BIZ BUZZ: Meet ‘Ria’

Abiotiz-led Union Bank of the Philippines is training a new agent to handle customer service.

We can’t really say whether or not she’s a beauty, but she certainly has brains. She is multilingual and can work tirelessly 24/7. She can handle multiple clients all at the same time.

Her name is Ria, which stands for “responsive intelligent agent”. She will soon make her debut as UnionBank’s voice artificial intelligence (AI) and customer service agent.

“Very soon, calling our contact center will be a much more pleasant and convenient experience. No more long wait times, available 24/7. If you need anything addressed, you can be assured that your next call to our customer service will be a breeze,” Rene Aguirre, UnionBank senior vice president for digital experience and business development, said in a recent press chat.

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For stuff that this AI agent can’t handle, Ria will turn over the concerns to a human agent.

“If you could see the themes here, it’s really about solving for customer pain points, listening to our customers and providing solutions, whether it’s in making customer service more convenient, making payments more seamless, easy and secure or making the onboarding process simple and easier,” Aguirre said.