KT announced that it has upgraded the ‘AI Voicebot’ features of ‘KT AICEN’ for the customer service center at Chung-Ang University Hospital to assist in the scheduling of new patient appointments. KT AICEN is a service combining KT’s AICC (Artificial Intelligence Contact Center) solution with cloud capabilities.

Through precise analysis of customer inquiry patterns, KT and Chung-Ang University Hospital developed the AI voicebot ‘AI Nuri-bot,’ which has been implemented since September of last year for managing patients’ appointment schedules. With this functionality upgrade, the hospital will be the first in the country to offer new appointment scheduling starting this month.

Previously, the AI Nuri-bot only managed existing appointment schedules, including confirmations, modifications, and cancellations through consultations. With the new appointment scheduling capability added, patients can now book appointments without time restrictions, and elderly individuals who may not be familiar with digital interfaces such as chatbots or visual ARS can easily make appointments over a voice call.

For example, when a customer calls the hospital’s customer service center and completes identity verification by stating “ENT appointment” or “sinus disease examination,” the AI Nuri-bot will quickly provide available appointment slots and proceed with the booking.

Since the introduction of the AI Nuri-bot service, approximately 100,000 customers have utilized it, yielding positive effects. The response rate to customer inquiries has increased by about 10% compared to before the service was implemented, and the average waiting time for consultations has been reduced from 30 seconds to approximately 7 seconds, a decrease of around 77%.

To shorten the verification process during calls, customers are now required to only input a 6-digit birthdate, which has decreased the call abandonment rate by about 14%. Additionally, by utilizing frequently used words and inquiry data from customers, the recognition rate for AI consultations has improved to around 92%.

For this purpose, KT is continuously improving the AI voicebot’s performance by collecting conversation data from the customer service center operated by KTis and analyzing call records. Particularly, KT focuses on enhancing the trustworthiness of the system by thoroughly testing VUX (Voice User Experience) to ensure consistent tone and manner while ensuring that customers do not experience discomfort during calls.

Meanwhile, based on AICEN capabilities, KT is currently providing AI consultation solutions to various sectors, including healthcare, finance, and public institutions, aiming to integrate sophisticated AI technology throughout the operations of customer centers.

Im Mi-hee, head of the AI Platform Business Division at KT’s Strategy and New Business Division, stated, “Through proactive collaboration with Chung-Ang University Hospital, we have achieved positive effects from the implementation of KT’s AI voicebot,” and “We aim to lead the domestic AICC market by combining KT’s differentiated AICT capabilities with KTis’s expertise in managing customer service operations in hospitals and the healthcare sector.”

Jin Sang, daedusj@autodiary.kr