4 Tips for Getting Started with Conversational AI

4 Tips for Getting Started with Conversational AI

Think about a time when you used technology and it was easy. For me, it was when I first discovered the Amazon Echo and could ask Alexa anything – like who won the Super Bowl in 1987 or the 1997 Grammy Song of the Year. (If you guessed the New York Giants and Eric Clapton’s “Change the World,” you are correct.) The opportunities that new technologies create are endless and bountiful. It’s an exciting time to witness such powerful shifts. And now we’re starting to see these shifts in almost every industry imaginable.

But How Does this Translate to Life Sciences? 

The concept of personalization is widely adopted across virtually every industry, and life sciences is no exception. We are way beyond the informational, archaic model and have been quickly moving into the translational model over the last several years. One way organizations have done this is with conversational AI, which allows companies to create more powerful conversations with this advanced level of personalization. 

Advanced life science organizations are already thinking, implementing, and executing conversational AI into their consumer and employee experiences. These organizations are differentiating themselves from competitors, seeing better overall engagement across the board. 

Let’s take a look at some of the industry’s top disruptors:

• Johnson & Johnson: Using the Google Assistant skill, J&J now offers daily pollen and weather information to personalize messaging that helps allergy sufferers better manage their daily activities.
• Merck: Sugarpod, an Alexa skill that won a diabetes competition sponsored by Merck and Amazon Web Services (AWS), allows consumers to record blood sugar levels and mealtimes, track medication adherence and self-manage their diabetes more effectively.
• Health Navigator: Leveraging Microsoft’s health bot technology, Health Navigator has created Symptom Checker, where users can talk about their symptoms and get a list of possible causes/pre-diagnoses, increasing a patient’s understanding of their conditions and enhancing their interactions with healthcare providers.

How Can Life Science Organizations Get Started with Conversational AI? 

There are many ways you can get started with conversational AI – and starting small is better than not starting at all. Here are some tips for getting started:

1. Think about the greater goals of your organization. What are your business objectives? Could conversational AI support those goals?
2. Consider your audience. Your business serves many people: employees, consumers, patients, families, caregivers – which audience would be best served with the benefits of conversational AI? Be specific, otherwise it can be easy to lose sight of your goal.
3. Begin with the end in mind. Once you know what your end-goal needs to look like, you can start to build out your conversational AI platform. But strategy needs to come before the tactical pieces.
4. Carefully select your team. Who’s going to help you during each stage of the process? If you’re thinking about using your current IT team, are you sure that they have the bandwidth? If you’re evaluating partners, do you know the right questions to ask? Be very careful about the people who will help you create this experience so that you are set up for success.

Let’s Debunk the Biggest Myth Floating Around “The Elderly Won’t Use Conversational AI”

And yes, these technologies are desired by more people than you may realize. Because conversing with an assistant or bot is so natural, it’s no longer a millennial use case. In fact, in one study, the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing helped people in their eighties set up and understand Amazon Alexa. Once set up, they conducted research to see how well the older population responded to the smart technology. They found that all participants reported that their lives were easier with Alexa, and 75% said that they used their device daily. 

This is just one example in a pool of research that supports this notion and proves that conversational AI can be adopted and embraced by all generations.

Conversational AI: Moving Your Organization in the Right Direction

It’s clear that conversational AI is here to stay. If you’re ready to take the next step and become a top industry disruptor, get in touch with us to talk about how to get started.