Best use cases for conversational AI agents

Transforming each sector of human existence, one agent at a time.

Summary

• Conversational AI agents play a more prominent role in society than you may think.
• These advanced technologies are implemented in various sectors, including customer service, retail, healthcare, finance, human resources, travel, education, and even gaming. 
• As artificial intelligence continues to advance, so do the capabilities of conversational AI. 

Overview

Conversational AI is blurring the lines between human interaction and robotic responses, one savvy agent at a time. Whether you’re familiar with the term or are just learning about this technology through this article, there’s no denying that the applications of conversational AI are growing exponentially each year. 

What are conversational AI agents? 

As far-fetched as the term “conversational AI” may sound, conversational AI agents are everywhere. 

Think Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant, and even ChatGPT. These are all mainstream examples of conversational AI, yet most people don’t realize how prominent this technology has become in their everyday lives. 

But what are conversational AI agents at their core?

Without delving into highly technical definitions, conversational AI agents can be considered ultra-sophisticated versions of ordinary chatbots or virtual assistants. 

While your standardized chatbot or assistant can respond to basic questions or requests, conversational AI agents go above and beyond to understand your intent and process natural language to provide human-like responses or take specific actions. 

Although conversational AI is not a new technology per se, it’s certainly advanced over the last few years alongside overall developments in artificial intelligence, leading to AI agents becoming increasingly more human-like and intelligent. 

Applications of conversational AI agents 

When we said conversational AI agents are everywhere, we weren’t exaggerating. As artificial intelligence continues to advance, the capabilities of AI agents also grow and diversify. 

That said, let’s take a closer look at some widespread use cases of conversational AI: 

Customer support 

While the traditional customer service bot is not well-equipped to handle questions or complaints beyond the bare minimum, conversational AI agents can understand the intent behind specific queries and respond accordingly. 

Conversational AI can help large companies and small businesses streamline their customer support processes without hiring a whole team of agents to handle complaints. If a case is too complex to solve, the agent can simply pass the ticket to a human agent and continue working on incoming tickets as required. 

To personalize AI-powered customer support even further, companies can integrate natural-sounding text to speech software into their customer support applications for a completely authentic experience. 

eCommerce and retail

Conversational AI agents can act as personalized shopping assistants, helping customers with product searches and providing product recommendations. They are quick to figure out individual preferences, analyzing each interaction and click to provide shoppers with personalized shopping experiences based on the information gathered and processed. 

AI agents can also perform routine tasks like managing orders, modifying purchases, initiating returns, reminding customers about abandoned shopping carts, and other tasks usually left to customer service representatives. You can even implement conversational AI to encourage customers to participate in seasonal offers or make the most of sales and discounts. 

Healthcare

You may be surprised to learn that conversational AI is also being implemented in healthcare as we speak. 

Conversational AI agents can perform a wide range of tasks in the health and wellness sphere, including helping patients schedule appointments, answering questions related to medications or treatments, and even helping patients figure out their symptoms and suggest the best course of action. 

Depending on the level of sophistication, some agents can also provide mental health support and share useful tips on managing stress and anxiety.

Banking and finance 

Financial management can be complicated and stressful, especially for customers opening their first bank accounts, taking out their first loan, or dealing with unexpected changes to their online banking systems. 

This is where AI agents can assist with all sorts of tasks, from basic requests like checking a balance to more complex processes like guiding a customer through the stages of applying for a loan. 

In addition, conversational AI is well-equipped to detect unusual activity, alert customers in real-time, and suggest the best course of action. 

Human resources and recruitment

Conversational AI agents can assist businesses in more ways than one, with HR and recruitment being a key sphere in which they excel. From candidate screening to employee onboarding, conversational AI can assist with day-to-day HR management processes and interact with employees on behalf of HR agents. They can also answer common questions regarding employee benefits, vacation time, and payroll information. 

These assistive capabilities allow the HR team to focus on the larger picture, including fostering a healthy work environment and developing valuable policies for employees and the company. 

Travel and hospitality

Working in travel and hospitality is not easy, given how many things can go wrong—canceled flights, hotel booking mishaps, and other common errors. To make things easier for service workers and travelers, conversational AI agents can be implemented to assist with routine tasks like booking and reservation assistance while also helping customers by providing real-time flight and accommodation information. 

In addition, hotels can use conversational AI in the form of chatbots or voice assistants to provide travelers with helpful information regarding room service, hotel policies, taxi services, and even local attractions. 

Education 

From personalized tutoring sessions to administrative support, conversational AI agents are being actively implemented in education and e-learning as we speak. Virtual learning assistants and AI tutors can help students catch up on homework or improve in certain subjects, preventing them from falling behind. Likewise, AI agents can also perform routine administrative tasks like assisting students in registering for courses, tracking assignments, and managing schedules. 

The result? Students are better supported, and teachers can refine their skills and focus on providing the best learning experience.

Gaming and entertainment 

One sphere of conversational AI that has massive potential is undoubtedly entertainment. Not only can AI agents be used to make personalized recommendations to viewers and content consumers, but they can also make gaming experiences more interactive.

Conversational AI can be integrated into video games to create interactive characters, ranging from NPCs (non-playable characters) with intelligent dialogue to AI-driven game masters in role-playing games. 

Game developers can further enhance gameplay by integrating natural-sounding text to speech tools, making characters sound increasingly more human-like as time progresses. However, it’s essential to choose a text to speech tool with realistic output like ElevenLabs; otherwise, your characters will end up sounding artificial and robotic. 

Final thoughts 

We’re only beginning to uncover conversational AI's full potential, yet it’s already reshaping the way we work, travel, interact with others, complete routine tasks, and spend our time off. 

Conversational AI agents are becoming increasingly present in all spheres of our lives, including customer service and support, eCommerce, healthcare, finance, travel, education, and even entertainment. 

It’s safe to say that, in time, conversational AI agents will be assisting us across most professions and industries. Given how rapidly artificial intelligence is advancing, anything is possible. 

For now, go ahead and thank your virtual assistant for helping you manage your daily tasks—it’s working harder than you may believe.