#Japan #AI Agent #Shibuya #wevnal #BOTCHAN AICALL

Revolutionizing Call Centers: The Launch of BOTCHAN AICALL

The company Wevnal, headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, has announced the beta launch of its AI phone agent, "BOTCHAN AICALL", designed to streamline phone processes such as inquiries, cancellations, and changes. This innovative service is set to officially begin in September 2025 and will initially be introduced to five major companies: Oshima-ya, Orico Car Life, Men's Clear, Kenkō Kazoku, and Yashirome Gihei. These partnerships will allow for a collaborative evaluation of the service's effectiveness in solving call center challenges.

Addressing Call Center Challenges

The quality of response in call centers is crucial for customer satisfaction, yet it often heavily relies on the skills of individual operators. This reliance creates long-standing industry issues, particularly in the training and retention of talent. In fact, industry surveys indicate that approximately 30% of call centers face an annual turnover rate exceeding 30%, which is nearly double the national average across all sectors.

As employee retention poses significant challenges, the burden on operators increases, particularly for complex phone interactions that require extensive training and experience. To address this endemic issue of dependency on individual talents, Wevnal adopted an approach that transcends mere automation. The aim is to replicate the prowess of skilled operators within the AI framework, ensuring that high-quality customer service is accessible to anyone, at any time.

What is BOTCHAN AICALL?

"BOTCHAN AICALL" is designed to automate high-quality phone interactions by training AI models on the expertise of seasoned operators. Utilizing the Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, the AI facilitates natural conversations while interfacing in real time with back-end systems. This enables personalized responses tailored to individual customers, handling complex procedures like cancellations or course changes instantly, 24/7. By doing so, it strikes a balance between delivering premium customer experiences and reducing operational costs, effectively positioning itself as an ideal operator.

Key Features of BOTCHAN AICALL

• - Natural Dialogue Generation: The AI deeply comprehends customers' intentions and contexts, generating natural conversations akin to seasoned operators, thereby guiding inquiries to resolution effortlessly.
• - Templates for Immediate Use: With readily available templates for prevalent tasks like plan changes and cancellation requests, businesses can significantly reduce training costs. The intuitive GUI allows for the quick customization of workflows.
• - Real-Time Integration: The system integrates seamlessly with existing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools through real-time APIs, providing personalized responses informed by customer data, and reflecting response outcomes instantaneously.

The POC Initiative

The Proof of Concept (POC) initiative for "BOTCHAN AICALL" aims to validate its functionalities and impact within real operational environments, enhancing the product's value ahead of the official launch. Starting from September 2025, the POC will assess:

• - The rate of automation achieved in specific tasks
• - The reduction in operation hours for human operators
• - The effect on customer satisfaction
• - Identifying challenges encountered during deployment

Participating partner companies include Oshima-ya, Orico Car Life, Men's Clear, NR, and Yashirome Gihei, among others.

Comments from Industry Leaders

Kenji Kajitani, a representative from POSTS, shares his confidence in the project, drawn from his experience in supporting Wevnal. He notes the superior quality of the AI's dialogue capability compared to existing Japanese voice conversation technologies, coupled with its seamless integration with core systems.

As companies strive for effective customer communication, high-quality interactions have become a critical asset for enterprises. Given its potential to deliver a seamless customer experience akin to human interactions at any time, BOTCHAN AICALL stands poised to be a game-changing service for many businesses, ultimately transforming consumer communication in Japan.

Tomoki Morikawa, Wevnal's director of BOTCHAN AICALL, reflects on the collaborative effort with industry leaders to implement the service effectively. He envisions BOTCHAN AICALL not just as automation but as a means to enhance the quality of customer experiences and streamline call center operations overall.

Looking Ahead

As Wevnal prepares to launch BOTCHAN AICALL, the company looks forward to shaping the future of customer service in Japan. For those interested in the service, an opportunity to join a waiting list for early access is available on their official website: BOTCHAN AICALL Service Site.

Company Background

• - Name: Wevnal, Inc.
• - Location: 1-23-23 Ebisu Square 7F, Ebisu, Shibuya, Tokyo
• - CEO: Hirofumi Isoyama
• - Business: Development and provision of the BX (Brand Experience) platform "BOTCHAN"
• - Established: April 2011