When people think of GenAI, ChatGPT often comes to mind, but limiting the technology to chatbots is a mistake, according to a Verizon executive. Pranay Bajpai, VP of Digital and Assisted Experience Systems at Verizon, emphasized that GenAI is much broader than just conversational tools. He explained that Verizon is initially using AI in its call centers, rather than focusing on GenAI chatbots.
Verizon’s call centers, located in the Philippines, India, South Africa, and Romania, face high staff turnover, which causes the company to lose valuable institutional knowledge about call center processes. Bajpai highlighted that AI helps address this by managing and preserving best practices for handling calls, transcription, and routing.
One key improvement is the use of AI to route calls to the most suitable agents, which has significantly enhanced call resolution rates. AI also provides real-time transcription and a “personal research assistant” for agents, allowing them to access relevant data during calls without having to manually search for it.
Bajpai noted that Verizon’s AI initiatives aren’t about immediate cost savings but about boosting productivity and staff performance. “I call it ROAI,” he joked, blending the terms return on investment (ROI) and AI.
An analyst pointed out that Verizon’s approach reflects a sensible strategy. Leonard Lee, from neXt Curve, mentioned that starting with low-risk AI applications, such as Level 1 call center support, is logical. He also noted that while GenAI adoption in network management is slow and cautious, there is growing interest in exploring its potential in network security and other areas.
