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AI Assistant: Maximizing Efficiency and Productivity

Wired to maximize productivity and efficiency, AI assistant is a powerful tool with a range that blows expectations. But, are they better than humans? 12 July, 2024

You’ll be darned if you’re not using at least one or two AIs in your business right now. Because everything is a breeze when you’re working with bots.

Think of any task and speak the magic words, sure enough, your virtual valet is ready to take it head-on—with precision. That’s the power of artificial intelligence, buddy!

Back then, personal assistants were luxuries afforded only by the rich. But thanks to technology, you can now access a cost-effective virtual assistant as cheap as chips.

Today, AI-powered chatbots are being leveraged by companies to lighten up the daily grind. From customer care to closing sales, everything is done in a few clicks and specific commands.

Let’s open up our minds to what an AI assistant really is and see what awaits you and your business by becoming buddies with them.

Welcome to the future!

Is There an AI Virtual Assistant?

An AI assistant is a software program powered by artificial intelligence. It’s a smart tool that can think like humans and do smart things like respond to your questions and perform admin tasks like a real person.

AI assistants are designed using NLP or natural language processing. This is a machine-learning technology that allows AI to interpret and comprehend complex questions and find the best response. So that regardless of spelling mistakes and awkward phrasing, an AI assistant can still provide an answer to your questions.

Can I Use AI as a Personal Assistant?

Yes, you can!

True to their name, AI assistants support human users across a myriad of tasks in different industries. You can integrate them seamlessly into your everyday life.

AIs can set up reminders, tell jokes and listen to customers. Whether it’s for personal or professional use, you can rely on them to take care of the simple tasks that don’t really require critical thinking.

There are different types of AI-powered technology. Most of them are capable of working like an executive assistant, taking commands and covering daily routines on your behalf.

In fact, you might be carrying with you an AI assistant—at least one of the three very popular examples of AI today.

  • Siri (Apple)

    Siri is the digital assistant created by Apple. It uses voice recognition and performs a wide range of tasks, such as making calls and getting travel directions.

    What makes it so great is that it’s tailored to its users and has a privacy-focused approach—perfect for data security.

  • Alexa (Amazon)

    Amazon’s Alexa is an interactive AI with multiple layers of privacy protection. What makes Alexa unique is that it’s approachable, natural and quite sensitive.

    If they can detect irritation in your voice, Alexa responds to your emotions by turning down the volume when you prefer to be quiet.

  • Google Assistant

    Google Assistant is powerful. You can use it anywhere. With a couple of quick commands, you can play Bruce Almighty—turn off the lights and find your lost phone—without doing the footwork.

    Beyond playing housemaid and detective, Google Assistant can also help navigate your schedule, book appointments and create your presentation for tomorrow's meetings.

AI Assistant in Different Industries

Across domains, AI assistants are transforming how we do the work.

  • Healthcare

    You might not realize it but AI technology is extensively used in healthcare. They assist patients when to take their medication, schedule appointments and provide health advice. Even better, AI can analyze data to customize services.

  • Banking

    AI in banking is very common, and for good reasons. An AI assistant supercharges many tasks in this industry, like customer service, fraud detection, market trend forecasting and transaction alerts.

    If you ever need financial advice, your AI virtual assistant can run through your spending habits and give you some solid financial guidance.

  • Education

    AI assistants address some major challenges in education today. AI can create a system that can help personalize the learning experience. They can also assist teachers by automating routine tasks, so they can focus more on their students and innovate their practice.

Advantages of an AI Assistant

Let’s walk you through the amazing benefits of AI. Just be warned, because this may take time.

  • Improve Workplace Productivity

    By hiring an AI assistant, you’re basically co-piloting with someone in the workplace. This drastically improves your efficiency, allowing you to focus on more impactful work.

    As a result, you’re cultivating a working environment propelled by creativity and strategic thinking, which creates a motivated workforce and much-improved productivity. This is what having an AI assistant around feels like; satisfaction.

  • Round-the-Clock Customer Support

    These are machines that never tire and get sick. AI assistants continue to hover 24/7, nonstop, day and night, ensuring your customers are well taken care of.

    Having this type of availability provides consistency that rolls into trust and reliability. This is the kind of impression you need to foster if you are to build loyalty around your growing customer base.

  • Cost Savings

    AI assistants almost make everything automatic, reducing the need for human labor and all the associated costs. This is crucial for companies that want to cut costs but do not want to compromise their service quality.

  • Raving Customer Experience

    With AI assistants, you’re not just meeting your customer’s expectations; you’re also boosting customer experience. By delivering round-the-clock service with promptness, you’re pushing for repeat business that results in profitability.

How Much Does AI Virtual Assistant Cost?

Unlike people, machines don’t need any of those human-centric costs. They don’t even ask for a raise for a job well done. So, it’s not at all surprising that the cost of an AI assistant is somewhat affordable, even though they have multitasking prowess 24/7.

AI Assistant: Doing the Math

Your investment in an AI assistant pays for itself. What?

Here’s the kicker—when you’re spending money on an AI, you’re saving cash because you’re investing in an efficient work environment.

Here’s how the pricing for an AI assistant works:

  • Subscription Models

    AI services are often based on subscription pricing. Depending on what AI you’re using, they can go from $20 per month to as high as $500.

  • One-Time Setup

    You can go for a one-time set-up for a price as high as $1000 each month.

  • No Extra Costs

    The beauty of AI is that they don’t ask for extra charges for overtime or specialized work.

AI Assistant is Expensive? Is it Bad for Your Company?

Everything we just mentioned above is true, but then again, the road to real efficiency is not without costs.

AI assistants are often referred to as “better” than humans. Yet in other areas that require highly specific expertise, they incur many errors that need correcting. Reducing these mistakes, however, by making your AI system more sophisticated will just increase the costs.

Also, it doesn’t help that most of these AI assistants need maintenance and interpretation from skilled people to learn. And because they’re high-powered machines, they cost more energy than you can ever imagine. In the long run, these might lead to resource constraints.

But beyond the cost factor, if you rely so much on your AI, it will make your organization fragile. How? AI can narrow the ways of thinking by making the work more routine and predictable.

Oh, we’re not trying to blemish the impressive AI image. This is just what goes on under the surface.

The Bottom Line: AI assistants are interesting, but in many cases, it is better to have a human remote assistant. So, why not work with both?

AI assistants are transforming the world, promising efficiency and intuitiveness in the years to come.

By working with an AI, you’re making things effortless, beyond just convenience.

Despite all these wonders, human virtual assistants are still BETTER because they possess the most important elements necessary for growth—emotional intelligence, critical thinking and creativity. No matter how complex the nuances are, a real person can offer support and tailor their service to create more meaningful work.

Human VAs using AIs is a pivotal milestone. This is an intricate dance that sounds next-level. Augmenting human abilities with the help of AI technology promises a streamlined work environment that maximizes efficiency and productivity—everything is just better.

  • Better Accuracy

    Automated systems double-checked by humans lessen errors.

  • Better Business Decisions

    AIs can analyze the data and make recommendations, while human VAs use the information to achieve better results.

  • Better Workflow

    Your AI assistant breezes through your daily, repetitive tasks by automating them. On the other hand, your human virtual administrative assistant provides the human touch, adapting to strategies creatively.

See, there’s no need to choose one over the other. You can work with both.

We hope you find this article helpful. We’re just a click away in case you need a superstar human virtual assistant.