Steps for Building your Virtual Assistant<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\nOnce you get access to the Kore.ai XO Platform, you can build your first VA by following the steps below. . <\/span><\/p>\n\n- Define \/ Design<\/strong>: This is the step during which you clarify the necessary details, before you begin to actually build your VA. <\/span><\/li>\n
- Build \/ Develop<\/strong>: At this stage, your VA takes shape within the Kore.ai XO Platform; you begin making the necessary configurations and developing it to continuously fit your organization’s needs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div><\/div>\n
Define \/ Design the VA<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\nEvery VA must be built to solve a well-defined use case. <\/span><\/p>\nThe first step to create a well-defined use case involves gathering market requirements and assessing internal needs. Typically, you want to include all relevant stakeholders, such as business sponsors, product owners, business analysts, and VA developers in this process.<\/span><\/p>\nNext, get a good idea of what the VA needs to do. A clear description of each step and a flow chart of the various conversation flows will go a long way in easing the process of building the VA.<\/span><\/p>\nBelow, we present our recommendations when it comes to the design process and the questions you should ask when defining your VA.<\/span><\/p>\nRecommended Design Process<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\nWe recommend that you follow the steps below while designing your VA: <\/span><\/p>\n\n- Understand your Users’ Needs: <\/strong>To set the scope of the VA, the business sponsors, business analysts, and product owners play an important role in identifying the users’ needs by gathering market requirements and assessing internal needs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- Set the Virtual Assistant Goals: <\/strong>This involves converting the above-identified scope to a use case. It is advisable to involve the VA developer in this phase.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- Design a Virtual Assistant Conversation: <\/strong>This helps define chatbot behavior in every possible scenario in its interaction with the user. Simulating conversations go a long way in identifying such scenarios.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Once the VA capabilities and ideal use cases are well-defined, the developer can begin the process of configuring the tasks, define intents and entities, and build the conversational dialog.<\/span><\/p>\nQuestions to Ask during the Design Process<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\nTry to answer the following questions (some if not all):<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n- Who is the <\/strong>target audience<\/em><\/strong>?<\/strong> Technical help VAs targeted for a tech-savvy customer need a different design when compared to VAs for a layperson, such as an airline’s customer. Hence assessing the target audience is always important.<\/span><\/li>\n
- What VA<\/strong> persona<\/em><\/strong> will resonate the most with this group?<\/strong> This will help define how the VA talks and acts in every situation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- What is the <\/strong>purpose of the VA<\/em><\/strong>? <\/strong>The goal i.e. the customer query that the VA needs to address defines the endpoint of any conversation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- What <\/strong>pain points<\/em><\/strong> will the VA solve? <\/strong>The purpose and scope of VAs are set to identify what the VA addresses and when the human agent needs to take over.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- What <\/strong>benefits<\/em><\/strong> will the VA provide for us or our customers? <\/strong>The main benefit of using a VA is time-saving. Users need not waste their time waiting for a human agent to be available for answering their query. You, as the business owner, don’t worry about not being there to cater to all customer needs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- What <\/strong>tasks<\/em><\/strong> do I want my VA to perform? <\/strong>Simulation of user conversation helps identify the tasks that need to be catered to by the VA.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- What <\/strong>channels<\/em><\/strong> will the VA communicate through? <\/strong>This will to some extent drive the way the VA is presented, the various options available for the VA are limited by the channel\/medium it is used in.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- What <\/strong>languages<\/em><\/strong> should the VA speak? <\/strong>When catering to a multilingual community the language support is imperative and building the dictionary simultaneously is useful.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n
Build \/ Develop the VA<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\nOnce the VA’s capabilities and ideal use case are well-defined, the developer begins the process of configuring tasks, defining intents, entities, and building the conversational dialog.<\/span><\/p>\nThe general development process in the Kore.ai XO Platform involves the following steps: <\/span><\/p>\n\n- Choose the type of VA to build;<\/span><\/li>\n
- Add your first VA;<\/span><\/li>\n
- Define the VAs tasks;<\/span><\/li>\n
- Train the VA;<\/span><\/li>\n
- Enable communication channels;<\/span><\/li>\n
- Test your VA configuration;<\/span><\/li>\n
- Publish your VA;<\/span><\/li>\n
- Analyze and improve;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/kore-wordpress.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/developer.kore.ai\/v9-3\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/20220912150002\/build-va.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nSelect the Virtual Assistant Type<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\nBased on the requirements, select the type of Virtual Assistant you want to create The Kore.ai XO Platform allows you to create the following types of VAs:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Standard VA <\/strong>– the most common type, with various tasks mapped to a conversation flow.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- Universal VA <\/strong>– to link multiple standard VAs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- Smart VA<\/strong> – for common functionality that can be inherited by various verticals within your enterprise.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
More on Virtual Assistant Types<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\nWithin this article we will be using a Standard VA as a working example. <\/span><\/p>\nCreate a Standard Virtual Assistant<\/strong><\/h4>\nThe XO Platform provides a web-based tool with a repeatable process to design, develop, test, and deploy smart chatbots on an enterprise scale. You can do all this without code, custom software, significant server space, or major changes to your infrastructure.<\/span><\/p>\nBelow are the steps to follow in order to create your first VA, using Kore,ai:<\/span><\/p>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/kore-wordpress.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/developer.kore.ai\/v9-3\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/20220912150355\/login-screen.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n- <\/span>On the landing page, click <\/span>New VA <\/strong>on the top-right<\/span>. <\/strong><\/li>\n
- <\/strong>From the drop-down, select the<\/span> Start from Scratch <\/strong>option<\/span>.<\/strong><\/li>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/kore-wordpress.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/developer.kore.ai\/v9-3\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/20220912151209\/new-va-from-scratch.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n- <\/span>On the <\/span>Create New Bot<\/span><\/em> window, enter a name in the <\/span>Bot Name <\/strong>field. You can also choose an icon to use with your VA,<\/span><\/li>\n
- <\/span>Select <\/span>English <\/strong>from the <\/span>Default Bot Language<\/span><\/em> drop-down list and Standard Bot from the <\/span>Bot Type <\/span><\/em>drop-down list.<\/span><\/li>\n
- <\/span>Click <\/span>Create<\/strong><\/li>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/kore-wordpress.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/developer.kore.ai\/v9-3\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/20220912154046\/new-bot-window.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/ol>\nLearn more about <\/span>Navigating the XO Platform<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nDefine Virtual Assistant Tasks<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\nAfter creating the Standard VA, you are ready to define how your VA works, by starting with tasks.<\/span><\/p>\nVA capabilities and dialogs should flow naturally from the specifications you defined in the previous step. It is always valuable to take time to review the list of tasks you want the VA to perform. Ensure that it delivers on the benefits you want the VA to provide and the pain points you want it to solve, before starting actual development. This will certainly save you time in the long run.<\/span><\/p>\nDefine one or more tasks or flows for your VA using one of the following methods:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- <\/span>On the <\/span>Bot Summary<\/span><\/em> page, click <\/span>+ New Task <\/strong>on the <\/span>Tasks <\/span><\/em>widget. This would allow you to add a <\/span>Dialog <\/span><\/em>or an <\/span>Alert <\/span><\/em>task.<\/span><\/li>\n
- \n
- Define \/ Design<\/strong>: This is the step during which you clarify the necessary details, before you begin to actually build your VA. <\/span><\/li>\n
- Build \/ Develop<\/strong>: At this stage, your VA takes shape within the Kore.ai XO Platform; you begin making the necessary configurations and developing it to continuously fit your organization’s needs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
<\/div><\/div>\nDefine \/ Design the VA<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n
Every VA must be built to solve a well-defined use case. <\/span><\/p>\n
The first step to create a well-defined use case involves gathering market requirements and assessing internal needs. Typically, you want to include all relevant stakeholders, such as business sponsors, product owners, business analysts, and VA developers in this process.<\/span><\/p>\n
Next, get a good idea of what the VA needs to do. A clear description of each step and a flow chart of the various conversation flows will go a long way in easing the process of building the VA.<\/span><\/p>\n
Below, we present our recommendations when it comes to the design process and the questions you should ask when defining your VA.<\/span><\/p>\n
Recommended Design Process<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
We recommend that you follow the steps below while designing your VA: <\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- Understand your Users’ Needs: <\/strong>To set the scope of the VA, the business sponsors, business analysts, and product owners play an important role in identifying the users’ needs by gathering market requirements and assessing internal needs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Set the Virtual Assistant Goals: <\/strong>This involves converting the above-identified scope to a use case. It is advisable to involve the VA developer in this phase.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Design a Virtual Assistant Conversation: <\/strong>This helps define chatbot behavior in every possible scenario in its interaction with the user. Simulating conversations go a long way in identifying such scenarios.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Once the VA capabilities and ideal use cases are well-defined, the developer can begin the process of configuring the tasks, define intents and entities, and build the conversational dialog.<\/span><\/p>\n
Questions to Ask during the Design Process<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
Try to answer the following questions (some if not all):<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- Who is the <\/strong>target audience<\/em><\/strong>?<\/strong> Technical help VAs targeted for a tech-savvy customer need a different design when compared to VAs for a layperson, such as an airline’s customer. Hence assessing the target audience is always important.<\/span><\/li>\n
- What VA<\/strong> persona<\/em><\/strong> will resonate the most with this group?<\/strong> This will help define how the VA talks and acts in every situation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- What is the <\/strong>purpose of the VA<\/em><\/strong>? <\/strong>The goal i.e. the customer query that the VA needs to address defines the endpoint of any conversation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- What <\/strong>pain points<\/em><\/strong> will the VA solve? <\/strong>The purpose and scope of VAs are set to identify what the VA addresses and when the human agent needs to take over.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- What <\/strong>benefits<\/em><\/strong> will the VA provide for us or our customers? <\/strong>The main benefit of using a VA is time-saving. Users need not waste their time waiting for a human agent to be available for answering their query. You, as the business owner, don’t worry about not being there to cater to all customer needs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- What <\/strong>tasks<\/em><\/strong> do I want my VA to perform? <\/strong>Simulation of user conversation helps identify the tasks that need to be catered to by the VA.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- What <\/strong>channels<\/em><\/strong> will the VA communicate through? <\/strong>This will to some extent drive the way the VA is presented, the various options available for the VA are limited by the channel\/medium it is used in.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- What <\/strong>languages<\/em><\/strong> should the VA speak? <\/strong>When catering to a multilingual community the language support is imperative and building the dictionary simultaneously is useful.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n
Build \/ Develop the VA<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n
Once the VA’s capabilities and ideal use case are well-defined, the developer begins the process of configuring tasks, defining intents, entities, and building the conversational dialog.<\/span><\/p>\n
The general development process in the Kore.ai XO Platform involves the following steps: <\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- Choose the type of VA to build;<\/span><\/li>\n
- Add your first VA;<\/span><\/li>\n
- Define the VAs tasks;<\/span><\/li>\n
- Train the VA;<\/span><\/li>\n
- Enable communication channels;<\/span><\/li>\n
- Test your VA configuration;<\/span><\/li>\n
- Publish your VA;<\/span><\/li>\n
- Analyze and improve;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nSelect the Virtual Assistant Type<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
Based on the requirements, select the type of Virtual Assistant you want to create The Kore.ai XO Platform allows you to create the following types of VAs:<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- Standard VA <\/strong>– the most common type, with various tasks mapped to a conversation flow.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Universal VA <\/strong>– to link multiple standard VAs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Smart VA<\/strong> – for common functionality that can be inherited by various verticals within your enterprise.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
More on Virtual Assistant Types<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n
Within this article we will be using a Standard VA as a working example. <\/span><\/p>\n
Create a Standard Virtual Assistant<\/strong><\/h4>\n
The XO Platform provides a web-based tool with a repeatable process to design, develop, test, and deploy smart chatbots on an enterprise scale. You can do all this without code, custom software, significant server space, or major changes to your infrastructure.<\/span><\/p>\n
Below are the steps to follow in order to create your first VA, using Kore,ai:<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- <\/span>On the landing page, click <\/span>New VA <\/strong>on the top-right<\/span>. <\/strong><\/li>\n
- <\/strong>From the drop-down, select the<\/span> Start from Scratch <\/strong>option<\/span>.<\/strong><\/li>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n- <\/span>On the <\/span>Create New Bot<\/span><\/em> window, enter a name in the <\/span>Bot Name <\/strong>field. You can also choose an icon to use with your VA,<\/span><\/li>\n
- <\/span>Select <\/span>English <\/strong>from the <\/span>Default Bot Language<\/span><\/em> drop-down list and Standard Bot from the <\/span>Bot Type <\/span><\/em>drop-down list.<\/span><\/li>\n
- <\/span>Click <\/span>Create<\/strong><\/li>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/ol>\nLearn more about <\/span>Navigating the XO Platform<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
Define Virtual Assistant Tasks<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
After creating the Standard VA, you are ready to define how your VA works, by starting with tasks.<\/span><\/p>\n
VA capabilities and dialogs should flow naturally from the specifications you defined in the previous step. It is always valuable to take time to review the list of tasks you want the VA to perform. Ensure that it delivers on the benefits you want the VA to provide and the pain points you want it to solve, before starting actual development. This will certainly save you time in the long run.<\/span><\/p>\n
Define one or more tasks or flows for your VA using one of the following methods:<\/span><\/p>\n
- \n
- <\/span>On the <\/span>Bot Summary<\/span><\/em> page, click <\/span>+ New Task <\/strong>on the <\/span>Tasks <\/span><\/em>widget. This would allow you to add a <\/span>Dialog <\/span><\/em>or an <\/span>Alert <\/span><\/em>task.<\/span><\/li>\n
- <\/strong>From the drop-down, select the<\/span> Start from Scratch <\/strong>option<\/span>.<\/strong><\/li>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n - <\/span>On the landing page, click <\/span>New VA <\/strong>on the top-right<\/span>. <\/strong><\/li>\n
- Smart VA<\/strong> – for common functionality that can be inherited by various verticals within your enterprise.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Universal VA <\/strong>– to link multiple standard VAs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Add your first VA;<\/span><\/li>\n
- Choose the type of VA to build;<\/span><\/li>\n
- What <\/strong>languages<\/em><\/strong> should the VA speak? <\/strong>When catering to a multilingual community the language support is imperative and building the dictionary simultaneously is useful.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- What <\/strong>channels<\/em><\/strong> will the VA communicate through? <\/strong>This will to some extent drive the way the VA is presented, the various options available for the VA are limited by the channel\/medium it is used in.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- What <\/strong>tasks<\/em><\/strong> do I want my VA to perform? <\/strong>Simulation of user conversation helps identify the tasks that need to be catered to by the VA.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- What <\/strong>benefits<\/em><\/strong> will the VA provide for us or our customers? <\/strong>The main benefit of using a VA is time-saving. Users need not waste their time waiting for a human agent to be available for answering their query. You, as the business owner, don’t worry about not being there to cater to all customer needs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- What <\/strong>pain points<\/em><\/strong> will the VA solve? <\/strong>The purpose and scope of VAs are set to identify what the VA addresses and when the human agent needs to take over.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- What VA<\/strong> persona<\/em><\/strong> will resonate the most with this group?<\/strong> This will help define how the VA talks and acts in every situation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Who is the <\/strong>target audience<\/em><\/strong>?<\/strong> Technical help VAs targeted for a tech-savvy customer need a different design when compared to VAs for a layperson, such as an airline’s customer. Hence assessing the target audience is always important.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Design a Virtual Assistant Conversation: <\/strong>This helps define chatbot behavior in every possible scenario in its interaction with the user. Simulating conversations go a long way in identifying such scenarios.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Set the Virtual Assistant Goals: <\/strong>This involves converting the above-identified scope to a use case. It is advisable to involve the VA developer in this phase.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Build \/ Develop<\/strong>: At this stage, your VA takes shape within the Kore.ai XO Platform; you begin making the necessary configurations and developing it to continuously fit your organization’s needs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/kore-wordpress.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/developer.kore.ai\/v9-3\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/20220912154843\/new-task.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/kore-wordpress.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/developer.kore.ai\/v9-3\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/20220912154949\/new-dialog-task.png\")
<\/a>\n<\/ul>\n