Safaricom has introduced Zuri, an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot assistant available on Telegram and Facebook Messenger.
Sylvia Mulinge, chief customer officer, on Tuesday said Zuri will enable the more than 17 million mobile data subscribers to perform a wide range of tasks.
They include managing subscription services including viewing subscriptions and unsubscribing from chargeable SMS services.
Other queries that Zuri can handle include M-PESA reversals, buying bundles, airtime top-up and checking Mpesa and airtime balances.
"We are continually working to provide the best experience to our customers by investing in technology and products that are designed to give them more choice and control," Mulinge said.
"Zuri will add to the already existing self-care options we have including USSD and mySafaricom app. Using AI, Zuri will be able to constantly evolve and learn from the interactions it has with customers in order to provide accurate responses," she added.
The Chatbot also contains a 'how to section' where customers can find more information about retrieving their PUK number, unlocking their M-PESA account and how to get a loan.
In an effort to reduce the number of calls to their call centres, last year the telco launched Safaricom Jitambulishe which is a voice bio-metrics identification system.
Jitambulishe allows customers to use their voices for authentication before accessing assisted services such as resetting their M-PESA PIN and PUK requests.
