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STELLENBOSCH BUSINESS SCHOOL
Stellenbosch Business School
Telephone: +27 21 918-4246
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Postal Address: P O Box 610, Bellville, 7535, Cape Town, South Africa
06 DECEMBER 2023
SA chatbot as efficient as a human coach for goal attainment

The locally created cutting-edge software application Coach Vici is revolutionising the world of coaching assisting thousands of employees at the same time. This innovative coaching chatbot is transforming the way businesses and individuals set goals, develop skills, and empower teams, all in real-time.

Coach Vici combines theoretically sound, practically proven coaching frameworks, models and tools with cutting-edge generative artificial intelligence (AI) to provide a natural language, and intelligent coaching interaction, accessible from a mobile phone.

Research has shown that Coach Vici is just as efficient as a human coach when it comes to achieving goals.

Developed by Dr Nicky Terblanche, Senior Lecturer in Leadership Coaching at Stellenbosch Business School, Coach Vici has since its initial launch in 2020, continued to evolve with new technologies, becoming more intuitive and capable of offering real-time support, personalised coaching, and data-driven insights to thousands of users simultaneously.

Dr Terblanche says coaching chatbots are highly effective and have become an invaluable asset for organisations.

“Businesses are constantly seeking innovative solutions to streamline their operations, improve productivity, and enhance teamwork. Our chatbot can now assist thousands of employees at the same time without the high cost of individual coaching.”

“Our software application is powered by generative AI and interacts with users conversationally. The bot is designed to assist and guide individuals or teams in various aspects, such as personal development, professional growth, and business success, with real-time support, personalised coaching and data-driven insights.”

“By assisting people to set and achieve goals, your company's performance can greatly improve, while it also helps your employees reflect on your organisation’s objectives”, says Dr Terblanche.

Dr Terblanche is an avid believer in the power of research. We only use evidence-based features in our chatbot. I have several PhD and Masters’ students continuously conducting research on various aspects of AI coaching such as resilience, emotional intelligence, and character development in various contexts. As soon as we are satisfied with the research results, we bring it to Coach Vici.”

The fully-functional B2B chatbot’s interface reporting backend generates multiple data enabling organisations to draw reports that highlight specific insights and recommendations for improvements.

“Coaching is not about giving answers. It is a support mechanism to help people find their own solutions. With our backend reporting, we can intervene and help a person or groups to find the right solutions for specific problems.” One of Coach Vici's remarkable features is its ability to measure participants' emotional state, tracking sentiments motivation levels over time. It can raise red flags for intervention, thereby fostering a healthier and more productive work environment.

According to Dr Terblanche, organisations can also customise Couch Vici with their organisation’s branding, logo, and can link to their existing HR and support resources.

“The chatbot is now not only able to ask you questions but even make suggestions and check up on you to stay on track. Coach Vici can be seamlessly integrated into in-house or consultative coaching programmes, leadership development initiatives and performance management processes.”

As technology continues to advance, the team will continuously update the Coach Vici chatbot allowing organisations to harness the power of this intelligent virtual coach to work more efficiently, foster team growth, and ultimately achieve their goals with greater success.
Source:

Stellenbosch Business School
 The internationally accredited Stellenbosch Business School offers MBA, Master’s, MPhil and PhD programmes as well as executive education programmes – all focused on the development of business leadership. Visit our InfoCentre or website.

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