VOXI by Vodafone Is the ‘First’ UK Telco to Deploy GenAI Chatbot

The GenAI chatbot aims to deliver more "human-like" interactions

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Published: March 7, 2024

James Stephen

VOXI by Vodafone has become the ‘first’ UK telecommunications company to launch a generative AI (GenAI) chatbot.

The telco hopes that its VOXI chatbot will enhance customer experiences by engaging in a more human-like manner when resolving customer requests.

To begin with, however, it will only be available to a small number of customers while it irons out any potential issues.

Powered by ChatGPT, the new chatbot was built alongside the global professional services company Accenture and uses an AI safety framework to ensure a responsible and ethical deployment.

Mark Farbrace, Generative AI Lead, Accenture UK, added:

VOXI is using generative AI to fundamentally reinvent its business. The customer experience is only the start of how this technology can be adopted at scale across the organisation.

Indeed, 98 percent of UK executives see generative AI as a transformative technology for their companies and industries – according to Accenture’s own study.

Furthermore, 81 percent of organizations revealed they plan to raise their 2024 spending for AI and data.

Scott Currie, Head of VOXI by Vodafone, communicated his pride in the company’s achievement:

We’re delighted to be the first UK telco to give our customers the chance to try this exciting new technology in an easy-to-use chatbot.

Vodafone Partners with Microsoft

The GenAI chatbot announcement follows the launch of Vodafone Group’s ten-year strategic partnership with Microsoft. Part of the deal is for the telco to strengthen customer experiences by implementing Microsoft’s AI.

Yet, beyond their own operations, Vodafone and Microsoft will also provide digital platforms to over 300 million consumers, businesses, and public sector organizations.

The British telecommunications company also committed to investing $1.5BN in cloud and customer-focused AI services over the next ten years with Microsoft.

At the same time, the enterprise tech giant will utilize Vodafone’s fixed and mobile connectivity services while investing in its managed IoT connectivity program.

As well as AI, key areas of collaboration between the two companies will include the Internet of Things (IoT), Africa’s M-Pesa platform, Microsoft’s cloud services, and cloud transformation.

The partnership will also enable Microsoft to switch its physical data centers in Europe to virtual ones, helping it to cut down on the company’s energy usage.

Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, spoke about the potential gains that generative AI brings to customers:

This new generation of AI will unlock massive new opportunities for every organization and every industry around the world.

“We are delighted that together with Vodafone, we will apply the latest cloud and AI technology to enhance the customer experience of hundreds of millions of people and businesses across Africa and Europe, build new products and services, and accelerate the company’s transition to the cloud.

“By using the power of generative AI, we are not only helping to enhance customer support but are reinforcing VOXI’s commitment to innovation and delivering on our ambition to offer the best customer experience in the market.”

Other industry firsts in the world of chatbots include Sendbird’s ‘first no-code generative AI chatbot for web and mobile apps’ last year. The new bot, known as “SmartAssistant”, was purpose-built for customer service, commerce, and marketing.

 

 

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