importance of getting started, because it is not until then that one truly begins to get the required learnings and insights to continue to develop and work with VAs. The second is the fact that although it is a new and hyped AI technology, the true value of implementing a successful VA comes from having the right people and capabilities involved to build a trusted experience. No one really knows how customers will use VAs in future, but most likely they will be differentiated in a way that suits the individual’s preferences.
Keywords: virtual agents; chatbot; Nova
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Mattias Fras has a background as management consultant with Accenture and as chief financial officer (CFO) of Nordea Life & Pension Sweden. Since 2015 he has been part of building new technology in the bank. This includes robotics (RPA), virtual agents (VAs) and artificial intelligence (AI)-related applications. He leads the AI Strategy & Acceleration unit in the Nordea group. This includes figuring out how to organise and operate in times of AI as well as getting solutions implemented.
Gustav Rudolfsson is a VA trainer. He has a background in international business development and econometrics. Since joining Nordea, he has been working extensively on implementing and setting up new VA organisations across the bank. He has been instrumental in the progress achieved by the Nordea group in organising itself around VAs and has developed numerous tools to improve its functioning.
Kristina Grönvall has a minor in business culture and a master in applied finance. She has been working with information technology (IT) solutions in the financial sector since 2013, including three years of leading RPA and VA implementation as project manager. She strongly believes that the main challenge in unlocking the business potential of AI is in the implementation process, where old and new systems and ways of working meet. Working within the space where humans and technology interact, her current focus as AI strategist in Nordea’s accelerated AI unit is to create and implement efficient and secure operating models, ensure the continuous improvement and maintainability of new customer-centric AI solutions, and strive for a better, more efficient world.
