An official statement by the Austrian-based mobile operator, Spusu, affirmed its commitment to continue delivering customer service through human agents. It dismissed the idea of integrating AI services for customer support. “We want to reaffirm that all inquiries are managed and addressed by Spusu’s dedicated customer service team, using the client’s preferred channel” said Christian Banhans, the UK Managing Director of Spusu. He reiterated the company’s confidence in the existing methods of communication, stating, “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.”
Spusu made an entry into the market in Austria back in 2015 and has since expanded its footprint to the UK, leveraging an MVNO agreement via BT Wholesale to make use of EE’s UK network. This move was announced in June of the previous year, helping Spusu to gain a foothold in the UK market.
Asserting Spusu’s core business values, Christian further said, “we’re proud to put accessibility and simplicity at the heart of everything we do and are thrilled to bring our friendly approach to business to the UK.” He also highlighted that customers would gain access to cost-effective plans and their award-winning customer service.
In contrast to Spusu’s approach, other telecom operators, such as Vodafone, are exploring AI-based customer service enhancements. It was announced recently that Vodafone became the first UK operator to launch a large language model (LLM) chatbot for its VOXI customers. This novel technology, developed in collaboration with Accenture UK, aims to improve user experience.
Mark Farbrace, Accenture’s UK Generative AI Lead, stated, “VOXI is using generative AI to fundamentally reinvent its business. The customer experience is only the start of how this technology can be adopted at scale across the organization.”
Despite the rising trend of AI integration in customer service, Spusu’s decision to stick with human-operated customer service may resonate with those who prefer personal interactions and direct conversations over automated responses. After all, the best technology may not always provide the most human experience. Whether its decision will stand the test of time, only time will tell.
