Four out of ten workers expect that their work could be partially taken over by artificial intelligence. But how justified is that fear? De Volkskrant took a look at Vanad Interactions.

 

In April, Vanad Interactions begins the rollout of voicebot Vera: first at a telecom company, then at a charging station manufacturer. Vanad Interactions CEO Lenhard Los demonstrated the latter use case to the Volkskrant.

Los expects the deployment of technology, such as that used in voicebots, to lead to a two-thirds reduction in customer service employees within three years.

De Volkskrant used a recent study by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) as an opportunity for a visit to Vanad. According to that CBS study, 41 percent of workers believe that AI can partially take over their work. Half of the workforce is also concerned about this.

Offshoring and technology

Los outlines how companies handle customer contact when they have millions of passengers, policyholders, or subscribers. The focus is on cost savings: offshoring and the use of AI go hand in hand. Employees are supported in their work by AI – for example, by Archie, the chatbot from Vanad Interactions – or AI handles a portion of the conversations independently.

Los also points out that many companies “find it daunting to start with AI, because they are afraid that consumers are not ready for it yet. That is why we are starting to experiment outside of business hours, so consumers better understand that they are not getting a human on the line. It also helps if we get more used to talking with ChatGPT later on.”

De Volkskrant also refers to the call made last autumn by the Authority for Consumers and Markets and the Dutch Data Protection Authority. In a opinion piece In the FD, the regulators stated that they are receiving an increasing number of complaints from consumers who no longer see a human being due to chatbots and do not feel helped. This violates consumer law, the regulators write, and therefore human contact must remain possible.

The use of AI is also leading to new roles at Vanad Interactions, such as a quality coach who reviews messages that chatbot Archie couldn't answer. Ultimately, the call center will increasingly become a tech company, Los believes. “And that also calls for more technical people. (…) But of course, that customer service representative will remain important for escalating matters or for customers who really want to speak to a human.”

The article also refers to examples of, among others ING, where AI is currently being deployed for, among other things, personalized marketing, compliance, and in contact centers, where chatbot Ida supports customers with banking matters. With this, the banking sector is taking the next step in the automation that began when 'telebanking' emerged 40 years ago. “We have increasingly become a tech company,” says the ING spokesperson. “By now, a third of our staff consists of engineers.”

(Volkskrant)

Knowledge partners, Technology Vanad Interactions