Business Report :
As Gen AI continues to break new grounds in our lives, Robi has found a way to harness its power to provide a personalized customer care service for the customers. This Gen AI powered personalized customer care has emerged as the key strategic tool for Robi to keep nearly 56.5 million of its customers satisfied.
Traditionally, providing truly personalized customer care was a challenge, especially considering wait times. While the average waiting time at Robi’s call center is impressively low at just 4 seconds in line with industry standards, it can rise to 4-5 minutes during peak hours. At Robi’s Walk-In Centers (WICs), the average wait time is around 3 minutes. However, with the introduction of a Generative AI-powered chatbot, Robi can now provide customized support at scale-something that seemed impossible, previously.
This breakthrough, however, wasn’t born overnight. It’s the result of years of steady evolution. Robi first ventured into chatbot-based customer service via Facebook Messenger in 2018. Then amid the Covid lockdowns in 2020, it became the first telecom operator in the country to offer WhatsApp-based chatbot services. These early bots were rule-based-suitable for simple tasks like recharges or pack activations-but as customer expectations grew, so did the complexity of their queries, says a press release.
Recognizing the need for a more sophisticated solution, Robi transitioned to a Generative AI chatbot in January 2025-a leap from scripted responses to intelligent, contextual conversations. Available on Messenger, WhatsApp, and Robi’s website, the new chatbot allows users to experience a radically more intuitive and human-like interaction.
Unlike traditional AI systems that operate on fixed rules, Generative AI understands context, generates dynamic, human-like responses, and adapts to users’ inputs. It can remember the flow of a conversation, respond with empathy, and even escalate issues to a live agent-whenever it fails to serve a query.
Rahatul Mahmud, Manager of All Digital Channel Operations under Customer Experience, reflects on the journey behind building Robi’s Generative AI chatbot:
“Building our Generative AI chatbot wasn’t just about upgrading tech – it was about reimagining how we care for our customers. We simplified journeys, enriched user experiences, and learned something new every day. It was a blend of curiosity, empathy, and innovation – making sure every interaction felt human, helpful, and meaningful.”
What truly sets Robi’s Generative AI chatbot apart is its proactive assistance. For instance, if a customer is looking for a data pack, the chatbot doesn’t just list all available options. Instead, it curates recommendations based on the customer’s preferences for price, volume, and validity, and suggests the next best option as well.
Robi’s new Generative AI chatbot goes beyond simple yes-or-no responses by proactively delivering complete, contextual information tailored to the customer’s intent.
For example, when a user asks, “Is roaming available in Malaysia?”, instead of just confirming availability like traditional rule-based bots, the Gen AI chatbot responds with a comprehensive answer, by confirming roaming availability, providing step-by-step roaming activation instructions, detailing applicable roaming charges, and recommending relevant roaming bundles.
Since its launch in January 2025, the chatbot has been handling an average of 1.2 million monthly interactions, and serving over 100k users every month with intelligent, context-aware assistance and curated recommendations. Since the system is constantly learning from each interaction, its performance and understanding will only improve over time.
Adapting the AI to the local context was crucial. While the model was initially built in English language, it required extensive training to understand the cultural and linguistic nuances of Bangla language. As S. M Towhidul Islam Tonmoy, Senior Associate of Robi AI & Data Science team, reflects, “In the process of teaching AI the Bangla language, I realized how rich and expressive our language is for facilitating deep, contextual conversations. Working with AI has brought me closer to my own cultural roots.”
As the chatbot continues to evolve, Robi is already exploring new frontiers. Voicebots are in development, and work is underway to launch a Generative AI-powered Agent Assistant-designed to enhance the performance of Robi’s human agents by providing real-time, intelligent support.
But the most immediate advancement is just around the corner. Robi plans to integrate the chatbot into its self-care apps-My Robi and My Airtel apps. Once live, over 20 million active app users will gain seamless access to AI-powered customer service, empowering customers exponentially. With the increasing digitalization of society, it’s only a matter of time before self-care apps become the primary channel for telecom customer service.
As Robi’s Chief Commercial Officer, Shihab Ahmad, aptly summarizes:
“This isn’t just a chatbot upgrade. It reflects a fundamental shift in how Robi approaches customer service. We’re not just building bots that talk like humans-we’re building systems that listen like humans. Because real service begins with compassionate listening.”
