Chatbots are becoming ubiquitous in our lives. But many more of us communicate with them via the web, mobile applications, the telephone, text and other channels to gain access to both internal and external customer support. Indeed, 80% of companies plan to use some form of a chatbot by 2020. The value and benefits of this technology are especially strong with more intelligent chatbots, often called Virtual Agents. These Virtual Agents leverage natural language processing and advanced machine learning to automate service delivery, answer our questions, provide resolution, and free up analysts and service reps to concentrate on more complex and compelling requests and projects.

The differences between a virtual agent and a chatbot are actually bigger than you might think. To help distinguish between the two technologies, it's helpful to draw a parallel with another popular technology--the smartphone. When it comes to understanding the difference between chatbots and virtual agents, there are parallels to the evolution of a technology that has evolved significantly and is not referred to differently than it used to be--the smartphone. Fewer and fewer people regularly use the words'telephone' and'smartphone' interchangeably anymore, primarily because they are technically and functionally referring to two very different devices. Both a phone and a smartphone can be used to make calls, but that's where the similarities stop.

As the new technology keeps booming, innovation in customer service follows. Many of us take the time to reflect on the milestones achieved in the past, and also look ahead to what the future has in store. How many changes will it bring about for those in customer service? Are chatbots and virtual agents likely to replace humans any time soon? And if so, what does the future hold for human CSRs and what will be the role of AI in customer service then?