Mari is becoming a familiar face\u2014or voice\u2014for True\u2019s 50 million customers. She greets visitors on the company\u2019s website, can be reached by calling 1242 and can even be met in the real-world, in the shape of a humanoid robot. This constitutes a complex ecosystem with different AI engines best suited for each need.<\/p>\n
\u201cMari is uniquely tailored to the different channels by which customers can reach customer service. Imagine you\u2019re asking to compare price plans or devices, for example. Via chat, Mari could show you a table to compare a few different options\u2014just like what a salesperson would do in a shop by showing you a pamphlet. But if a call center agent read out specs for five devices on a call, you\u2019d hang up on them after 30 seconds. That\u2019s Mari voice and Mari chat are not the same,\u201d said Kiattisak Srimadee, Head of True Voice Department.<\/p>\n
The True Voice team built the natural language processing engine of the call center\u2019s Mari. But training and fine-tuning her responses was done by the call center itself. Thanachai Chuklin, who is head of the call center\u2019s Strategy, Resourcing & Transformation Department said, \u201cGetting the right tone and voice is very important in call centers. We\u2019re quite happy with what we\u2019ve achieved now but we\u2019re still looking to improve. It takes a lot of testing to get the right intent, style and mood,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Compared to Mari voice, the chatbot version of True\u2019s virtual service agent doesn\u2019t require a voice engine. But it too must contend with exacting requirements for accuracy and tone. And both platforms also share the need to find the right customers\u2014as not everyone is ready for generative AI.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith COVID, we saw more and more people pushed to digital channels and they\u2019ve grown increasingly comfortable with and accustomed to getting service online as opposed to visiting a shop or speaking to a human call center agent. But that doesn\u2019t mean they are ready for Generative AI. We have to carefully assess their intent when they reach out to Mari. Very simple requests are best handled by click-through menus. If their needs are more complex, we can point them towards a generative AI,\u201d said Napong Valaisathien, Head of the Digital Platform & Experience Department, the team driving Mari\u2019s chat platform.<\/p>\n
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Growing Powers<\/strong><\/p>\n When it comes to service, the gap between those who\u2019d rather talk to humans versus those who prefer AI-powered virtual agents is closing fast. In a survey conducted during \u201cAI Gets Real,\u201d an event where True presented real-world AI use cases, 26% of respondents already say they prefer to chat online with a virtual agent versus 20% who would prefer to chat with a human agent. But when it comes to voice, 38% said they\u2019d prefer to talk to a human agent, while 16% would prefer to speak with a virtual agent.<\/p>\n Thanyalak Suthijindawong, Senior Leader, Digital Platform, said, \u201cWe are constantly improving Mari\u2019s chat capabilities. We start from the customer and then we brainstorm what we can improve from their perspective. We work very quickly, in two-week sprints, to bring out new features in collaboration with system analysts, developers, business analysts and quality control.\u201d<\/p>\n Currently, the Mari chatbot already handles nearly 2 million contacts per month, with Mari handling nearly 90% of them and human agents handling the rest. Thaks to an accuracy of about 90-95%, Mari is able to beat global benchmarks for customer satisfaction.<\/p>\n Currently, the chatbot can resolve technical faults for home internet users, compare devices and assist customers wishing to change plans. Because the voice version of Mari uses a different engine, and the inherent difficulty of conveying complex information over the phone, the timeline of features is slightly different for the call center. But both versions of Mari are now live and used by real customers.<\/p>\n Mr. Kiattisak said, \u201cGen AI is a real challenge. From an ethical standpoint, we need to make sure everyone gets treated fairly. AI mistakes, or what\u2019s known as \u2018hallucinations,\u2019 aren\u2019t acceptable. We can\u2019t have Mari offering price plans that don\u2019t exist, or priced incorrectly. We need to be very cautious. That\u2019s the hard part with AI. We need to be very accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n In the future, it\u2019s possible to even imagine Mari in shops. Veerasak Pongtanyavichai, Head of Innovation Center Department, has developed a humanoid robot version of Mari capable of conversing naturally. \u201cFor now, we plan for the Mari humanoid to be mainly a showcase of what\u2019s possible. She can act as an ambassador for True at major events. But in the future, she could act as an assistant for salespeople in shops. Just like the chat and voice versions of Mari, her goal is to be helpful for everyone,\u201d said Mr. Veerasak.<\/p>\n