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Softbank-backed Meesho has made a significant move in the e-commerce space by introducing what it claims to be the first GenAI-powered voice bot among Indian e-commerce firms. This innovative solution aims to enhance customer support while also cutting down expenses by a substantial 75%. GenAI, or generative AI, involves training models on extensive data to generate and parse content, specifically in the form of the human voice.

Revolutionize Customer Support with Meesho's GenAI Voice Bot

Customer Support on a New Level

The Bengaluru-based e-commerce startup, Meesho, which has over 160 million customers in India, with 80% in smaller cities and towns, has been focusing heavily on customer support. Currently, its AI bot handles an impressive 60,000 customer calls daily in English and Hindi. With plans to add support for six more Indian languages, Meesho is expanding its reach. Sanjeev Barnwal, co-founder and chief technology officer, emphasizes the importance of getting customer support right to create the best experience for users. 1: Meesho has chosen to combine existing large language models (LLMs) with custom-built components that understand local context and language nuances. This approach allows them to provide efficient customer support without building their own LLM. As Barnwal explains, the off-the-shelf LLMs available are already performing well in Hindi and English. 2: In a demo, it became evident that the system had to overcome several technical hurdles. Voice quality is crucial as many users have low-end smartphones and are in noisy environments like on busy streets. The bot has been engineered to reduce latency and filter out street noise while maintaining natural-sounding conversations.

Cost Savings and Query Resolution

Meesho has achieved significant cost savings through the AI bot. By reducing per-call expenses by 75%, the company is able to allocate resources more efficiently. Additionally, the bot has a remarkable 95% query resolution rate, with only 5% of calls requiring human intervention. This not only saves time but also improves customer satisfaction by 10%. 1: The e-commerce firm, which recently generated positive cash flow, is leveraging this technology to offer round-the-clock customer support. This ensures that customers can get assistance at any time, enhancing their overall shopping experience. 2: Meesho also mentioned that the voice bot has reduced the average customer call handling time by half. This allows the company to handle a larger volume of calls and provide faster responses to customers.

Human Agents and Policy Guidelines

While the AI bot is highly efficient, Meesho is clear that it is not meant to replace human agents. Instead, human agents are redirected to handle more complex queries and offer seller support. Another challenge is ensuring that the AI sticks to strict guidelines about policies like returns and refunds. Meesho is working on maintaining the balance between automation and human interaction to provide the best service. 1: This approach recognizes the value of human expertise in handling certain situations and ensures that customers receive personalized assistance when needed. 2: By combining the capabilities of AI and human agents, Meesho is able to offer a comprehensive customer support system that meets the diverse needs of its customers.The rollout of Meesho's GenAI-powered voice bot highlights India's tech companies' race to deploy AI for increased efficiency. As Hemant Mohapatra from Lightspeed mentioned, building foundational models requires significant talent, and companies are focusing on playing the wars they are capable of winning. Meesho's success with this initiative sets an example for others in the industry.