Jamie Hall (Ingram Micro NZ)
Ingram Micro is providing resellers with access to the virtual assistant market as the distributor of conversational AI specialist Streebo.
Streebo’s enterprise chatbot integrates neurolinguistic programming engines such as IBM Watson and generative AI technology including ChatGPT and others to provide fast, human-like interactions.
Ingram Micro's general manager of advanced solutions, Jamie Hall, said ChatGPT had expanded the potential of artificial intelligence.
"By integrating the technology and services into the data, AI, and automation portfolio of Ingram Micro's Advanced Solutions Group, the company's resellers are now empowered with both technological tools and delivery expertise that enable chatbots to become genuinely useful, rather than a source of frustration," he said.
The Advanced Solutions Group, formed in late 2022, aims to assist partners to enter new sectors without requiring substantial investment, Hall said.
Kedar Joshi, senior business development executive at Streebo, said Streebo’s "ChatGPT for the enterprise" bot solution was built on Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Microsoft CLU, and Amazon Web Services (AWS), as well as ChatGPT and Watson.
The result was a significant improvement in customer communication, process optimisation, and overall cost savings due to its ability to mimic human engagement.
The portfolio also included a library of pre-trained virtual assistants capable of handling a range of roles.
Research from market and consumer data firm Statista cited on Streebo's website found over a million active chatbots were being used by businesses worldwide and that was expected to grow by 20 per cent a year.
However, 94 per cent of those chatbots were rule-based and could only answer simple questions limiting their usefulness. Slight variations in how a question was asked could cause them to fail.
Phil Sheehan, Ingram Micro's business development manager, said there were considerable opportunities for resellers offering AI and related solutions backed by a rapid go-to-market plan for resellers.
“Streebo offers templated chatbots across multiple industries and domains," he said. "This means our reseller base can offer pre-trained cognitive assistants without having to upskill or hire additional people.”
The bots functioned on social media channels such as WhatsApp, Meta Messenger as well as SMS and internal messaging platforms including Microsoft Teams and Slack.
The bots could also be integrated with widely used enterprise software solutions including ServiceNow, SAP, OneDrive and Workday, Sheehan said.
