Businesses everywhere are under pressure to deliver better service at less cost. Most have looked at some form of digital solution, but do they really work? AI agents are constantly evolving and becoming more sophisticated.
They are designed to simulate human-like conversations through websites, messaging platforms, mobile apps, phone systems, and even visual representations like holograms. The conversational AI industry is predicted to expand to US$ 47.6 billion in 2033, as a result of technological advancements and improvements in AI. They understand user queries, provide relevant responses, or perform specific tasks.
Six ways AI agents are currently being used worldwide to achieve their goals:
1. South Africa: Query resolution, automated
Telecommunications company Telkom offers its customers a virtual agent called Thuso to help resolve technical and billing-related queries via the website, app and WhatsApp channels. Where relevant, Thuso not only helps diagnose the issue but also looks to resolve it by triggering relevant actions in back office systems.
Thuso handles over 2.5 million customer queries a year, leaving more time for human agents to handle the high impact, high relationship conversations.
2. Brazil: Inbound calls, automated Telecommunications company
TIM Brasil recently ramped up its customer service offering with an AI agent TAIS. In a realistic human voice and with the ability to convey emotion, TAIS takes incoming customer calls, answers consumer questions and resolves problems related to packages and bill payments among others.
Since the launch of the AI agent, the company reported that more than three million calls had been completed and call retention has grown 75%, all without human intervention.
3. Korea: Cutting bureaucracy down to size
The Korean government has developed a smartphone-based AI agent named GoodPy which provides personalised administrative information for citizens and handles inquiries. It also sends notifications on things like driver’s licence renewals, scholarship applications and fines to more than 12 million citizens and residents.
4. UK: Round the clock healthcare support
AXA Global Healthcare’s Remi is a digital text- and voice-based assistant that helps customers 24/7, on any device. Remi engaged in more than 22,000 conversations within the first few months of launching, guiding customers to the right health information and support.
It quickly moves users to the most appropriate next step, whether that’s viewing their online account, accessing virtual care services, finding a medical provider, or connecting them to one of AXA Global Healthcare’s personal advisers.
It can also give personalised health advice and check symptoms on Mayo Clinic’s clinical assessment platform. The symptom checker provides a report for users, summarising current symptoms, with clear next steps, including potential medical providers, wherever they are in the world.
5. UK: Transforming council service
British council Thurrock has launched an AI Agent called Aimee that handles a wide range of inbound voice calls ranging from queries relating to council tax, refuse collection and housing. The council received a global innovation award based on its ability to handle complex conversations without ever risking a mistake or compliance error.
6. US: Eliminating roadblocks to customer assistance
Recreational vehicle vendor Camping World rolled out AI agent Arvee when a surge in customers led to lagging call centre response times. As a result of dynamic routing and capacity management, Arvee’s response times are faster and more efficient.
Human agents took over more complex conversations when necessary. Arvee’s after-hours lead generation lets live agents keep track of and follow up with customer inquiries.
Key success criteria
Many AI Agents continue to wallow in pilot purgatory, primarily due to their inability to assure trusted conversations. Their AI-first logic architecture makes fluent conversations possible, but the brittle decision tree logic used to help structure conversations break with context and complexity.
The AI Agents that deliver real value in production are those that can have human-like conversations at expert levels, in a consistent compliant and accurate way.
The value is significant when these AI Agents get it right. What is clear is that it is the AI Agents that assure trust that are making this impact.