In April, Verizon's CEO of its consumer group, Sowmyanarayan Sampath, missed a cryptic attachment to his Side LinkedIn: “Project 624. Everything for the client. Soon.” And then … nothing more about it. To date.
We now know that 624 represents the date, June 24, and the project is an ambitious customer service program, designed so that subscribers can solve problems by contacting Verizon only once. And yes, AI is turned on, but don't flip your eyes yet.
Sampat has made changes to the customer experience that live in live details of the 624 call. These changes include a team dedicated to satisfying customers in their first call (called the customer champion team) and improvements to the Myverizon application that stimulates the technology of Google Gemini AI. There are also extended hours of live client agents and 24/7 live chat and greater print at physical verizon stores. The company will also offer more perks and gifts.
In An open letter Leaving the new Customer Service Initiative of the carrier published today, the CEO of the Consumer Group also included a direct address for E -SO, s.sampath@verizon.comfor clients to contact him.
But before we got into the specifics of what's new, I wondered if today's announcements were a direct reaction to the latest quarter in which the company Lost nearly 300,000 customers In the first quarter of 2025. Does the carrier increase customer service to win multiple subscribers?
“It's a very fair question,” Sampat said. “The answer is quite straight: every first quarter we lose customers, that's the seasonality of business. So this has nothing to do with our first quarter of business. This has to do with the two three -year transformations we are in the middle.”
He explained that improving customer experience is the next step after his earlier efforts to renew Verizon's sales infrastructure and price plans.
Verizon may be the first carrier that AI has received in its customer service platforms, but is not the only one to think about. Last September, T-Mobile announced that it was Partnership with Openai To include a new offer of artificial intelligence to help customers start sometime in 2025. Whether the verizon system will rise depends on what is in the store to help subscribers answer their basic questions.
Utilizing AI to create customer champions
The customer service for each industry is difficult, but it is complemented by large mobile players such as Verizon that provide connection to millions of clients across large parts of the field and technology hardware. And since phones have gained immense importance in our lives, if something is wrong with someone's connection to the outside world, it can increase frustration.
“I have a lot of -customers are a lot every day, and they are not beautiful,” Sampat said. He estimates that 80% of the time, clients solve their problem on the first call. About 15% should call again, maybe twice. “The last 5% go to an accident loop, and they are the most dissatisfied. It's a very rough journey for them. We see it, and it's not fair for them.”
To try to avoid that loop, Verizon launches its so -called. A customer champion team that uses Verizon-Accepted Implementation of Google Gemini 2.0 Models for Call processing, identifying solutions and keeping the client updated throughout the entire resolution process. It is an approach inherited from the systems that Verizon used for its enterprise customers.
“We have been doing this for several months in a pilot (programs) and 90% of the time we are solving problems for the first time,” he said. As the program continues, he hopes to get that number to 95 or 96%.
The new version of the My Verizon application includes AI -based support improvements.
Google Gemini is also an important part of the My Verizon app update. Assistant Verizon with AI is built with entry from Google Engineers and built -in Verizon context. As a practical example, technology can allow Verizon to deal with problems proactively.
“If your phone is lost in transit, I know it because Fedex told me it didn't deliver,” he said. “Why do you need to call me and tell me that your phone is lost?”
In that case, Verizon uses AI to identify the problem, automatically open the case and return to the client with a plan to solve it. Sampat explained that Verizon essentially creates a small linguistic model for each case and compared it to the models of large languages (LLM) that have greater visibility in the industry right now. Small, compaction models have no general knowledge of life.
“I don't need to know what the Romans did,” he said. “I need to know why my account has grown. And we go ahead and do just that.”
However, LLMS is not always known for their accuracy. Sampat said that a year and a half ago they watched a 30% -40% error rate, but it now improved to “well north of 90% accuracy. And when it's false, it's just mildly inaccurate because of the way we do. We don't get crazy answers to (that).”
Expanding live support in live and foot storage
With this increase in the use of AI to deal with client problems, I naturally wanted to know if it would adversely affect Verizon employees. If the Verizon twin pattern can handle most requirements, does it take people out of the loop and turn off the payroll?
“We used AI to basically remove the cognitive workload from our employees so they can direct their range and space for better listening to customers,” Sampat said. “This is the right way to go. Watch, if I have to take out costs, there are simpler ways to do it. I don't have to deploy AI and the whole complexity that goes with it. And for us, AI is to solve the problem.”
As part of this new customer support initiative, Verizon is expanding its live support options in several ways. Representatives will be available from 9am to midnight (local time) by phone calls, expanded from 8 am to 9 pm, and during the rest of the clock through live chat.
“(Things) happen when you least expect it, and I don't want to wait until the morning, because things can change,” he said.
Shop in Verizon in Newouort
The network of Physical Verizon stores is also playing part, because “we want to be in your community,” Sampat said. He noted that Verizon is attributed to retail experience, adding about 400 new stores in recent years and plans to continue to expand the foot of the company from brick and mortar.
Verizon Awards Platform
In today's environment of mobile providers, Perks has become powerful incentives, with carriers offering conventional accessories such as streaming services and services In flight wi-fi to the assortment of gifts at T-Mobile on Tuesday. On this front, Sampat made a point of distinguishing Verizon's bids from the match.
“Look, we don't give you $ 3 from the little Caesar pizza … You don't get a lot of popcorn versus middle popcorn. I'm sure it's good value in that,” he said. “We give you things for baskets that you can do,” citing examples such as NHL Games Tickets, Katie Perry and Beyoncé concerts.
From today until June 30, Verizon awards 35,000 free awards in drops of its Verizon access program, “everything from tickets to devices and a bunch of other things to maintain our loyalty.”