SBI ventures into Artificial Intelligence, launches chatbot for customers’ assistance

Indian banking scenario
Robot and human hands almost touching - 3D render. A modern take on the famous Michelangelo painting in the Sistine Chapel; titled, "The Creation of Adam".

The biggest public sector lender in the country State Bank of India (SBI) has launched its own chatbot to handle queries pertaining to bank’s retail products.

This is first of its kind initiative taken by the bank in terms of Artificial Intelligence and has been named as SBI Intelligent Assistant (SIA).

The chatbot has been designed to answer customer inquiries in terms of home loans, education loans, car loans, personal loans, recurring deposits and term deposits. Chatbots are digital robots that can carry on a conversation through audio or text. Mrutyunjay Mahapatra, deputy MD and chief information officer at SBI, told FE that the decision to introduce a chatbot was taken as it was felt that navigating the website could be a bit of a task for a customer.

“The decision to introduce a chatbot was taken as it was felt that navigating the website could be a bit of a task for a customer,” said Mrutyunjay Mahapatra, Deputy Managing Director and Chief Information Officer at SBI.

“Most of the time, customer touchpoints with the bank are for three things — sales, service and enquiry,” Mahapatra said.adding, “We found that for enquiry and navigation, a customer has to navigate quite a bit or go to call centres, where the agent may not be fully

“We found that for enquiry and navigation, a customer has to navigate quite a bit or go to call centres, where the agent may not be fully knowledgeable,” he explained.The chatbot was developed by Allincall, a start-up backed by IIT Bombay, and uses machine learning and

The chatbot has been powered by Allincall, a start-up backed by IIT Bombay on behalf of SBI. It uses machine learning and bot experience to respond to the customer queries.

"Exciting news! Elets Banking & Finance Post is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest insights!" Click here!

Elets The Banking and Finance Post Magazine has carved out a niche for itself in the crowded market with exclusive & unique content. Get in-depth insights on trend-setting innovations & transformation in the BFSI sector. Best offers for Print + Digital issues! Subscribe here➔ www.eletsonline.com/subscription/

Get a chance to meet the Who's who of the Banking & Finance industry. Join Us for Upcoming Events and explore business opportunities. Like us on Facebook, connect with us on LinkedIn and follow us on Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest.