A quick look at how intelligent agents can supplement your information gathering efforts.
In a world of websites, email, and reports galore, one fact reigns supreme:
vital content is king. Today’s savvy business audience is short on patience and
long on its need for impactful information. This means substance is critical
just as time is money.
It’s not just that you need any old data, right? Getting the job done right
means obtaining value from the data you collect. And, when you need information,
you need it now.
On the other hand, who among us isn’t suffering from a shortage of both time
and money? If only there was a way to gather only the most useful data as it
becomes available. In fact, there is. Intelligent Agents are software bots
designed to monitor myriad data sources, analyze the data, and report it back,
on demand, 24/7.
As discussed, there’s no shortage of information out there. Lucky for you,
there’s a never ending supply of Intelligent Software Agents – literally a
virtual workforce ready to collect data and glean only the most important
aspects of it. Efficiently and cost effectively, you can get the information
needed to make critical business decisions – or help customers better understand
your market. Best yet, you can have the data delivered to you on a set schedule
and in the format you prefer!
How will your army work? First, you – yes, you! -- train Intelligent Software
Agents by teaching them what data you need and where to look for it. Training
Agents is literally a “point and click” procedure that you perform in minutes.
Before you know it, your new “workforce” is on the job. Agents go to work –
examining websites, databases, intranets, RSS feeds, even information documents
such as PDFs, and return with all the information you need. At the same time,
you and your employees are focused on core initiatives, advancing and growing
your business.
Armies of Agents – At Your Command
While unemployment is
up and the economy is down, you probably are not thinking about making new
hires. However, when you consider the many skills an Intelligent Software Agent
can perform, you’ll realize that now may be the perfect time to expand your
“worker” base.
Agent Types Abound
There’s no task too big for an
Intelligent Software Agent. Let’s say you are a realtor. Of course, your clients
have specific requirements and the housing inventory – especially in this market
– is vast. Who has the time to continually check residential listings in several
markets? At the same time, you need to be at the top of your game when it comes
to finding new houses to list yourself, as well as potential new homebuyers,
mortgage trends, and much more. You can train an Intelligent Software Agent to
do all this research for you while you have face-time with the clients. And,
you’ll always have the very latest data in your hands. Consider some of the
different types of Agents you can train.
Web Extraction Agents – Agents can be trained to scrutinize
a wide variety of Web sources on a scheduled basis and deliver results with just
the new information back in your desired format. So while you’re meeting with
clients, you’ll have the latest relevant inventory information readily
available.
RSS Agents – Agents search news feeds and
bring back not only the headline but also the summary and full content of each
story. So you have the latest information on local news that may impact client
decisions as soon as possible.
PDF Agents – For a realtor who needs to stay on top of
the markets, these Agents can be trained to watch and wait for government-issued
PDF reports, for example, and bring you either the full report or just the
specific data from the report as soon as it’s posted by the U.S. Treasury,
Housing Department, or other governing body.
Database Agents – Trained Agents can search and “grab” data
from your internal databases and bring it all together in an easy to view and
understand format.
Many More – There are also super agents that can
aggregate and mashup the data collected from multiple sources. They include:
email Agents, Spidering Agents, and an entire arsenal of specially trained data
and intelligence ninjas that can be “out there” mining for critical information
on your behalf.
Agents will deliver all required information to you in a fraction of the time
you would spend searching for it. And, all data collected by trained Intelligent
Software Agents will be presented cohesively in an easy-to-analyze manner, such
as a database or report – on your schedule. Think about it…this could be the
difference between closing a deal or losing it to a better informed realtor.
This all may sound too good to be true, but really, it’s
as good as it sounds. Information you need, when you want it. Check out easy-to-follow demo videos
that best illustrate the ease of Agent
training. Your new “workforce” awaits.
Bruce Molloy is the chief
executive officer of Connotate
Technologies, a Web consultancy. Visit www.connotate.com
for more information or call us at
732-296-8844.