Mobile Operator Spusu UK Commits Not to Use AI Chatbots

Mobile provider spusu, which hold a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) agreement via BTWholesale to harness EE’s UK network, has committed to only “using human customer service agents“. The pledge follows in the wake of VOXI’s decision (here) to introduce a ChatGPT (LLM) based AI chatbot to help “transform its customer services“.

Currently, spusu’s customer service methods include WhatsApp, Signal, email and direct telephone – all supported by human customer service agents and that’s the way they intend it to stay. Spusu highlights a recent study from Forbes to support this, which claimed that after just one negative experience with a chatbot, 30% of customers would switch to another brand. But whether or not they actually did isn’t clarified.

The provider “guarantees its customers will only ever speak to one of its human agents“, who they say will aim to answer calls within ten seconds, in line with the company’s customer service standards. Its customer service team is based in-house, who respond to enquiries seven days a week, between 8am and 8pm on weekdays, and 9am until 5pm on weekends.

Christian Banhans, UK MD of spusu, said:

“There’s no denying that AI uptake has been profound in the customer service space. We understand that it’s a hugely valuable tool, helping businesses save money and time having to onboard agents. But right now, we believe spusu can deliver the most efficient and accurate customer service through traditional methods of human-to-human interaction.

To our current and future customers, we want to reaffirm that all enquiries are responded to and managed by spusu’s dedicated customer service team using your preferred contact channel. Our customer feedback shows that our current methods of communication and response are appreciated and well received. We don’t need to fix something that’s not broken”.

On the flip side, Vodafone’s sibling VOXI remains adamant that their new LLM generative AI chatbot “will improve the customer experience by engaging in human-like interactions and managing more sophisticated customer requests“. No doubt if it works it’ll also enable them to cut costs too, like jobs.