Virtual assistants for customers and agents make customer service smarter

You’ve probably noticed it: the number of customer queries keeps increasing, and digital channels are ever more popular – especially among younger generations. At the same time, customers have become more vocal: they expect customer service to be readily available at any time of the day, and don’t want to search endlessly through your company website or wait on the phone for an agent to become available.

Many organisations struggle to meet these expectations. Good staff are hard to find, costs are rising, and traditional chatbots often fail to provide truly efficient support. This impacts the customer experience and leads to stress and frustration in the contact centre.

Fortunately, virtual assistants are here to offer smarter, more human-like support to both customers and employees. In this blog, we’ll explain how you too can improve both the customer experience (CX) and employee satisfaction (EX) with the help of virtual assistants.

Virtual assistant, virtual agent and co-pilot explained

A virtual assistant is a smart digital helper that uses artificial intelligence and generative AI to support both customers and employees. In its interaction with customers, it is often referred to as a virtual agent. When it supports agents and supervisors in the contact centre, it’s usually called a co-pilot.

A virtual agent communicates with customers via text or voice, while a co-pilot supports employees in real time – for example, by suggesting answers, recommending next best actions, or summarising conversations. Both tools are designed to make customer contact more efficient, for both sides.

What’s the difference between a virtual agent and a chatbot?

But wait… didn’t we all just switch to chatbots? Isn’t a virtual agent just a fancy new name? Not quite. Virtual agents may resemble chatbots, but thanks to their self-learning capabilities and large language models (LLMs), they’re far more advanced in handling conversations.

A traditional chatbot usually works with fixed scripts. If a customer types “I want to reset my password”, it recognises the phrase and provides a standard reply. But if the question is phrased differently, like “How can I log back in?”, the chatbot often doesn’t understand. That’s why chatbots struggle with more complex questions.

A virtual agent, on the other hand, uses AI and understands natural language much better. That means customers can simply type as they would speak – almost as if talking to a real person. The virtual agent recognises the intent behind the question and responds appropriately. It can also ask follow-up questions to provide further help. And if it gets stuck? Then it smoothly transfers the conversation to a human agent – complete with a summary of the chat so far.

So, while a chatbot is great for answering simple and common questions, a virtual agent is much better suited for more complex interactions that require understanding, nuance, or tailored advice.

How virtual assistants improve the customer experience (CX)

Virtual assistants make interacting with your organisation faster, easier, and more pleasant. Here’s what customers gain:

Available 24/7

Many customers want help when it suits them – such as in the evening or on weekends. A virtual agent is available day and night, meaning customers don’t have to wait for opening hours. It makes customer service far more flexible.

Fast and direct answers

Virtual agents provide customers with instant answers to their questions, without the involvement of a human agent. And if personal contact is needed after all? Then a co-pilot offers the agent realtime smart assistance, making complex queries faster to resolve too.

Simple and accessible

Most people like asking questions in plain language. A virtual agent understands different ways of phrasing and responds quickly and clearly. That makes customer service easily accessible and user-friendly for everyone.

Consistent and reliable information

A virtual agent always gives customers the same answer to the same question. This reduces the chance of confusion or misunderstandings – something that may happen when interacting with human agents due to differences in explanation or interpretation.

Multilingual capabilities

Virtual agents can communicate in various languages, which is helpful for customers who feel more comfortable expressing themselves in a language other than English. It helps more people feel supported.

Reduced workload: more focus on the customer, less on repetitive tasks

It’s not just customers who benefit from the use of virtual assistants – your agents do too. Rather than seeing this technology as competition, it actually helps them do their jobs better and with more satisfaction. Here’s how:

Fewer repetitive tasks, more time for real contact

Virtual assistants handle many standard queries and repetitive tasks – like summarising conversations and other After Call Work. This frees up time for employees to focus on more complex issues and personal customer interactions.

Better support during calls

A co-pilot provides agents with realtime suggestions and instantly fetches the right information. This helps employees support customers faster and more effectively, while also reducing the cost of training and onboarding.

Reduced workload and less stress

The support from virtual agents and co-pilots reduces the workload in the contact centre. Agents can focus on tasks that energise them – like truly helping people –, making their work more meaningful and varied.

More focus on empathy and service

Thanks to the co-pilot’s realtime support, agents can spend more time listening to and engaging with the customer. In other words, they can provide the personal touch that truly makes a difference – something technology doesn't yet excel at.

Learning from data and conversations

Virtual assistants gather data about what customers ask. These insights can be used to improve the team, learn from past interactions, and respond faster to changes. This helps your entire operation become smarter and more customer-focused.