LG Uplus (032640.KS) plans to build an "AI-native contact center" with no customer waiting time by 2030. The company aims to combine its call center operating expertise with artificial intelligence technology to improve consultation quality and grow AI Contact Center (AICC) revenue by more than 50% annually.
LG Uplus held a press briefing on the 30th at the LG Gasan Digital Center in Seoul's Geumcheon District, where it unveiled its AICC business strategy and the results of applying the technology at its customer centers. Ahn Hyung-kyun, head of the enterprise AI business group at LG Uplus, said AICC competitiveness depends less on the technology itself than on how quickly customer responses can be translated into service improvements. "We will support the AI transformation of corporate clients and develop the AICC business into a core growth pillar of our enterprise AX business by 2030," the executive said.
LG Uplus first applied AI at 17 customer centers nationwide, which handle tens of millions of consultations a year, then refined the technology based on actual consultation data and customer responses. After deploying AI call bots and chatbots, an AI consultation adviser and automated consultation quality assessment, the wait time to reach an agent fell about 90% to five seconds this year from 47 seconds two years earlier. Consultation time was cut 16% over the same period. About 8 million customer inquiries a year are now handled through AI call bots and chatbots. The time freed up by AI is reinvested in improving consultation quality. Customers aged 65 and older are served first by human agents, while hearing-impaired customers are connected to sign language agents, part of a system tailored to specific customer needs.
AI also assists agents in real time while they handle calls. The system analyzes the conversation between the customer and the agent and displays relevant products, policies and suggested responses on the agent's monitor. After the call, AI analyzes the exchange to identify the agent's strengths and areas for improvement. The ultimate goal of the service is a consultation system with no waiting. Under the plan, AI will analyze a customer's past consultation history and subscription details to present the information they need before they ask.
LG Uplus also set a target of 200 billion won ($143 million) in AICC-related revenue by 2030 by applying the model to other markets. According to market research firm Allied Market Research, South Korea's AICC market is projected to grow to $350.88 million in 2030 from $42.14 million in 2020, or about 58.1 billion won.
