T-Mobile implementing AI-powered tools for better customer service

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T-Mobile is rolling out a set of AI-powered tools to boost its customer service. The company calls this set of tools “Superpowers.” They are not intended for direct use by customers. Rather, they are aimed at helping customer service agents.

The carrier seems to be at the perfect time to bet more on AI. The company just got FCC approval to acquire Ultra Mobile, as well as Mint Mobile which it agreed to purchase last year. So, they will be able to further expand their database to train their AI-powered tools according to the needs of their clients.

According to The Mobile Report, the “Superpowers” suite has three main tools: GenAI Chat, Promo Genius, and Best Action (NBA). Each one focuses on a specific area to try to cover most of the common situations that support agents encounter while serving customers.

This is the T-Mobile AI-powered suite of tools for better customer service

“GenAI Chat” is similar to modern AI-powered chatbots, but focused on T-Mobile customers. Basically, it attempts to interpret the agent’s questions, even if they are complicated, to provide an appropriate answer as quickly as possible. On the other hand, the “Promo Genius” tool analyzes the customer’s profile and shows the offers that could be most interesting for them. This may help convince them to switch to a plan that better suits their usage.

Meanwhile, “Best Action (NBA)” will be used by sales staff. Similar to the previous one, it will focus on offering the best possible offers or alternatives for a client. But, in the sales area instead of customer support.

According to the report, T-Mobile will train its customer service agents to use AI-powered tools effectively. After all, the quality of the output will also depend on an adequate prompt. Additionally, the “Superpowers” tool is probably not as capable as ChatGPT of interpreting natural language.

The source adds that T-Mobile has already implemented a couple of other AI-powered tools. “Expert Head Start” would seek to “assign the next best action for that client.” Then, “Expert Recap” provides call summaries that agents can review later.

Initial reactions are divided

T-Mobile “Superpowers” are generating divided reactions among agents. As spotted by Phonearena, a post on Reddit (now deleted) accumulated some of the criticism. For example. Some complained about how specific they have to be with their questions to get a good output. Others say the tool will be useful when customers request direct comparisons between plans and devices.

In any case, any initial implementation of a complex system usually has its flaws. Therefore, agents may see improvements to the system in the coming weeks or months.

2024-04-27 15:05:40