UPS launches customer service "chatbot" – DC Velocity

Application uses artificial intelligence to learn human grammar, respond to spoken questions. Transport and logistics giant UPS Inc. is turning to artificial intelligence to better communicate with its customers, beginning with a "chatbot"--or chat robot--platform it launched on Monday. Customers who have package-tracking questions or want to find a nearby UPS Store can send a text message to the chatbot, and its computer algorithms will recognize keywords and generate an appropriate response, UPS said. Users can access the tool through the Facebook Messenger, Skype, or Amazon platforms, which means that fans of Amazon's voice-operated "Alexa" application can hold spoken conversations with the UPS chatbot instead of typing. Atlanta-based UPS currently fields questions from customers through its mobile app, website, toll free phone number, email, and "LiveChat," options, all of which rely on human operators to field questions.