How Digital Assistants Can Improve Workplace Productivity

What is a digital assistant? 

A digital assistant is a predictive chatbot that participates in dialogue with a user, usually over an internet connection. Using artificial intelligence (AI) such as machine learning and natural language processing, the computer program adapts as people use it. The program can provide a personalized and friendly environment for users. In this sense, digital assistants are AI tools designed to support everyday needs. Business-specific digital assistants can also function as chatbots that ensure your company always provides high-quality customer service. They’re available to answer customer inquiries even when you and your team aren’t working, and they’re powerful enough to provide meaningful information.

These are the most popular digital assistants available today: 

• Siri: This is Apple’s iOS virtual assistant.
• Google Assistant: This assistant appears every time someone says, “OK, Google” on the Google app. 
• Microsoft Copilot: This AI companion is included on all Microsoft devices.
• Alexa: Alexa is Amazon’s assistant; it’s available on Amazon Echo devices and Fire TV. 

These digital assistants combine data from multiple sources to form user context. Essentially, they break down what users say or type to translate what the user wants the program to do. While breaking down users’ input, these assistants can generate accurate responses to users’ questions. This can help businesses set reminders, schedule meetings, transfer users to the correct department, and automate responses to the most commonly asked questions. [Learn how stress connects to productivity.]

How digital assistants improve workplace productivity

Here are some of the many ways digital assistants can boost workplace productivity.

Digital assistants automate and simplify daily tasks.

This could be the biggest advantage of digital personal assistants. Let’s say you want to call Bob Smith. You can grab your iPhone and tell Siri, “Call Bob Smith.” 

Besides simplifying tasks, you can automate tasks with a digital assistant. For example, you can set up alarms, notifications, location reminders and tasks such as social media updates so you don’t have to do so manually every day. 

Digital assistants allow you to schedule reminders and meetings.

Digital assistants let you schedule reminders, such as to pick up some printer paper and ink on the way home. Additionally, you can use Microsoft Copilot to schedule meetings via your Microsoft Outlook inbox. Click Schedule with Copilot in the top navigation bar as you’re reading an email thread, and then edit or accept the meeting invitation that Copilot has generated. From there, you can send the invitation.

Digital assistants boost collaboration and productivity.

When information is just a quick voice command away, digital assistants can streamline productivity significantly. Voice assistants can be integrated with project management platforms such as Asana or Monday, so all it takes to assign a new task to a team member is saying “Hey Siri.” It’s done in an instant, and you don’t have to worry about getting distracted with incoming email notifications while trying to manually navigate to your project management app. 

Then, if that team member has any questions about what’s just been assigned, they can use a digital assistant to instantly send a follow up message. Digital assistants are a great way to help keep business moving. 

[Learn how to use self-care to improve workplace productivity.]

Digital assistants facilitate creativity, with less typing.

Typing can hinder the creative process. When you’re in the zone and have lots of ideas to share with your colleagues, typing out these ideas can interfere with your train of thought. 

With digital personal assistants, you can just speak your thoughts, and they’ll be converted to emails, documents or to-do lists. This keeps your ideas flowing and speeds up the process so you can get back to work.

Digital assistants reduce multitasking.

Some workdays involve a lot of balancing between projects. This is called context switching, and it’s a major disruption to your productivity. But when you implement a digital assistant and house your tasks, notifications, apps and information within one platform, you’ll move through your work more efficiently, effectively and accurately.

Digital assistants integrate with existing products and services.

You can sync your digital personal assistants with other internet-connected devices. For example, you could start brewing coffee every morning at 9 a.m. or have Google Nest turn on the air conditioning or heat in the building at 7 a.m. so the office temperature is comfortable.

With built-in integration, digital assistants such as Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant have their own integration application programming interface, so companies can use prebuilt assistants in their business’s infrastructure. Businesses can take advantage of an existing digital assistant to start implementing personalized voice commands relating to certain products or services.

Digital assistants speed up your research.

Suppose you’re looking for tips on how to manage your calendar. You might choose to read articles with advice on calendar management. But what if you’re short on time and need to maximize productivity? That’s where digital assistants come into play. If you ask your assistant how to manage your calendar, you’ll get a handful of quick tips in seconds.

More benefits of digital assistants

Digital assistants offer benefits beyond productivity improvements. Consider the following additional ways digital assistants can help with business tasks.

Digital assistants help you save money.

If you don’t have the budget to hire an employee to handle administrative tasks, digital assistants can be a cost-effective alternative. Tools such as Ooma’s Virtual Receptionist can essentially replace this full-time employee for a low monthly cost.

This tool, which is part of the Ooma Office system, allows incoming phone calls to be answered and directed to the appropriate employee in your business; creates automated messages that share vital information, like your business hours and a list of employees; customizes directory settings; and checks your messages from your mobile device.

Digital assistants streamline customer service. 

Digital assistants can be useful for assisting customers and employees. Customers value immediate assistance, and digital assistants can be available 24/7. 

Adding a chatbot to your business’s website can be a cost-effective way to provide excellent customer service and engage sales leads. These chatbots can answer simple questions and refer users to other departments immediately if needed. Shorter response times usually result in happier customers, which can lead to increased conversion.

Other AI tools to support productivity

If digital assistants have become commonplace with your team, you might find other AI tools helpful as well. For instance, companies that want to provide quick and helpful online service to their customers may use AI tools to create their own customer chat services. If you’re interested in how AI tools can help your team run smoother, these are the platforms to look into: 

• AlphaChat: AlphaChat is a conversational AI platform that allows companies to build their own digital assistants for their websites and social channels. It features built-in natural language understanding for training AI and a dedicated widget for website chat automation. It includes built-in live chat that works in all European languages, Russian and Arabic. The interface is very simple and user-friendly, and no coding is required to build the assistants. You can access a 10-day free trial and sign up for a monthly plan if you’re interested.
• Hyro: Hyro is a digital assistant that can handle your most repetitive tasks. This platform also claims to cover 10 times as many topics as its competitors. Pricing information is available upon request.
• Netomi: Netomi can help your team tackle your customers’ most complex requests. Netomi has built-in automation solutions for chat and email. Pricing is available upon request.
• IBM watsonx Assistant: With this platform, your employees can quickly develop AI assistants. According to IBM, watsonx users commonly utilize the technology for customer service, internal productivity boosts and operation scaling. A free version is available, and pricing for more advanced features is available upon request.
• Clara: This digital assistant is designed to handle task scheduling. It gives you an email address to cc on all your email threads about scheduling so it can organize meetings on your behalf. It also runs 24/7 and automatically sends follow-up emails. 
• ChatGPT: The language learning model developed by OpenAI can make numerous tasks easier. From drafting email templates to search functions that make it a great resource for research, ChatGPT is quickly earning its place as a helpful aid for those looking to boost efficiency. 
• Claude: Another helpful language learning model, Claude is similarly helpful in composing first drafts for any communication-based projects. This platform also ranks high for strong proofing abilities, so it catches any errors you might miss. With a greater capacity for processing data, Claude is also a great assistant tool for coding. 

Assistance from within your device

Sometimes, the best help comes from within the devices you’re using. Digital assistants live in your computer or smartphone, and they can improve operations and help customers. Plus, as AI continues to advance, these tools will become essential to business operations. Implement a digital assistant now while the technology is becoming more prevalent, and you’ll be ahead of the curve.

Max Freedman contributed to this article.