Exploring AI, Power Virtual Agents, and the Power Platform: A Journey with Sarah Critchley, Microsoft's Principal Program Manager

Dec 4, 2023

Sarah Critchley, an accomplished principal program manager at Microsoft, shares her inspiring life journey and discusses Power Virtual Agents (PVA). She uncovers the secrets of PVA, including the PowerCat PVA playbook and Generative Actions. The podcast also delves into the integration of Azure Open AI service with PVA and the potential role of voice technology in PVA.

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ANECDOTE

Relocation to Canada

Sarah Critchley relocated to Canada for a work opportunity.
She values the easy access to nature, like weekend hikes.

INSIGHT

Microsoft Journey

Sarah Critchley finds the collaborative environment at Microsoft a refreshing change from professional services.
Her Dynamics background helps her in conversational AI.

ADVICE

PVA and Interface Design

Gain experience with Power Virtual Agents (PVA) and rethink interface design.
PVA offers different engagement dimensions beyond screen-based experiences.

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FULL SHOW NOTES
https://podcast.nz365guy.com/505

How would you feel if you could make your interactions with technology more human-like, more interactive, and more efficient? Hop on as we journey with Sarah Critchley, an accomplished principal program manager at Microsoft, into the fascinating world of Power Virtual Agents (PVA). This episode is a treasure trove as Sarah Critchley narrates her inspiring life journey, from her relocation to Canada to her rewarding career at Microsoft, and her labour of love – writing tech books in an era of rapid technological change.
What if there is a playbook that could guide you from start to finish for a successful PVA implementation? As we dig deeper, we uncover the secrets of PVA with the PowerCat PVA playbook, discovering the PVA in a Day feature and Microsoft's Conversational UX Guide. Sarah enlightens us on the game-changing Generative Actions feature which makes the user experience more natural by inferring context from user queries. We also delve into the very foundation of PVA – the large language models and generative AI.
Now, imagine integrating Azure Open AI service with PVA – the possibilities seem endless! We dissect this integration process and shed light on the deployment of adaptive cards in PVA. We also have Mark Smith, the nz365guy, who shares his valuable insights on creating with the Power Platform. He sparks a conversation on the potential role of voice technology in PVA in the near future. So tune in and join us in this exploration of AI, PVA, and the Power Platform – you'll be amazed by the things you'll learn!

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Thanks for listening 🚀 - Mark Smith