Client Overview: Airtel Bangladesh
Industry: Telecom
Client Profile:
Total Subscribers:32 million
Facebook Followers: 3.5 million
Instagram Followers: 250k
YouTube Subscribers: 180k
Airtel Bangladesh, operating under the Robi Axiata umbrella since the 2016 merger, is one of the top telecom providers in the country. Originally launched in 2010 with a mission to celebrate friendship and affordable communication, Airtel has remained a preferred choice among the youth. Today, it continues to serve millions through its 016 number brand, maintaining a strong network presence with innovative and value-driven services.
Dost AI Journey With Airtel Bangladesh
Challenges Faced:
Despite its success, Airtel encountered several critical challenges in its customer service operations:
High Volume of Youthful Customer Queries: Airtel’s large and youth-centric customer base required personalized, instant, and tech-savvy support.
Customer Retention & Churn Reduction: With a rapidly growing telecom sector and increasing competition, reducing churn and keeping customers engaged became a priority
Demand for Digital-First Service: Airtel’s digitally inclined audience expected fast, reliable service via online platforms, creating a need for enhanced digital customer engagement.
Operational Scaling: The company needed to handle an increasing number of support queries without dramatically increasing operational costs.
Round-the-Clock Service Expectations: The demand for seamless 24/7 support across multiple customer touchpoints presented difficulties under traditional service frameworks.
Personalized Service Plans:To boost customer lifetime value, Airtel sought to deliver personalized recommendations but struggled with manual analysis of customer data.
PreneurLab’s AI-Powered Solution
In 2019, Airtel Bangladesh partnered with PreneurLab to transform its customer service operations by deploying a Virtual AI Assistant. The AI solution incorporated cutting-edge Natural Language Processing (NLP) and machine learning to better understand and serve the youthful customer base.
Key Features:
Omnichannel Presence: The AI assistant provided real-time assistance across Airtel’s digital touchpoints, including mobile apps, social media, and the website.
Youth-Centric Communication: Designed to align with Airtel’s youthful brand identity, the AI virtual assistant communicated in a relatable and conversational tone, enhancing its engagement with customers.
24/7 Support: The AI virtual assistant handled all types of queries round the clock, from general inquiries to specific technical support, helping Airtel meet customer demands for 24/7 service.
Personalized Offers: By analyzing user behavior and interaction patterns, the Ai assistant recommended data plans and services tailored to each individual’s preferences, driving better engagement.
Multilingual Assistance: The AI virtual assistant provided support in Bangla, English, and Banglish to ensure smooth communication with Airtel’s diverse audience.
AI-Driven Marketing Campaigns: Using the AI assistant’s data analysis capabilities, Airtel was able to send targeted offers to customers, increasing the effectiveness of cross-selling and up-selling efforts.
Implementation:
PreneurLab worked closely with Airtel to seamlessly integrate the AI-powered assistant into their customer service ecosystem. The integration began with Airtel’s website, as it was the most popular platform for customer interaction, followed by deployment on their social media channels like Facebook Messenger. This multi-platform approach ensured that customers could access support through any preferred channel without disruption.
The assistant was trained using Airtel’s historical customer data, allowing it to quickly understand common queries related to data plans, account issues, and technical troubleshooting. It was also fine-tuned to respond in a tone that resonated with Airtel’s young, dynamic audience, ensuring a more engaging and relatable interaction.
In addition to handling routine inquiries, the assistant was designed to intelligently escalate more complex issues to human agents. It could identify situations requiring human intervention and seamlessly transfer these cases, ensuring a smooth handoff without losing context.
To keep pace with evolving customer needs, the AI assistant was set up for continuous learning. This meant it was regularly updated with new data, enabling it to improve accuracy and better understand newer issues. The solution was also designed to be scalable, ensuring that as Airtel’s subscriber base continued to grow, the assistant could handle increasing volumes of queries without compromising on response time or service quality.
The implementation process was quick, with PreneurLab’s team working alongside Airtel’s internal IT teams to ensure minimal disruption to the customer experience during deployment. Within a few months, the assistant was fully operational, delivering a consistent and unified experience across all of Airtel’s digital touchpoints.
Automation of Over 93%
Routine Queries
3x Increase In
Customer Engagement
82% Improvement in Service
Efficiency
Impact and Results:
Operational Efficiency Boost: The AI assistant automated 93% of common queries, resulting in an 82% improvement in overall service efficiency.
Increased Customer Satisfaction: The ability to offer instant responses, personalized recommendations, and human-like interaction increased satisfaction rates by 87%, with a marked improvement in Net Promoter Score (NPS).
Reduced Customer Churn: Personalized interactions and targeted service recommendations helped Airtel reduce its customer churn by 10% over the first year.
Cost Savings: By automating routine inquiries, Airtel cut down operational costs by 36%, without compromising service quality or speed.
Deeper Customer Engagement: With its friendly, relatable tone, the AI virtual assistant significantly improved customer engagement, leading to higher retention rates. Airtel reported a 3x increase in engagement through the AI assistant compared to traditional support channels.
Scalability for the Future: Capable of handling 7 million inquiries per year, the AI solution positioned Airtel to scale its operations without adding significant operational overhead, making it future-ready.
Data-Driven Insights: The AI assistant provided invaluable data on customer preferences and behavior, helping Airtel tailor its offerings and optimize marketing efforts.
Airtel’s collaboration with PreneurLab showcases how innovative AI technology can revolutionize customer service, ensuring not only operational efficiency but also deeper customer engagement. As Airtel continues to grow, the AI assistant remains an integral part of its strategy to connect and empower Bangladesh’s youth.
