Ikea's "Billie" chatbot handles nearly half of call center interactions
The efficiency gain here is only part of the story. Perhaps more interesting is that the focus seems to be not on reducing headcount but rather on increasing availability of design consulting services. In the last two years, more than 8,500 call center employees have been re-trained to serve as interior design advisors.
IKEA is providing training to call center employees to transform them into interior design advisors.
The initiative by the Swedish furniture giant is aimed at expanding its range of home improvement services while delegating routine customer inquiries to an artificial intelligence (AI) bot named Billie, Reuters reported.
In April, IKEA extended its interior design services to the United Kingdom and the United States, following successful launches in various regions across Europe, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, and other locations, per the report. In the U.K., customers can avail themselves of a 45-minute to 60-minute interior design advice video call along with a recommended product list for a fee of 25 pounds (about $32). Additionally, they can choose three workspace design consultations, a floorplan and 3D visuals for 125 pounds (about $159).
Since 2021, IKEA franchisee Ingka has successfully trained 8,500 call center workers to serve as interior design advisers, according to the report. During the same period, Billie, introduced in the same year and named after IKEA’s popular Billy bookcase series, has effectively managed 47% of customer queries directed to the call centers over the past two years.
“We’re committed to strengthening co-workers’ employability in Ingka through lifelong learning and development and reskilling, and to accelerate the creation of new jobs,” Ingka Group Global People and Culture Manager Ulrika Biesert told Reuters.
The shift follows IKEA’s announcement in 2022 of the launch of its IKEA Kreative experiential tool, which offers customers a free method to digitally design appealing and functional living spaces.
“As the needs and dreams of our customers and society continue to evolve, so must we,” Ellen Monnelly, corporate public relations specialist at Ingka Group, told PYMNTS at the time of the announcement. “We are innovating and transforming our business to become even more affordable, accessible and people- and planet-positive.”
Full story over at PYMNTS
