INTERVIEW: Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots require further development before they are ready to take on significant customer service duties, UK MVNO GiffGaff believes.

CCO Kim Faura (pictured) told Mobile World Live the operator already puts its customers (called members) at the heart of its care strategy and currently sees little benefit to deploying AI or chatbots instead.

“We don’t have call centres; we incentivise members to help other members out in our forum” and via social media, Faura explained. The approach underpinned GiffGaff’s approach from day one, and today the MVNO is reaping the benefit both in terms of matching growing expectations regarding customer service and informing the digital strategy of parent Telefonica.`

“Having started digital first, it does serve as an example of what’s achievable,” Faura said, adding: “I suppose we’ve been used as a role model of digitalisation” for Telefonica Group as a whole.

GiffGaff’s members typically resolve queries in around 90 seconds. The MVNO also encourages members to submit ideas for service development and usually implements one such idea every four-and-a-half days: “our members sometimes know about GiffGaff better than we do,” Faura noted.

The CCO said GiffGaff is not resistant to new technologies including AI and chatbots, but will only implement them once it is clear the operator “can deliver an even better experience” than today.

During the interview, Faura explained how consumers’ expectations regarding quality of service are increasingly based on their experience with leading digital companies including Amazon and Netflix; touched on the MVNO’s device strategy; and outlined how GiffGaff is evolving its tariffs to match changing member demands.

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