Salesforce targets telco gains with new agentic AI tools

Salesforce has announced a range of new AI agents designed specifically for telecommunications operators.

The Agentforce for Communications service offers sector-specific AI agents, including pre-built options aimed at helping automate tasks and reduce manual labor for staff.

These include a dedicated Service Level Objective (SLO) Insights Agent, which assists teams troubleshooting customer service queries on fiber uptime and repairs, for example.

The agent can compare real-time network usage, according to Salesforce, providing staff with a “breakdown of compliance trends and root causes of failures”.

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Salesforce said this will enable teams to shift from a reactive service model to a proactive one of “data-driven assurance”.

Other agents touted by Salesforce include:

• A billing resolution agent for customer service staff
• A quoting agent for sales representatives
• A site grouping agent for assistance on large-scale deals
• A guided selling agent for field representatives

Organizations such as One NZ and Lumen have already used the new agentic AI tools, so far recording notable benefits, including time savings for staff.

"Our AI assistant uses real-time data to handle everything from balance inquiries to plan switches, resulting in a 4x increase in engagement over traditional digital and physical channels," said Summer Collins, chief AI and data director at One NZ.

Ryan Asdourian, EVP and CMO, Lumen Technologies, said AI agents have helped the company save “more than 300 hours of productivity for our teams every week”.

Tackling telecoms challenges

Salesforce said the launch of the new sector-specific agents come amidst a period of intense modernization for the telecoms industry, which is facing a “revenue paradox”.

“Telcos have spent years investing in massive 5G infrastructure and digital experience projects only to discover that they barely preserved the revenue they already had,” the CRM giant said in an announcement.

Industry growth is expected to slow to 2.9% by 2029, raising concerns about long-term revenue stagnation.

Salesforce thinks the answer to that question lies in automation by equipping teams with AI solutions aimed at reducing manual toil for staff and streamlining customer service operations.

Notably, the custom agents launched as part of the service have “deep context into the customer” as they’ve been trained on internal data held by telecoms operators. This includes data on service and billing history, for example.

“Agentforce for Communications’ industry-specific agents are customized specifically for the telecom industry, built on almost three decades of industry expertise,” the company said.

David Fan, senior vice president and general manager for communication at Salesforce, said the aim is to help telecom operators “work smarter by connecting every part of their business” within Agentforce.

“Whether it’s resolving billing disputes, managing subscriptions, or accelerating complex B2B quotes, we’re enabling telecom companies to compete in the AI era by improving efficiency, driving growth and freeing teams to focus on what matters most,” he said.

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