Amdocs’ GenAI Innovations

In an engaging conversation with Dataquest, Samit Banerjee, Division President of Cloud Operations Services & Head of Customer Service Unit at Amdocs, reveals how Generative AI is not just transforming telecom operations but also redefining customer service experiences. 

Imagine a world where your telecom service provider anticipates your needs, resolves issues almost before they arise, and personalizes your experience in ways you never thought possible. In this exclusive interview with Minu Sirsalewala, Executive Editor at Dataquest, Samit Banerjee shares how Amdocs is making this a reality. By leveraging the power of Generative AI, Amdocs is pioneering new solutions like bill-assist tools and intelligent customer interaction insights that address the evolving challenges of communication service providers (CSPs). Banerjee delves into how GenAI enhances operational efficiency and customer satisfaction, offering a glimpse into the future of telecom shaped by cutting-edge technology.

Can you elaborate on how GenAI-powered solutions like bill-assist and customer interaction insights are specifically tailored to address the current challenges faced by communication service providers (CSPs)?

GenAI-powered solutions like bill-assist and customer interaction insights are designed to help CSPs improve their customer experience, operational efficiency, and profitability. Bill-assist helps CSPs better solve customers’ billing-related inquiries and recommend alternative products or add-ons, increasing call deflection rates and reducing average handling time of assisted calls. Customer interaction insights leverage large language models (LLMs) and machine learning (ML) to generate summaries and insights from channel interactions, enriching customer profiles and providing highlights to customer service representatives. These solutions help CSPs reduce churn, increase sales, and boost customer satisfaction.

With the integration of GenAI into telecom operations, how have you observed changes in customer touchpoints, and what strategies have been implemented to optimize these interactions?

With the integration of GenAI into telecom operations, we have observed significant changes in customer touchpoints, such as chatbots, voice assistants, self-service portals, and social media. These touchpoints have become more personalized, relevant, and timely, providing customers with seamless and consistent experiences across all channels. Some of the strategies that have been implemented to optimize these interactions include using GenAI to generate natural and human-like responses, leveraging telco-specific data and taxonomy to ensure accuracy and context, and providing transparency and explainability in AI decision-making processes.

In what ways does the partnership between GenAI and Amdocs contribute to driving innovation and efficiency for telecom operators?

The partnership between GenAI and Amdocs contributes to driving innovation and efficiency for telecom operators by providing them with a purpose-built GenAI platform for telcos, amAIz, that offers a rapid, secure, and cost-effective approach for CSP GenAI journeys. amAIz features an open architecture, industry-standard APIs, and an expanding library of pre-built use cases that can overcome specific business challenges. amAIz also integrates GenAI capabilities throughout Amdocs’ portfolio, offering copilots that enhance the productivity of users and customers. Moreover, amAIz leverages the expertise and innovation of GenAI industry leaders like NVIDIA, Microsoft, and AWS, while maintaining compatibility with diverse GenAI foundation models.

With the evolving landscape of telecom services, how does Amdocs envision the future role of AI, particularly GenAI, in shaping the industry’s trajectory?

Amdocs envisions the future role of AI, particularly GenAI, as a key driver of transformation and differentiation in the telecom industry. GenAI holds the power to introduce transformative change in the communications industry – from simplifying the operations of networks to streamlining customer care interactions, and more. GenAI can help CSPs deliver superior customer experiences, optimize their operations, accelerate their innovation, and increase their profitability. GenAI can also help CSPs differentiate themselves from their competitors and create new value propositions and business models. Amdocs is committed to empowering CSPs to seamlessly integrate GenAI into their strategic portfolios and revolutionize industry practices.

Data security and privacy are paramount concerns, especially when dealing with sensitive telecom data. How does Amdocs address these concerns when implementing GenAI solutions for CSPs?

Amdocs addresses data security and privacy concerns when implementing GenAI solutions for CSPs by following robust encryption, data anonymization, and privacy compliance measures. Amdocs also adheres to responsible AI principles, ensuring fairness, inclusivity, and ethical guidelines in its AI models and algorithms. Amdocs also provides transparency and explainability in its AI decision-making processes, as well as audit and accountability mechanisms. Furthermore, Amdocs ensures data sovereignty and compliance with CSP-specific regulations by exclusively storing and accessing operator-specific data within the amAIz, CSP’s dedicated tenant.

Can you provide insights into how GenAI enables CSPs to adapt to market shifts and emerging technologies swiftly? Are there any examples of how GenAI has helped CSPs stay ahead of the curve?

GenAI enables CSPs to adapt to market shifts and emerging technologies swiftly by providing them with the ability to generate, understand, and optimize any type of content, code, or data, in any language, domain, or format. GenAI can also integrate seamlessly with any existing system, platform, or tool, and leverage any available data source, whether internal or external, structured or unstructured.

GenAI can also scale easily and efficiently to meet any demand, complexity, or volume, and provide high-quality and reliable outputs and outcomes. GenAI can also adapt and learn continuously from feedback, data, and results, and improve its performance and accuracy over time. GenAI can also enable collaboration and co-creation among human and machine agents and empower users to control and customize their experience and results.

Some examples of how GenAI has helped CSPs stay ahead of the curve include using GenAI to create personalized and relevant offers, recommendations, and promotions, leading to a contextually aware, guided sales process; using GenAI to predict and prevent churn, as well as to enhance customer loyalty and satisfaction; and using GenAI to automate and optimize their tasks, processes, and workflows, as well as to eliminate errors and inefficiencies.

Looking ahead, what developments or innovations can we expect to see from Amdocs in the realm of AI and data-driven solutions for telecom operators?

Looking ahead, we can expect to see Amdocs continue to lead the way in the realm of AI and data-driven solutions for telecom operators, by expanding its portfolio of GenAI use cases, copilots, and services, as well as by enhancing its amAIz platform with new features and capabilities. Amdocs will also continue to collaborate with its GenAI partners and customers to deliver cutting-edge solutions that address the evolving needs and challenges of the telecom industry. Amdocs will also continue to invest in research and development, as well as in talent and expertise, to stay at the forefront of AI and data innovation. 

Samit Banerjee

Division President, Cloud Operations Services & Head of Customer Service Unit, Amdocs

minus@cybermedia.co.in