#Japan #Tokyo #Tokio Marine #AVITA #Talktice

AVITA and Tokio Marine's Innovative AI Strategy

AVITA Inc., headquartered in Meguro, Tokyo, has teamed up with Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. to tackle a pressing issue in the corporate world today: customer harassment, often referred to as 'kasuhara' in Japan. As this ongoing partnership unfolds, companies can expect new tools and training mechanisms to be implemented by September 2026, particularly through the introduction of a new AI avatar role-playing service named 'Talktice'. This service aims to guide corporate efforts in managing customer interactions, especially in demanding situations.

The Rising Challenge of Customer Harassment

The increase in unreasonable demands and inappropriate behavior from customers is becoming a significant management problem for organizations. In light of the revised Labor Policy Comprehensive Promotion Law, which takes effect on October 1, 2026, all businesses are required to implement measures against customer harassment. This legal obligation heightens the necessity for firms to not only protect their employees but also establish effective response systems to handle incidents of harassment.

However, during real-world situations, employees often find themselves unsure of when customer behavior escalates to harassment, or how to react appropriately. Traditional training methods, primarily based on theoretical learning, often fall short in providing practical skills and insights for addressing such challenges. Acknowledging this gap and the upcoming legal changes, Tokio Marine has developed the Talktice service utilizing AVITA's AI role-play technology.

Talktice: A New Approach to Training

Talktice is an innovative platform allowing users to engage in simulated customer interactions via conversational AI avatars. This facilitates repeated role-playing scenarios mimicking potential harassment situations. Participants interact with AI customer avatars, honing their response skills while receiving evaluation and feedback from the AI post-training. The management dashboard offers insights into employees’ training progress and proficiency, enabling continuous improvement in training method implementation and adherence.

With a voice model that authentically replicates typical customer harassment scenarios, training feels significantly more realistic than before. Standard scenarios derived from various industries are already integrated into the platform, enabling immediate use upon onboarding. Moreover, the service visualizes segments of conversations where harassment-specific behaviors appear, delivering pinpointed feedback to users, focusing on both areas of improvement as well as showcasing effective responses.

Additionally, companies can customize their training by developing unique scenarios that cater to their specific needs, thereby enhancing conversational skill sets across sales, customer service, call centers, and beyond.

Future Directions and Potential Impact

AVITA aspires to continue collaborating with partners across diverse sectors, including finance, retail, government, education, and healthcare, to tailor AI services that align with corporate challenges and requirements. The partnership is designed to advance training and communication quality across various industries, making significant contributions to professional development.

Talktice also aligns with AVITA's foundational AI role-play service, 'Abatore,' which enables personnel to engage with avatars for practice without any logistical burdens. The AI-driven evaluations after each role-play allow users to track their skill development autonomously. Leveraging metrics such as training completion rates and evaluation scores, organizations can identify individual areas needing attention and optimize their training strategies based on these insights. This systemic approach not only reduces variability in training evaluations by managers or educators but also helps establish a shared repository of coaching know-how within the organization.

As businesses navigate through the implications of customer harassment laws and the expectations to protect employees effectively, AVITA’s and Tokio Marine's groundbreaking initiative becomes a vital resource in striving for excellence in customer service.

Company Backgrounds

Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd.

• - Leader: Hiroaki Kido, President and Representative Director
• - Location: 2-6-4 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
• - Website: Tokio Marine

AVITA Inc.

• - Leader: Hiroshi Ishiguro, President and CEO
• - Location: 1-8-1 Shimomeguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo
• - Services: Focus on avatar and AI service development, including customer service support and AI training solutions.
• - Website: AVITA