In the March 10^th issue of The Economist, an article in the Technology Quarterly section discussed the sue of "chatbot" technology to automate the handling of customer calls.

In Call and Response, the article reviews the use of automated systems that help evaluate a job candidate’s pronunciation, grammar, and comprehension.  It then moves into a discussion of how these chatbots might replace the human agent.  

We’re certainly big fans of technology.  In fact, our clients have been able to reduce significant administrative time using our test delivery system that can automate hiring workflows based on business rules.  In addition, just being able to pre-qualify thousands of job candidates against an objective, automated, and predictive model has delivered impressive return on investments to our clients.  Two years ago, we heard from the Site Director of a well known video game system manufacturer.  She described how she had reduced her staffing levels by 50 percent by applying technology at critical points in the customer experience. 

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The latest issue of Forbes discusses an elaborate drug dealing ring in the New York City area.  You can access the story here but may need to register (which is free).  The story, Inside Dope, tells a fascinating use of distributed technology to manage this high tech drug dealing operation.  Called the Cartoon Network, this technology driven business used a distributed workforce with highly trained workers, sophisticated databases, and remote call technology to run the business.  The call center was relocated weekly, sometimes daily, to avoid detection by the police.  While we’re not advocating the use of the end product here, it is interesting how the leading users of technology are sometimes outside main street business.

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