The Vienna Chamber of Commerce (WKW) is revolutionizing member services with the help of artificial intelligence. In concrete terms, this means: so-called voice and chatbots will provide Viennese entrepreneurs with advice 24 hours a day in the future. However, the Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce is still in the testing phase.
How can Artificial Intelligence (AI) be sensibly integrated into a business, enterprise, etc.? This is one of the questions that is currently intensely occupying the scene. Heads shaking, brows furrowing – not an easy task after all, as there are hundreds of different AI programs.
The Vienna Chamber of Commerce (WKW) has gone one step further: in the future, AI-supported voice and chatbots will be used there, providing all Viennese entrepreneurs with information about their concerns and questions 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. What does that concrete look like?
Chatbot answers questions on all topics
On the one hand, the chamber is developing a chatbot that, with the help of AI, can independently and accurately answer chat, e-mail or telephone questions on all business topics – from A for labor law to Z for customs regulations. The bot uses the extensive service information on www.wko.at, summarizes it tailor-made or learns independently based on similar previous questions and continuously refines its information. In this way, repetitive questions can be answered more easily and quickly than before.
Voicebot is already available to callers
The pilot phase is currently underway, in which entrepreneurs train and train the AI. Because the more questions are asked, the more precise and accurate the answers become. From mid-2024, the chatbot will be available 24 hours a day for all 140,000 Viennese entrepreneurs. Special highlight: the chatbot understands and speaks several languages.
In parallel to the chatbot, WKW has developed a voicebot that is now also available to callers outside office hours or during long waiting times. The bot also speaks and understands several languages, registers the request and automatically forwards it to the responsible department at WKW, which then responds in detail. Based on customer feedback, the voicebot is continuously expanded and improved. For example, by mid-2024 he should be able to ask standardized questions on the startup hotline and offer initial information via text message or email.
“As a complement to the employees”
Important: This is not intended to replace employees. “Our membership numbers are constantly growing, which increases the amount of advice we need. The AI tools are therefore a good addition to the employees,” says spokesperson Martin Sattler.
Walter Ruck, president of WK Vienna, is also positive: “Our AI tools will be able to handle a large number of questions and concerns simultaneously. For our members, this means faster and more efficient information collection and individual answers, even to complex questions. In this way we take member support to a whole new level.” In principle, we want to be “the most modern and fastest service organization in Austria”.
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AI also plays a role within the Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce – “However, we are still in the testing phase,” emphasizes spokesperson Peter Sidon, “we have to meet special requirements, especially in terms of data protection or the binding nature of the information. It is currently not clear to us whether AI can actually do this. But once these requirements have been met and the service has really improved, we will also use AI.”
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
