Air India launched the smart chatbot AI.g, previously known as “Maharaja”, in May 2023. Since its launch, the robot has handled around two million inquiries, dealing with 93 percent of customer queries without the need to transfer them to call center agents, according to Satya Ramaswamy, the digital and technology executive of Air India. The robot currently operates in four languages – English, German, French, and Hindi, with plans to add more Indian languages in the future.
The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by Air India has had a significant impact on the volume of customer service center communications for the company. Technological integration and AI technologies have contributed to reducing costs by a factor of 100, as stated by a senior executive at the company on Wednesday.
Ramaswamy spoke at the “Salesforce World Tour Essentials India” event in Mumbai on this matter.
Ramaswamy said, “It is evident that this causes a lot of disruption, but we do not believe that call center agents will disappear entirely. There are many complex scenarios where there is currently a need for call center agents. We have achieved about an 80 percent first-call resolution rate today, and much of this can be attributed to Salesforce’s expertise in integrating multiple systems specific to Air India.”
Air India receives 555,000 calls monthly to its call centers. The company has been able to improve the performance of call centers with the help of Salesforce software technology. The number of passengers has doubled over two years, but the number of call centers has not increased proportionally with this growth.
Arundhati Bhattacharya, CEO and Chairperson of Salesforce India, said in her keynote address: “Artificial Intelligence will enhance each one of you, your organizations, and the solutions Salesforce provides to you. It has the ability to improve your productivity, increase profit margins, and create better customer relationships. Our survey of company executives in India indicates that 94 percent believe this will indeed happen.”
It appears that Air India’s achievement in reducing call center costs using artificial intelligence is proceeding in the manner predicted by Mr. Krishivasan, the General Manager and CEO of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
