Latest news with #Vivant
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Masato Sakai to return for "Vivant 2"
13 Jun - Masato Sakai recently confirmed that he will be returning as Yusuke Nogi in the sequel to the hit Japanese TV series, "Vivant". Sharing the news on TBS morning programme, "The Time", the actor said that the sequel will be aired next year and will be a big production that deserves all of his effort. "When I was reading the script, I could already feel how the director racked his brains, so I will perform without reservation," he said. The sequel reportedly will be a continuation of the story, starting immediately after the last scene of the first series, and there will be no changes to the setting of the main character, Nogi Yusuke. Other cast members besides Masato will be announced in the near future. Katsuo Fukuzawa, who co-directed the first series, will be in charge of the original story, direction and production, once again teaming up with Masato in their powerful collaboration. The first series was shot on a grand scale in Mongolia, which drew much attention, and according to Fukuzawa, the second series will also be filmed in a country which will be unique to viewers. While he mums on the location, earlier rumours stated that it will be filmed in Azerbaijan. In addition to filming the sequel to the Japanese drama, it is reported that a movie version will be produced simultaneously, which is tentatively scheduled to be released in December next year.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Urgent recall of 50,000 faulty carbon monoxide detectors over 'deadly' health concerns
A safety systems company has issued an urgent recall for more than 50,000 faulty smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, warning device malfunctions could be deadly. Apollo America has called back its Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced on Thursday. The model 51000-600 alarms may fail to sound off if fire or toxic gases are detected, putting people a serious risk of smoke inhalation, carbon monoxide poisoning or death, according to the CPSC. All of the detectors included in the recall are white and have a 'replace by' date range from June 2034 to October 2034 on the front. 'Apollo' and the model number are written on the back of it. The defective products were exclusively sold through Utah-based retailer Vivant online, or through door-to-door or telephone sales from June 2024 to October 2024. Costing roughly $50 to $100 each, Vivant is sending free replacements to those who purchased the affected detectors. The tens of thousands of households believed to have these detectors installed should replace them. However, people should not stop using the recalled alarms until they get a new one, the CPSC wrote. Safety officials also warned that consumers should be cautious while getting rid of detectors' non-rechargeable lithium batteries, stating they can not be tossed like regular garbage. 'Lithium batteries must be disposed of differently than other batteries, because they present a greater risk of fire,' the recall reads. 'Your municipal household hazardous waste (HHW) collection center or battery recycling boxes found at various retail and home improvement stores may accept this lithium battery for disposal.' People should reach out to their local HHW beforehand to make sure they accept lithium batteries. No one has reported any injuries or incidents related to the called back Apollo detectors. Apollo America, based in Michigan, manufactures devices that are sold across North America, according to the company's website. It is a subsidiary of The Halma Group, an England-based global group of safety equipment firms. Both smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide exposure could be detrimental to people's health. Carbon monoxide - a subtle killer - claims hundreds of American lives each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Unlike smoke, carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas that causes sickness and death if inhaled. More than 400 Americans die, roughly 100,000 are taken to the emergency room and about 14,000 are admitted to the hospital every year from unintentionally breathing in the gas. In February, three US tourists were found dead in a Belize hotel. Their toxicology reports revealed they were killed by 'fatal exposure to carbon monoxide poisoning.' Kaoutar Naqqad, 23, Imane Mallah, 24, and Wafae El Arar, 26, were found dead inside their room at the Royal Kahal Beach Resort in San Pedro. Each of the women died from acute pulmonary edema, a build-up of fluid in the lungs. A toxicology examination confirmed in March that the fatal condition was triggered by exposure to carbon monoxide poisoning. Local police believe a malfunctioning water heater in the women's room may have been to blame. Each of the women registered carbon monoxide saturation levels of around 60 percent. Saturation levels of 40 percent are enough to cause death. In another harrowing incident, the owner of an adored Baltimore restaurant died from carbon monoxide poisoning inside his own home, leaving his loved ones and customers heartbroken. Costas Triantafilos, 85, the owner of the famed Costas Inn, and his wife Mary were found unconscious inside their Glen Arm, Maryland, home in March. Baltimore County Fire Department officials rushed to the scene in response to reports of a cardiac arrest. But they soon detected high levels of the toxic gas flooding the home from a vehicle was left running in their garage, CBS reported. Costas tragically did not survive the carbon monoxide poisoning, while Mary was hospitalized and expected to recover. Signs of carbon monoxide poisoning often first present as flu-like symptoms including headache, weakness, upset stomach, and vomiting. Dr. Albert Rizzo, Chief Medical Officer for the American Lung Association, told 'Since it's odorless, tasteless, it can be very insidious and people don't often equate these kinds of symptoms with carbon monoxide poisoning.' Exposure can also lead to blurry vision and headaches, a dangerously fast heartbeat, seizures, loss of consciousness, shortness of breath, respiratory failure, cardiac arrest and death. Carbon monoxide is produced when fossil fuels burn without enough oxygen. Inhaling car or lawnmower exhaust is a leading cause. But people are also vulnerable to poisoning in the safety of their homes, especially if they live in smaller spaces.
Forbes
28-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Importance Of The Human Touch In Modern-Day Customer Support
Hamed Mazrouei, Founder and CEO Vivant and Milagro. Automated chatbots respond in milliseconds. Self-service portals are available 24/7. Sure, these tools may help with hold times, yet when a customer feels unheard, no algorithm or generative AI agent will be able to reverse frustration or even restore trust. As businesses scale and support strives to use automation to become increasingly efficient and always available, the challenge isn't how fast you respond—it's how human you remain. Let's face it, sometimes we just need to talk to a person. A report by Gartner predicts that "80% of customer service and support organizations will be applying generative AI technology in some form to improve agent productivity and customer experience (CX)" and this technology "will transform customer service and support by 2028." But is it really helping customers have a better experience? Maybe. According to customer service executives, the biggest customer service challenge they face is slow response times. In that link, Sprinklr shares an example of one company that reduced its average response time from six hours to just 70 minutes using AI automation. That's all fine and good as long as the responses are actually resolving the issues. Done correctly, you build customer loyalty and a reason for positive word-of-mouth. Not only that, it inspires repeat purchases—88% of the time, according to amplifAI. On the other hand, if the AI agent does not provide a resolution or is difficult to use, it will have damaging effects. Some of the reasons why customers become frustrated with automated customer support include: • Having to reword the issue multiple times so the AI agent understands it and provides a relevant solution • Not being directed to a human agent if the issue is not resolved, or worse, having to repeat the issue all over again; in other words, there is not a seamless transition or retention of conversation history across interactions • Not providing adequate self-service articles on information on the online portal • The issue remains unresolved after multiple attempts In short, customers expect their support experience to be as close to effortless as possible. The best AI agents can actually replicate the human's ability to gauge the mood or emotion of the customer, anticipate the need for escalation to a human agent and facilitate a seamless transition. Identify. In a chat or automated voice response system, it can tell if the customer is getting frustrated or is unhappy by reading cues such as all caps or exclamation points, asking for a live agent, looking for alternative channels, even abandoning the chat. If your self-service portal is advanced, sentiment cues can also be found there, such as a search that seems to be failing (multiple attempts to reword the issue) or, again, abandoning the search. Anticipate. A "smart" agent will recognize the need to escalate the customer to a live agent and proactively offer to do so. "You don't seem to be finding what you need." Or, "How about I get you to a live agent to further assist?" Escalate. This part is key. If the customer is already on edge from their failed bot experience, make sure your system allows for an expedited transition to a live agent. Nothing is worse than sending an already frustrated customer to a lengthy wait or another round of being on hold. And transfer the call, chat or search transcript with them so the live agent can pick up where the automated agent left off. Set the live human agent up for success. The best way to turn around an unhappy customer is to quickly resolve the issue and then exceed their expectations. But first, if it is an expedited situation, the human agent should address the reason for the escalation. "Looks like you already spent some time on our self-service portal. I'm sorry you didn't find what you needed. Let me help, and we'll get this resolved for you quickly." One of the biggest sources of frustration with automated tools is that if the customer can't get the help they need, they don't have a way to express themselves to a bot. Often, simply a friendly voice on the other end of the phone (or chat) is enough to diffuse the situation. One mistake companies make is not understanding the impact of AI on the customer journey. The companies that win aren't just leveraging technology to impact efficiencies; they're designing every interaction with empathy, intuitiveness and the unmistakable reassurance of a real human connection. Companies looking to apply AI to their customer service operation should keep their motivations in check. If it's to downsize their human support staff and save money, it can make sense as long as the remaining support agents are more efficient, relieved of mundane repetitive tasks and more available to help solve complex problems … or to simply talk to a person who wants to talk to a person! The key is to first focus on the customer in front of you and consider integrating AI technology to help employees provide the best possible experience, from one human to another. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
