PLDT pioneers AI-powered customer care with WIZ.AI’s voice AI solution on Azure

Setting up effective and compliant infrastructure

In September 2022, ePLDT and WIZ.AI worked together to develop and deploy 35 talkbots that handle payment collection, reduce churn rate, and help customer retention. “We’re proud to be the first telecommunications provider in the country that is leading the way in using voice AI to offer better customer service,” says Blanco.

The solution was integrated into ePLDT’s cloud contact center as a service (CCaaS) offering, backed by an Azure Stack Hub which is locally hosted in the ePLDT VITRO data center. WIZ.AI oversaw the application services and customizations while ePLDT managed the required infrastructure, including virtual machines and firewalls. In addition, ePLDT also ensures that the integration of WIZ.AI Talkbots into CCaaS will result in optimal connectivity for PLDT.

For Blanco, ensuring that the project would spark the upskilling of PLDT employees was essential. With this mindset, an internal team led the initiative, from understanding how to work with AI to deploying and managing daily operations. “Our call operators are no longer just making the call but also managing the talkbots doing the callout,” she explains. “Through working on this project, they’ve increased their knowledge of the AI bot and learned the terms that allow them to communicate smoothly with the technical team.”

Amplifying operational bandwidth

Over the first six months, the talkbots conducted 3.7 million outgoing communications with minimal supervision, the bulk of which were routine reminders. One year in, PLDT is seeing outstanding results.

“The talkbots added two more hours of call time into the day, which increased our productivity by 33 percent,” says Blanco. “The calls are even concluded quicker—the handling time for most calls are cut in half, from an average of six minutes to three minutes.”

The bots follow a standard script guaranteeing quicker and more consistent calls. Any updates or changes are incorporated by simply uploading a new script. With each call, the voice AI adapts, according to Blanco. “Similar to a person, the talkbot learns with each interaction. Every week, with each new conversation, we add to its knowledge base.”

PLDT was also able to increase revenue generated from collections by increasing contact rates with customers. “The net benefits of this initiative, resulting from the boost in efficiency, are a reduction in manual callouts by 15 percent and a higher collections rate,” says Blanco.