- Aisera automates customer and employee questions to direct them to the right application.
- The startup counts Zoom, NJ Transit, and fintech startup Dave among its customers.
- This article is part of the Enterprise Tech Blueprint, a series that explores the strategies leading companies use to innovate and grow.
Aisera CEO Muddu Sudhakar believes that artificial intelligence will eat the world.
More companies are starting to embrace AI in core parts of their businesses, and Sudhakar predicts that it will become part of every company’s technology stack.
His startup, Aisera, uses machine learning and natural language processing to solve customer service, IT, sales and operations problems by integrating with a host of enterprise applications such as Zendesk, Salesforce , Amazon Web Services, and ServiceNow.
Aisera has experienced tremendous growth over the past year and now counts more than 75 million users at companies including fintech startup Dave, Zoom, cloud-data company Snowflake, cybersecurity firm McAfee, and even NJ Transit, which operates transportation services in New Jersey. It recently raised $90 million in Series-D funding from Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Thoma Bravo, Khosla Ventures, and Menlo Ventures.
The startup also offers a conversational AI service, or a chat service, in multiple languages meant to quickly resolve certain issues.
Companies are demanding an AI-powered technology like Aisera’s, Sudhakar says, because they want their employees to focus their time and attention less on repetitive tasks and more on those that require human interaction. person.
“I don’t have to convince customers much because they know as a growing company they need to have a better way to answer queries,” says Sudhakar. “Clients come to us to say, ‘I have too many requests in Zendesk or Salesforce, but these are not the right people to answer these questions.'”
Interest in AI has increased over the past few years, especially from venture capitalists. Funding for AI, machine learning, and data analysis will grow to $115 billion by 2021, according to PitchBook data. Investors such as Foundation Capital, New Enterprise Associates, Tiger Global Management, and Microsoft’s M12 have poured capital into the space.
AI startups like Protex AI, which analyzes protocols in warehouses and construction sites to identify accident risks, and Regie.ai, which automates sales processes and content, are raised venture funding this year.
Sudhakar said the pandemic has accelerated the adoption of automated customer and IT solutions. In addition, the need to close large numbers of call centers and manage remote workforces has made it even more important to route requests faster.
“With COVID, people have to rethink their business models. They can no longer bring so many people into a room to answer calls,” he said. “Employees are at home taking care of their children, and the last thing they want to do is talk to someone to resolve a quick issue.”
Aisera’s customers can choose which SaaS provider they want the platform to point to. For example, Dave uses Aisera’s conversational AI for its round-the-clock customer service, which allows the startup to resolve customer questions before handing over to a human if the question is more complex. Sudhakar says this has helped reduce the number of customer or employee tickets.
Other clients, the company said, have seen similar success. Aisera pointed to education platform Chegg, which uses an internal virtual assistant powered by Aisera called Shelly, to free up its service desk employees to do more complex work.
Chegg uses automation for its technology, engineering, and finance departments. Brian McGuiness, the vice president for IT Operations at Chegg, said the company and Aisera worked closely to make Shelly fit the company’s culture and workflows so that employees actually used the service.
According to McGuiness, 84% of requests handled by Shelly in 2021 “were resolved to the requester’s satisfaction.”
“Using automation helps IT quickly and successfully resolve many repetitive, straightforward requests,” he said. “Thanks to Shelly, Chegg’s global service desk technicians will be able to focus more on solving complex issues and proactive support.”