Banks use robots as customer service staff

No matter how extraordinary a human being is, they still need to rest, while robots can work continuously, without stopping until they... break down. That's why one of Sweden's largest banks uses robots for its customer service.

Any customer of the Swedish bank SEB can now ask questions related to financial matters and SEB services to the customer care robot Aida.

Aida is essentially a cyber-robot that holds a wealth of personal data about customers, and is therefore capable of directly answering any questions or requests customers have about SEB products and services. The robot was designed with a female voice, as research has shown that customers feel more comfortable hearing female staff voices.

"There are some simple tasks that we have to solve manually on a regular basis. Aida is one of the products that helps us apply artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce this burden," explained the CEO of SEB bank.

However, for more complex tasks, such as offering a mortgage or credit package that best suits a customer’s needs and conditions, SEB still has to use flesh and blood employees. Aida’s presence will essentially be to perform simple tasks to help free up time for employees at the bank.

Last year, SEB also introduced another virtual assistant called Amelia. Instead of assisting customers with traditional transactional needs, this cyberbot works professionally alongside flesh-and-blood bank employees and provides internal technology support.

“Digital agents will change the way banks manage their business and provide a platform for new services,” said Chetan Dube, director of development firm Amelia.

In Amelia's first three weeks on the job, the bot conducted more than 4,000 conversations with 700 bank employees and resolved the majority of issues without delay.

Virtual assistants are becoming increasingly popular in Sweden, where the closure of bank branches outside of business hours has led to a 20% drop in customer satisfaction. Swedbank is using Nina, a female virtual assistant who allows customers to ask questions and get answers about the financial services that best suit them.

Nordea Bank also recently introduced a virtual assistant called Nova to its payroll department. In the future, the bank plans to train and develop Nova to help customers invest, open accounts, and block lost credit cards.

According to VNN