Revolutionising IT Service Desk: The Power of Voicebot

by Joe Chow

The Central IT leverages Speech AI (Artificial intelligence) and Generative AI/ChatGPT technologies to develop a Service Desk Voicebot.  This Voicebot is capable of comprehending and addressing human voice commands, presenting a novel approach to IT technical support. By allowing users to simply voice their queries, the Voicebot offers a higher level of convenience, eliminating the need for searching the internet or calling the Service Desk for assistance.

One key advantage of the Voicebot is its high availability and self-service capabilities.  It is always available and works independently without human intervention, even when the Service Desk is closed. This high availability ensures that users can get assistance whenever they need it, regardless of the Service Desk’s opening hours and even during severe weather conditions when the Service Desk may be unavailable.

Another key advantage of the Voicebot is its remarkable ability to understand and interpret complex queries in three languages: English, Cantonese and Putonghua.  This multilingual capability enables the Voicebot to comprehend and provide prompt and accurate responses to user inquiries.

voicebot-1.png
Figure 1. Central IT Management using the Voicebot

To make the Voicebot service readily available for users, a Voicebot is installed in an IT Kiosk located on 4th floor of the LI Building outside the IT Service Desk.

voicebot-2.png
​Figure 2. The Kiosk outside the IT Service Desk on 4/F of LI Building

Conclusion

The initial launch of the Voicebot Kiosk in November 2023 on 4th floor of the LI Building represents a significant leap forward in revolutionising IT support processes. By streamlining support, ensuring higher availability, leveraging natural language processing, and enabling self-service, the Voicebot enhances the overall efficiency and productivity of the IT Service Desk.

The Voicebot’s applications can be extended to other areas of the University's operations, such as registration and enrollment, student services, digital assistance, and event management. These are merely a few examples of the potential usages of the Voicebot within the University's operations. Its applications may be customised based on specific needs and requirements.

The Central IT plans to install more Kiosks in other buildings, so we encourage suggestions on how the Voicebot and the Kiosk can be utilised for other services and functions that could benefit our staff and students.