Verizon is giving its customer service a technical facelift with a fresh rollout of its My Verizon app, now outfitted with a chatbot powered by Google’s Gemini AI. This new AI assistant helps tackle typical account tasks—think billing questions, upgrades, and new lines—aiming to free up human reps for more complicated inquiries. And for those not sold on chatting with a machine, Verizon makes it easy to switch to a live person anytime. It’s automation with a human escape hatch.
To keep the bot on script, Verizon worked with Google to build small, customized language models designed specifically for telecom tasks. According to the company, these efforts are paying off: the AI assistant is reportedly achieving more than 90% task accuracy with minimal errors—a solid stat in customer service terms, where one wrong bill explanation can trigger a PR firestorm.
But Verizon isn’t going totally bot-crazy. Enter the “Customer Champion,” a human rep geared up with Gemini and Google Cloud AI tools to solve thornier problems. These champions will provide one-touch resolution support with follow-ups via app notifications, texts, or even a good old-fashioned phone call. Add in expanded service hours and 24/7 chat support, and Verizon seems serious about minimizing “Please hold” purgatory.
Read more at The Verge.