JAKARTA, Indonesia, Nov. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — In its recent regional digitalisation transformation initiative, PT Asuransi Tokio Marine Indonesia (“TMI”) partnered with WIZ.AI, the ASEAN Voice AI leader, to launch its conversational voice AI Talkbot.

As one of the largest general insurers in Indonesia, TMI has a strong commitment to put customer satisfaction as main priority, guided by its core mission “To be a Good Company”. Combining the efficiency of self-serve solutions and the warmth of human engagements, the Talkbots have improved TMI’s Customer Satisfaction Score across the board.

Mr. Sancoyo Setiabudi, President Director of TMI, commented: “The digital age arrives with a set of big communication challenges for conventional communication strategies. It is important for us to find innovative, efficient and interactive ways to handle mass communication with our customers and partners. I believe this implementation will help us to provide more services to existing customers and proactively approach potential customers.”

The Talkbot is indistinguishable from a human call centre agent, with over 95% of callers not being able to tell the difference. It incorporates AI techniques, such as pauses, intent recognition and varying pitch and tone to interact with the customer in a natural human-like manner. It is also backed by their proprietary Natural Language Processing and Natural Language Understanding technologies, which enable the Talkbot to understand and speak several different ASEAN languages.

WIZ.AI Talkbots work closely with TMI’s human agents and only calls that have been identified to require more of a human touch will be channelled to a human agent. This cultivates a more agile contact centre, which boost TMI’s service capability and labour efficiency.

“I believe customer service should be accessible, human-like, warm and most importantly hyper-personalized. By working closely with TMI, we have pushed the boundaries of human-AI collaboration to provide a better customer experience,” said Jennifer Zhang, CEO and Founder of WIZ.AI.

About Tokio Marine Group

Tokio Marine was established in the year 1879 as the first insurance company in Japan and has grown over the decades, now offering an extensive selection of General and Life insurance products and solutions in 46 countries and regions worldwide.

About WIZ.AI

WIZ.AI is a fast-growing start-up specializing in providing humanistic AI conversational solutions to transform customer service. The company is headquartered in Singapore and with market presence in Indonesia, Philippines and China.

Source: Tokio Marine Asia

SINGAPORE, 25 February 2021 – Carro, Southeast Asia’s largest automotive marketplace, continues to enhance its digital infrastructure and capabilities to lead the transformation of Southeast Asia’s automotive industry for the benefit of car owners. The company has developed an automotive Talkbots module powered by WIZ A.I. to hyper-personalise Carro’s engagements with customers who are looking to sell their vehicles.  

TalkBots, or conversational voice artificial intelligence, are several orders of magnitude more complex compared to your everyday virtual assistants on your phone or laptop. Powered by WIZ A.I. proprietary artificial intelligence framework, it allows the caller to interact with the Talkbot using natural spoken language, offering a truly authentic human-like conversational experience. The Talkbot listens, understands and speaks several different ASEAN languages with localised accents, it even incorporates human-like actions such as pauses, clarification statements and chasing statements. They are so realistic that over 95% of callers can’t tell the difference between a TalkBot and a human agent.  

Launched in December 2020, the TalkBots were first deployed in Indonesia as part of a regional rollout.  Since its deployment, the Talkbots have engaged with over 20,000 potential leads that the local call centre operation would not otherwise have addressed. The Talkbots were able to handle almost four times the volume of calls as compared to a human agent, with a similar customer response rate. Additionally, TalkBots can handle the entire conversation for the vast majority of calls, and customers regularly thank the TalkBots once when the call concludes.

The ability to address a high volume of leads ultimately led to a significant increase in additional transactions, giving Carro an edge over its competitors in accessing a greater portion of the Indonesian market. “Southeast Asia’s automotive sector is in the thick of a digital revolution. While Carro has undertaken many industry firsts over the past few years, COVID-19 catalysed our drive to better engage with our customers through multiple avenues,” said Aaron Tan, CEO & Founder of Carro. “Carro will continue to invest in innovative technologies, and work with like-minded ecosystem players to benefit car owners.”

Carro has launched Talkbots in Indonesia and will extend it to Singapore and Malaysia to turbocharge growth within the region’s automotive industry. The service will be continuously updated and improved to enhance the customer experience and engagement.

“We believe that voice is the new great frontier of customer engagement since digital. By working closely with Carro, we both have grown tremendously, pushing the boundaries together, to provide a better customer experience,” said Jennifer Zhang, CEO and Founder of WIZ.AI. “It is the caller experience that sets our conversational voice AI Talkbots light years ahead of the competition. They are practically indistinguishable from a human agent, it understands natural spoken language and provides an authentic human experience by incorporating the unique nuances of language present in different communities.”

How Carro is leading the AI-driven digitalisation of Southeast Asia’s auto industry

This AI-powered voice bot signifies the latest step in the firm’s drive to transform the traditional auto retail experience across the region.

Carro currently offers Southeast Asia’s first contactless car purchasing service in Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand which allows customers to browse cars on Carro’s website at their convenience. All subsequent interactions – including Carro’s proprietary 150-point vehicle inspection – are powered by the company’s platform and pricing algorithms. 

In Malaysia, Carro is pioneering more industry-firsts across the region. Its subsidiary myTukar recently deployed an autonomous Car Defect Detection and Car Plate Masking system. Leveraging on AI, computer vision and machine learning, this innovation can detect car defects within three seconds, thereby helping to automate and standardise the often-lengthy car inspection process. Carro will soon extend this technology to Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand.

As a company that offers a full-stack service for all aspects of car ownership, Carro understands that transforming the industry must go beyond sales and purchases; it must also improve drivers’ experience with the typically burdensome ownership process. 

Their usage-based insurance offering uses AI and data science to assess driver behaviour and distance travelled. This enables Carro to provide customised insurance premiums that better reflect the way they drive, especially when considering current movement restrictions.

Source: Carro Press Release 

The Emerge X Program sits within Microsoft’s Highway to a 100 Unicorns initiative, which discovers and nurtures high potential technology startups & grows the ecosystem in emerging markets across APAC

SINGAPORE, 7 December 2020 – Four startups from Vietnam, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Singapore are winners at Microsoft’s inaugural Emerge X Regional Pitching Competition in Asia Pacific:

1. Abivin from Vietnam: An AI-powered platform that optimizes supply chains across multiple sectors by solving the vehicle routing problem
2. Lifetrack Medical Systems in the Philippines and Singapore: A cloud-based platform that provides affordable access to medical imaging in emerging markets
3. Agrithmics from Sri Lanka: A cloud-based solution that enriches the agri-industry by digitizing the farm to factory supply chain and connecting farmers and buyers
4. Milky Way AI, from Singapore: An AI-powered smart retail solution leveraging image recognition technology to help retailers manage shelf inventory and maximize sales

“For Asia Pacific to remain at the forefront of global transformation, it takes disruptors, visionaries, and futurists. There are no limits to what people can achieve when the world and technology reflect the diversity of everyone who uses it. Which is why at Microsoft, we build technology so that others can create technology, and to be successful we all need to come together,” said Andrea Della Mattea, President, Microsoft Asia Pacific. “Through the Highway to a 100 Unicorns and our Emerge X program, we aim to help startups on the road to innovation, where they can meet unarticulated needs of the industry and help businesses become resilient.”

“Singapore is known as Asia’s technology capital and the ongoing pandemic has presented new opportunities for the startup scene. As the ecosystem continues to grow, it is essential that we nurture local startups to fuel the growth of new ideas and impactful innovations. This year, we are thrilled to recognize talent from our shores coming from industries like healthcare, retail and financial services under the Microsoft Highway to a 100 Unicorns initiative and Emerge X program. We look forward to helping these startups succeed, by providing them with the latest resources and capabilities that will enable them to translate ideas into market-ready solutions.” Kevin Wo, Managing Director of Microsoft Singapore.

Growing the Startup Ecosystem in Emerging Markets across APAC

The Emerge X Program is part of Microsoft’s Highway to a 100 Unicorns initiative, which was launched in Asia Pacific in October 2020 after overwhelming success in India. Microsoft engaged with more than 70 prominent startup ecosystem players and governments across 16 countries, who then nominated more than 300 of their most promising for the program.

The 16 countries engaged in the program are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.

79 startups were selected to join the Microsoft Emerge X program, including Accredify, Bambu, JobKred, Lifetrack Medical Systems, Milky Way AI, Sentient.io, Tookitaki and Wiz.Ai from Singapore. As an Emerge X startup, they will participate in a year-long mentorship program with Microsoft for Startups which is designed to help them scale and accelerate their growth. They will also receive GitHub and Azure credits, have the opportunity to attend a Founder Bootcamp for 3 days, gain access to enterprise clients globally through Microsoft’s unique co-sell program, and interact with Microsoft experts and industry stalwarts.

Of these, 21 of the Emerge X startups pitched their ideas at the Emerge X Regional Pitching Competition, held at the Philippine Startup Week 2020, with Abivin, Lifetrack Medical Systems, Agrithmics and Milky Way AI identified as the top startups in the whole region. They were selected by a jury of leading investors and startup ecosystem leaders, including investors from BOV Capital, Cradle, Monk’s Hill Ventures, Movac, M12, SBK Tech Ventures, Sequoia, Vista Consulting Group, and 54i Ventures, and ecosystem leaders from GitHub and Target Accelerator.

Details on the top four startups can be found in APPENDIX A, and a full list of Emerge X startups and jury members at the Philippine Startup Week 2020 can be found in APPENDIX B.

Highway to a 100 Unicorns at the Singapore Week of Innovation & Technology 2020

Microsoft’s Highway to a 100 Unicorns Regional APAC Event will be held at Singapore Week of Innovation & Technology (SWITCH) 2020 on 9 December, from 2pm-4pm. At that session, industry leaders from Microsoft and their partners will discuss the opportunities ahead and how to manage the challenges startups could face in APAC. The top four Emerge X startups will share their founding stories and how they have leveraged technology to solve some of the key challenges faced by business owners across different industry sectors.

Said Peter Ong, Chairman of Enterprise Singapore, who is organizing SWITCH, “We are happy that Microsoft has chosen to launch its inaugural Highway to a 100 Unicorns Regional APAC Event in Singapore. Culminating at SWITCH after its mentorship program and pitching competition, we see great synergies in bringing together the region’s most innovative and ambitious startups to network with our diverse line-up of speakers and participants. We look forward to strengthening our partnership with Microsoft to provide a vibrant and conducive ecosystem for the development of innovative startups.”

About Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

APPENDIX A

Abivin: Optimizing Supply Chains

Established in 2015, Abivin’s AI-powered solution helps manufacturers, distributors, retailers, transporters, logistics service providers and container freight operators tackle the challenges of logistics execution and solve the vehicle routing problem, resulting in up to 30% savings.

“When we applied to be a part of the Highway to a 100 Unicorns, our objective was to connect and learn from Microsoft, industry experts and other startups across the Asia Pacific. It has been a valuable experience and we are both surprised and proud to be selected as one of the top four startups in the region,” said Cassie Nguyen, COO and Co-founder, Abivin.

Lifetrack Medical Systems: Providing Affordable Access to Medical Imaging

Lifetrack Medical Systems was started in 2011 to rethink how radiology software could be distributed and made accessible, especially in the challenging conditions of emerging markets. Via its LifeSys™ platform, over 1.7 million patients in 12 different countries have been diagnosed.

“Microsoft’s Emerge X competition has given Lifetrack a platform to share the work we have been doing to improve affordable access to medical imaging with our partners and stakeholders around the world. We are excited to join the Highway to a 100 Unicorns and looking forward to partnering with Microsoft to drive innovation forward in the region for the benefit of all,” said Dr. Eric Schulze, CEO and Founder, Lifetrack Medical Systems.

Agrithmics: Digitizing the Farm to Factory Supply Chain

Agrithmics was founded in 2016 to enrich the agri-industry in Sri Lanka and connect small hold farmers to agri-buyers, eliminating pilferage by middlemen and providing more access to cash and credit. More than 40,000 registered farmers are now using AgriX – an IOT-enabled and cloud-based procurement solution – and Agri-Pay Transaction Switch to conduct their transactions, with more than100 million kg of raw tea leaves transacted via its platforms in the last three years.

“The journey with Emerge X has been fantastic for us. It was a great opportunity to meet several regional startups and learn about their innovative ideas. Agrithmics is excited to be part of the Highway to a 100 Unicorns and I am confident we will be able to reach greater heights with Microsoft,” said Prashanth Premakumar, CEO and Founder, Agrithmics.

Milky Way AI: Helping Retailers Maximize Sales

Founded in 2019, Milky Way AI’s Instashelf platform utilizes image recognition technology to help retailers and brands better manage shelf inventory by automating the stocktaking process. It is used by major retailers and brands in four countries and has helped merchandising teams increase their in-store productivity.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Microsoft in digitizing physical retail with Computer Vision and AI, delivering innovative omni-channel customer experiences and augmenting the largest workforce globally,” said Eunice Wong, CEO and Co-founder, Milky Way AI.

APPENDIX B

Emerge X Program Startups

Startups in italics participated in the Emerge X Regional Pitching Competition at PH Startup Week 2020

• Bangladesh: Alice Labs, Loop, PriyoShop, Sigmind.ai
• Bhutan: DrukRide, One Click Shop
• Cambodia: Peth Yoeung
• Indonesia: Crowde, GREDU, Kiddo.id, Konvergen AI, Neurosensum, Ritase, Tjetak
• Malaysia: Alpha Red Services, Betacard, Leaderonomics Digital, Naluri Hidup, OrangeFIN Asia, SalesCandy, Setel, Softinn Solutions, Soft Solvers Solutions, Supplycart.my, Talentcloud.ai
• Maldives: FahiPay
• Myanmar: Better HR, Expa.ai, Karzo Co., Village Link
• Nepal: Digital Age Nepal, The Secured ID, Tootle
• New Zealand: Book Me Bob, Projectworks, Showcase Workshop, Storbie, Vibe.fyi
• Philippines: Aiah, ChatGenie, Edukasyon, Expedock, Frontlearners Inc., Investagrams, Lifetrack Medical Systems, Omnirio, Packetworx, Rumarocket, Tangere, Qwikwire
• Singapore: Accredify, Bambu, JobKred, Lifetrack Medical Systems, Milky Way AI, Sentient.io, Tookitaki, Wiz.Ai
• Sri Lanka: Agrithmics, DirectPay, Eimsky, Enhanzer, InsureMe, OMAK, Roar Global, SIXER VIDEO
• Thailand: AltoTech, Bizcuit, ENRES, FilmDoo, Finema, Jabjai Corporation, PUUN Intelligent, Ricult, Robolingo, Vonder, ZTRUS
• Vietnam: Abivin, Base.vn, House3D

Emerge X Regional Pitching Competition Jury

• Prajeeth Balasubramaniam, Managing General Partner, BOV Capital
• Kishan Nadarajah, Principal, BOV Capital
• Juliana Jan, Chief Investment Officer, Cradle
• Eunice Wong, Investment Associate, Monk’s Hill Ventures
• Cassie McAdams, Investment & Community Manager, Movac
• Abhi K, Partner, India Head, M12
• Farhan Rahman, Strategic Development Specialist, SBK Tech Ventures
• Pieter Kemps, Principal, Sequoia
• Bala Girisaballa, Managing Director, APAC, Vista Consulting Group
• Dipta Shah, Founding Partner, 54i Ventures
• Maneesh Sharma, Country Manager, GitHub
• Ravi Kanniganti, Director & Head, Target Accelerator India

This article was Published on Microsoft’s Singapore News Center