CVS has over 9,000 locations across the country.Image: NurPhoto / Contributor (Getty Images)
Next time you call CVS’s customer service line you may be greeted by an AI-powered virtual agent.
AI is set to play a major role in CVS Health’s efforts to improve the pharmacy experience, the company’s chief technology officer Tilak Mandadi told the Wall Street Journal in an interview.
Mandadi said that customers want an “accurate real-time status of their order,” flexibility, and their questions answered quickly.
One way CVS plans to meet these demands is to move away from “annoying” menu-based options that asks customers to press different numbers when they call customer service.
“Instead, you will just say what you are calling about, and AI will respond if it can answer the question,” Mandadi said. “If it can’t, AI will immediately put you through to a live agent.”
He added that the company also plans to rollout a new app later this year that is designed for self-service, eliminating the need for most customers to reach out to a pharmacist or call center.
Customers will be able to get their questions answered by a voice or text-based AI chat bot.
CVS has not said when exactly it plans to launch its new app or add AI capabilities to its customer service line.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Quartz.
The improvement come as CVS has struggled to boost profit and is grappling with a shortage of pharmacists.
CVS’s net income in the first quarter of the year fell 47% to $1.1 billion year over year, down from $2.1 billion.
CVS has over 9,000 pharmacy locations across the country.
{Categories} _Category: Takes{/Categories}
{URL}https://qz.com/cvs-pharmacy-ai-call-1851603749{/URL}
{Author}Bruce Gil{/Author}
{Image}https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fill,h_675,pg_1,q_80,w_1200/dc029e14683d415845f2dd3dfceb0b86.jpg{/Image}
{Keywords}cvs,wall street journal,business finance,cvs pharmacy,cvs health,tilak mandadi,woonsocket rhode island{/Keywords}
{Source}POV{/Source}
{Thumb}https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_80,w_636/dc029e14683d415845f2dd3dfceb0b86.jpg{/Thumb}