Amdocs Launches Smartbot to Bring Intelligent Bot-to-Human Customer Experiences to Digital Services Providers

ST. LOUIS, Sept.12, 2017(GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amdocs (NASDAQ:DOX), a leading provider of software and services to communications and media companies, is launching Smartbot, an artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning-based bot that enables digital service providers (DSPs) to provide customer care, sales and marketing engagements to even the most discerning millennial. Amdocs Smartbot with Microsoft Cognitive Services, specifically Microsoft Language Understanding Intelligent Service and Text Analytics API, provides leading DSPs with the ability to transform how they deliver highly personalized, self-service interactions with customers that are simple, quick and helpful.

As an Amdocs commissioned global study¹ that surveyed over 7,000 consumers and enterprises today revealed, bots lack the intelligence and emotional awareness to address complex consumer issues and must evolve from rules-based bots to AI smartbots. Amdocs' new Smartbot addresses this gap as it is integrated with industry domain knowledge of DSP best practices and business processes. Also, with Amdocs Smartbot's deep integration with the service provider's core information systems such as CRM, order management and product catalog, DSPs can now see a 360-degree view of the customer and understand the context of the interaction, enabling them to grow care-to-commerce revenue by making more relevant predictive care and promotional offers to customers.

As customer interactions will increasingly be automated and managed without a human in the future, the capability of Amdocs Smartbot to address customer inquiries more efficiently is critical to helping DSPs reduce costs, increase upsell conversion rates and improve care. Key to delivering the most satisfying customer experience is the advanced understanding of sentiment, intent, natural language and emotion that Cognitive Services provides to the Amdocs Smartbot. Furthermore, by taking advantage of the Amdocs aia intelligence platform, the Smartbot continuously learns and derives real-time insights that help DSPs build increasingly personalized experiences.

Amdocs Smartbot is channel agnostic, enabling DSPs to spotlight promotions across mobile, Web and all social messaging platforms. This omni-channel experience includes the DSP's website and self-service application, Facebook Messenger, Kik, LINE, Skype, Slack, SMS, Telegram and Twitter as well as voice assistants such as Amazon Alexa. Amdocs Smartbot also has the capability to seamlessly shift the bot interaction to a human agent in the DSP's support center.

Amdocs Smartbot can be deployed either on-premises or in the cloud, on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. By hosting Amdocs Smartbot as well as the customer interaction history on Azure, a customer can pause and pick up a conversation at a later more convenient date or time.

"With world-leading cognitive capabilities from Microsoft and AI and machine learning from Amdocs aia, the Smartbots we're announcing today are always learning and this results in constantly refined and speedier time to response and action for DSP customers. The tremendous opportunity to continuously improve sales and customer service by fostering better bot-to-human experiences is why we believe DSPs will be quick to embrace and widely adopt technology advances such as Amdocs Smartbot," said Gary Miles, general manager, Amdocs.

"With Microsoft Cognitive Services at its core, Amdocs Smartbot provides digital service providers (DSPs) with industry-specific context, natural language, emotion, sentiment and usability that supports our mutual customers in the communication and media industry," said Nagu Rangan, senior product marketing manager, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Corp."We're pleased to work with Amdocs to help shape the speed of adoption of the next generation customer care services DSPs will deliver."

¹ Amdocs commissioned global research entitled "Humans vs Machines: How to stop your virtual agent from lagging behind", please visit here.

Supporting Resources

• Learn more about Amdocs Smartbot with Microsoft Cognitive Services
• Check out announcement highlights in short video with Amdocs' Gary Miles
• Keep up with Amdocs news by visiting the company's website
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About Amdocs
Amdocs is a leading software and services provider to the world's most successful communications and media companies. As our customers reinvent themselves, we enable their digital and network transformation through innovative solutions, delivery expertise and intelligent operations. Amdocs and its 25,000 employees serve customers in over 85 countries. Listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, Amdocs had revenue of $3.7 billion in fiscal 2016. For more information, visit Amdocs at www.amdocs.com.

Amdocs' Forward-Looking Statement
This press release includes information that constitutes forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about Amdocs' growth and business results in future quarters. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be obtained or that any deviations will not be material. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ from those anticipated. These risks include, but are not limited to, the effects of general economic conditions, Amdocs' ability to grow in the business markets that it serves, Amdocs' ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses, adverse effects of market competition, rapid technological shifts that may render the Company's products and services obsolete, potential loss of a major customer, our ability to develop long-term relationships with our customers, and risks associated with operating businesses in the international market. Amdocs may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future; however, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These and other risks are discussed at greater length in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2016 filed on December 12, 2016 and our quarterly 6-K form furnished on February 13, May 22 and August 14, 2017.

Media Contacts:
Linda Horiuchi
Amdocs Public Relations
Tel: +1 (201) 631-6810
E-mail: linda.horiuchi@amdocs.com

Lindsay Noonan
Hotwire PR for Amdocs
Tel: +1 (646) 790 4753
E-Mail: lindsay.noonan@hotwirepr.com or AmdocsUS@hotwirepr.com