A chatbot without the ‘garrrrgh!’

​CB: Hello, I am a chatbot. How can I assist you today?​

You: I’ve got a quick question about roaming charges.​

CB: I can help with that. Please select an option.​

You: My option isn’t there.​

CB: Passing you to an agent.​

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Customer service should feel good, even if one half of the conversation is AI. So we used our first-hand experiences to give Vodafone’s TOBi some humanity.​

Putting TOBi to the test​

We workshopped conversation flows with the Vodafone team, immersing ourselves in the customer experience, so we knew the challenges TOBi had to tackle. ​

What makes TOBi tick?​

If he was going to feel even a little human, TOBi would need a personality. So we created a persona, including age, personal style and tastes. That way we could create a refreshingly real and trustworthy voice. ​

A global team of TOBis

​To help Vodafone’s teams write like TOBi, we created guidelines based on our ‘Three Laws of Chatbotics’, packing it with examples to show his tone in action. We also left room for different global markets to write in the best way for their culture. ​

Now customers across the world can chat to a bot who feels a little more like them. And get their questions answered without even the hint of a fist clench.​

What did the people have to say?

“It’s a much more engaging dialogue; it’s similar to the experience you’d have with a member of staff in a contact centre or in store.” ​ - Jon Davies, Head of digital, Vodafone