Virtual AI Assistant: What Is It and Do You Need One?

Until recently, “virtual assistant” was what we called those remote professionals that handled certain administrative tasks for businesses. Now, the ranks of these human professionals have been infiltrated by their AI counterparts.

Just imagine – a team member with the ability and devoted motivation to complete the exact tasks that you require. This one doesn’t need sleep or a coffee break, and they can be on the clock 24/7. Meet the virtual AI assistant. 

These tools have been on the rise for quite some time and have been adopted by every industry imaginable, from sales to healthcare. It’s no wonder that the AI virtual assistant market has been growing exponentially and is expected to reach USD 60.83 billion by 2029.  

In this article, we will dive into the topic of virtual AI assistants – their common types, the benefits of getting one, along with a real-world example of our very own AI sales assistant.  

The common types and business benefits of virtual AI assistants

We may not realize it now, but artificial intelligence (AI) is the beginning of a new chapter for our culture. And while it’s been around for some time now, the most recent advances in AI tech are slowly revolutionizing the world as we know it. 

For practically every task and process, there is AI software that businesses and professionals can use to take it to the next level. While there are too many types of AI assistants to list them all (plus, by the time you finish reading this, I can almost guarantee another one will come to life!), here are the main ones:

• Personal Assistants: a broad term for all AI assistants that help individuals execute tasks in a personalized manner (more on that later). 
• Chatbots: often used by businesses for their customer support to answer queries, provide assistance, and help navigate customers toward a purchase.  
• Voice Assistants: use voice recognition and natural language processing to interpret commands and provide solutions. 
• Business Assistants: AI assistants designed to automate and enhance business processes, for example, email outreach. 

Now that we’ve covered the basics of AI assistants, you may be wondering if you really need one. Well, for starters, there’s an 84% likelihood that you are already interacting with a virtual AI assistant of some sort on your device, even if you don’t know about it! 

Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant are probably the most popular examples of artificial intelligence personal assistants in the market, and they are the perfect examples of why AI assistants can be so useful for individuals: They simplify the execution of simple day-to-day tasks such as setting reminders, adding calendar events, or doing research to provide intelligent recommendations. 

For businesses, the list of key benefits of incorporating an AI personal assistant for business gets way longer.  

1. Increased revenue growth → sales and marketing AI assistants allow businesses to target and qualify the most relevant leads, make data-driven decisions based on prospects’ profiles and behaviors, optimize all existing workflows, and scale their business operations, all leading to revenue growth. 
2. Improved customer engagement → businesses can automate their multichannel outreach with prospects while keeping a personal touch (more on that later). 
3. Improved customer support → mostly in the form of AI chatbots that you can find on websites, social media platforms, and so on, which allow businesses to provide 24/7 human-like support to potential customers, nurturing them towards the purchase.
4. Increased personalization → AI assistants allow businesses to provide a unique experience for all their potential customers by analyzing their behavior, data points, and the exact context of their query. 
5. Increased efficiency → the best virtual AI assistants can gather and analyze tons of data sets in seconds, while the same task would take us humans countless hours and effort. 

The list goes on, but these are perhaps the most enticing reasons why your team should consider finding a robot AI assistant or two that best fit your business goals.

The role of a personal AI assistant

As previously mentioned, personal AI assistants are the most common subgroup of virtual AI assistants, so much so that these terms are often used interchangeably. Personal intelligent assistants focus their AI powers on individual users and their unique needs. They use natural language processing and machine learning to provide personalized assistance to their users, slowly learning what is expected of them and adapting to meet their users’ exact preferences and requirements. 

This tailored approach is what sets robot personal assistants apart from other AI software. They are also focused on a more narrow set of tasks, which results in a higher degree of problem-solving. By focusing on a specific niche of business activities and swiftly adapting to the professional or business using it, personal intelligent assistants create an unprecedented level of personalized user experience.

In the B2C world, personalized shopping assistants are a common example of such personalized tools. They slowly learn their user’s shopping habits, preferences, and budgets to stay on the lookout for highly relevant and desired products to provide personalized recommendations. Some other fun examples include fitness AI assistants that create the most optimal workout and dietary plans for each individual user, and travel assistants that provide custom travel recommendations including flights, accommodations, events, and so on. 

In B2B, some of the most prominent examples of personal intelligent assistants include sales AI software (we’ve got a great example below), data analytics assistants that help businesses make data-driven decisions and accurate predictions, marketing assistants to segment potential customers and create tailored marketing campaigns, and so much more. 

One thing the best AI personal assistants have in common is their mind-blowing ability to understand exactly what is asked of them and use human-like logic and critical thinking to provide the most precise solutions to the tasks it was built for. 

Let’s take a look at how that works in practice with our very own sales AI assistant – Jason AI. 

Real-life example of a sales AI assistant

Sales AI assistants are a popular type of personal assistant due to their specialized focus on sales-related tasks, which happen to be the backbone of revenue growth. They are the ideal software to help businesses generate quality leads by over 50%, provide sales analytics and forecasts, and most importantly – engage targeted prospects to eventually convert them to long-term customers. 

A sales engagement platform, our very own AI sales assistant – Jason AI – focuses on the engagement function of the sales process. Users begin by defining their ideal customer through a set of filters such as industry and job title to best understand their exact target audience. Next, our AI-based sales assistant will quickly learn everything there is to know about your company and product(s) to become a full-fledged member of your sales team (with robot intelligence and efficiency).

Afterward, Jason, as an AI digital assistant, will create the most effective outreach sequence for each prospect, including emails, follow-ups, calls, and social touchpoints to maximize the chances of a reply. No need for sales teams to keep guessing which outreach channels to use, in which order, and at which intervals, because Jason knows exactly what works best for each unique prospect. 

Now comes the fun part, and that is the ability of sales AI assistants like ours to create tailored emails based on prospect data and your outreach intent. Unlike generic engagement tools, intelligent sales assistants write unique, tailored, and hyper-personalized emails to all your potential buyers. How convenient since personalized outreach is by far the most effective way to gain your prospects’ attention and stand out from the crowd.

And that’s not all! Jason AI can then also handle your prospects’ responses by interpreting their message and providing a logical, human-like reply. This could be a simple answer to a query regarding pricing and features, handling prospect objections, forwarding requests to the appropriate point of contact, and so much more.

But most importantly, this intelligent prospect engagement could result in a booked demo meeting for your sales team without them lifting a finger. Now picture hundreds of such booked meetings on your behalf, and how much potential business and revenue that could mean for your business. Such magic exists thanks to the powerful ChatGPT capabilities paired with our own algorithms that’s built in sales intelligent assistants like Jason AI. 

The purpose of an AI assistant for business like Jason is to maximize performance and efficiency by taking over all prospect engagement throughout the entire buyer journey, ultimately allowing sales teams to focus on what matters most – closing more deals. It comes as no surprise that almost 80% of CEOs believe conversational AI tools like Jason will “fundamentally change” prospect and customer engagement. 

How to choose the right AI personal assistant

Navigating the world of virtual AI assistants can be like wandering through a tech wonderland. With so many options, finding the right fit might feel overwhelming.

But don’t worry – here’s a handy guide to help you choose the perfect AI personal assistant for your needs.

1. Identify your needs

First things first, figure out what you want from an AI assistant. Are you looking for something to manage your calendar and send reminders, or do you need a virtual buddy for brainstorming and creative tasks?

Different tools specialize in various areas, so knowing your goals will narrow down your choices.

2. Compatibility check

Ensure that the AI assistant works well with your existing devices and software. If you’re heavily invested in Apple products, Siri might be a natural fit. Google Assistant is fantastic for Android users, while Alexa integrates well with smart home devices.

Compatibility is key to a smooth experience.

3. Ease of use

Pick an AI assistant that’s user-friendly.

A steep learning curve can be a real turn-off, especially if you’re not tech-savvy. Look for tools that have intuitive interfaces and clear instructions. Reviews and demos can give you a good sense of this.

4. Privacy matters

Your data privacy should be a top priority. Check the privacy policies of the AI virtual assistant you’re considering.

Make sure they have robust measures to protect your information and that you’re comfortable with their data usage practices.

5. Features and flexibility

Different AI assistants come with different bells and whistles. Some offer advanced voice recognition, while others might excel at understanding context or learning your preferences over time.

Compare features to see which ones align with your daily tasks.

6. Budget considerations

Lastly, think about your budget.

While some AI assistants are free, others might come with premium features that require a subscription. Decide how much you’re willing to invest in your virtual assistant.

Choosing the right virtual AI assistant is all about matching the tool to your personal and professional needs. Take your time to explore, try out a few options, and see which one feels right. After all, it’s not just about what the AI business assistant can do, but how well it fits into your life!

Over to you 

AI is the future, but what is the future of AI? The way things look, businesses and professionals that haven’t yet integrated AI assistants in their operations will very soon have to in order to stay competitive. There are numerous intelligent virtual assistants available for every department in every industry, and businesses have learned that they provide some of the best ROIs due to their immense value. 

While there are some potential challenges moving forward such as data privacy, it’s without a doubt that AI is a force that cannot be stopped. And even though we cannot predict the future, AI is expected to drive global GDP by $15 trillion by 2030, which is great news for humanity as a whole. Accoring to Forbed, about 80% of companies see AI as a top priority in their business plans.

The best we can do is find ways to utilize virtual AI assistants for the greater good, be it for personal or business purposes. It is with this in mind that we created our own AI sales assistant – to help our customers excel in their markets and grow their businesses to their fullest potential, and we’re more than happy to be part of that journey.