TELUS & Local Measure partner to launch AI-powered messaging tool

TELUS International and Local Measure, an Australian AWS Partner and cloud contact centre platform, have collaborated to launch TELUS Expert Messaging. The new generative AI-powered asynchronous messaging tool aims to eliminate the wait times commonly associated with traditional phone and live chat queues, providing flexible two-way interactions for customers.

TELUS Expert Messaging allows customers to access human support at their convenience. Users can start, pause, and resume conversations easily, receiving a notification when an expert has responded. This approach offers a significant enhancement over traditional methods by eliminating wait times due to its always-on, self-serve functionality and the high-quality, personalised resolutions it provides.

Jonathan Barouch, CEO and Founder of Local Measure, expressed satisfaction with the partnership, stating, "Together, we've reimagined the service experience for TELUS, providing an intuitively designed, single-pane-of-glass and incorporating GenAI-powered agent assistance to boost efficiency across all modern communication channels. With the addition of our asynchronous messaging capability, TELUS can now provide even more efficient and seamless interactions for its customers, setting a new standard in customer service."

The TELUS Expert Messaging tool is built using Engage by Local Measure, an intelligent, pre-built cloud contact centre platform built on Amazon Web Services (AWS). Engage integrates with Amazon Connect to combine customer communications, Amazon Bedrock, and machine learning into a single interface. This configuration aims to improve customer interactions and provide a personalised omnichannel experience.

Pasquale DeMaio, Vice President of Amazon Connect at AWS, highlighted the benefits of using Amazon Connect for TELUS Expert Messaging. "Amazon Connect is built to help non-technical business leaders or experienced administrators instantly and easily optimise the customer experience in just a few clicks, and we are proud to enable TELUS Expert Messaging in this area. We share TELUS vision to deliver more personalised, efficient, and proactive experiences across the channels customers prefer," he said.

Zainul Mawji, Executive Vice President and President of TELUS Consumer Solutions, emphasised the partnership's role in delivering innovative customer-first solutions. "TELUS continues to advance innovative customer-first solutions tailored to meeting our customers where, when and how they want, and our partners at TELUS International and WillowTree are instrumental in this effort. This partnership has introduced a first-class messaging system expertly blending AI efficiency with the best of personalised human support," he said.

Tobias Dengel, President of WillowTree, a TELUS International Company, pointed out the strategic importance of generative AI-fuelled solutions in today's market. "To succeed on a sustainable basis in today's competitive market, brands constantly need to find new ways to meet both their customers and their business needs. Generative AI-fuelled solutions are key to making this possible by enhancing first contact resolution, reducing handling times driving operational efficiencies and adding or improving customer channels," he stated.

Monty Hamilton, Chief Product and Marketing Officer at TELUS International, spoke about the company's responsible approach to combining human support and technology. "As the AI-fuelled customer experience partner of choice, our responsible approach combines the best of human support and technology to solve our clients more pressing challenges. Our knowledge and expertise in the field of AI are cumulative. We are constantly learning and growing from the challenges we face," he said.

Asynchronous messaging systems like TELUS Expert Messaging are built upon strong data privacy and ethical standards. The system incorporates Privacy by Design principles and undergoes extensive risk mitigation testing to protect user data and ensure ongoing security and trustworthiness.

TELUS Expert Messaging is currently available in English, with a French version set to launch on the My TELUS app in the fourth quarter. This development marks a significant step in TELUS's journey towards a fully digital and cloud-native organisation, continuing its longstanding collaboration with TELUS International to enhance customer and employee experiences.