LONDON (Reuters) – Ikea is training its call center workers to become interior design advisers as the Swedish furniture giant wants to offer more home improvement services and entrust Billie with routine customer questions. a robot with artificial intelligence (AI).
In April, Ikea expanded its interior design services to Britain and the United States, after launching them in parts of Europe, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere. In Britain, customers pay 25 pounds (29.10 euros) for a 45-60 minute video call of interior design advice and a list of suggested products, and can pay 125 pounds for three consultations on the workspace layout, floor plan and 3D images.
Ingka Group, which owns the majority of Ikea stores, says it has trained 8,500 call center workers as interior design advisers since 2021, while Billie has handled 47% of customer inquiries to call centers. calls over the past two years.
“We are committed to strengthening the employability of colleagues within Ingka, through lifelong learning and development and reskilling, and to accelerating the creation of new jobs,” said Ulrika Biesert , global head of human resources and culture within the Ingka group.
Asked if the increased use of AI is likely to lead to downsizing in the company, Ulrika Biesert replied: “That is not what we are currently seeing.”
(Report Helen Reid, Augustin Turpin, edited by Kate Entringer)
Copyright © 2023 Thomson Reuters
I have over 8 years of experience working in the news industry. I have worked as a reporter, editor, and now managing editor at 247 News Agency. I am responsible for the day-to-day operations of the news website and overseeing all of the content that is published. I also write a column for the website, covering mostly market news.
