Latest news with #GauravAgrawal
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Companies shift to human and AI approach for customer service
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Online platforms have been rapidly automating customer service using artificial intelligence to cut costs. Customers often get a drop-down list of options that does not address their query. Often, the cause of the call is not covered in the options,Simply put, most customers miss the human conducted a survey to understand the issues customers face when engaging with chatbots. Most complained that it either took time to resolve their queries or their issues were left to the survey, about 60% of the respondents who use major ecommerce and quick commerce platforms said that they would prefer talking to humans over AI chatbots for their order queries. About 20% said they were okay with chat bots. Over 75% of the respondents rated their AI support experience 3 or less on a scale of to industry experts, poor customer service, especially in the quick delivery segment, could push users away.'Customer service in segments such as food is very critical because of the urgency and need for accuracy,' said Naman Lahoty, partner at venture capital fund Stellaris Venture Partners . 'In a lifestyle category, the urgency to resolve a query is not as much.''Chatbots have been around for a long time now but most of them are extremely robotic and customers miss the human touch,' said Gaurav Agrawal, chief business officer of Exotel, which provides AI services to platforms such as Amazon, Flipkart and Meesho , quick commerce apps Instamart and Blinkit, and many new-age brands have all automated their customer support services for level 1 queries — usually on order details, status and frequently asked questions. For these brands, using bots at the first level is a practical approach, not just because it is cost-effective, but because of the sheer size of their user platforms that process millions of orders per day, it is pragmatic to automate repetitive customer service tasks to manage the volume of enquiries, especially during festive periods. Take ride-hailing platform Uber , for example. It handles millions of support requests annually across more than 15,000 cities and in over 50 languages.'If a platform's normal volume is 1,000 calls per day, during the Rakhi or Diwali season it could go up to 3,000 calls per day due to more orders,' explains Kopal Gupta, head of AI Labs & Velocity Pay at Velocity AI . 'Typically, companies will not hire people for just these phases, and customers could get a delay in response."According to industry experts, while automating customer service for repetitive questions or level 1 queries increases efficiency, human interaction is essential at level 2 and level 3 because of the complexity of the address this challenge, platforms and brands are increasingly experimenting with AI usage in their support system and hiring customer care executives who are AI India has been experimenting with AI-powered customer care to improve its service. 'I think we are starting to get a lot deeper into it,' said Samir Kumar, country manager for Amazon India, in a conversation with ET.'A chatbot is almost a commodity, right? But it's not about that. It's about whether we can use some of these tools to really make a difference for our customers because their interaction with AI has to be somewhat personal,' said Kumar. 'If customers have some challenges with service, I would rather have them talk to a person who can solve their problem.'Brands and platforms are slowly moving to generative AI chatbots trained on existing data on the platform as well as AI agents in vernacular languages to bring back the human element, according to Exotel's has been using technology to automate customer interactions for FAQs, fare adjustments, refunds and more and now it is using generative AI. "We are using Generative AI to further increase our coverage and improve conversational experiences to delight our customers," said Jayaram Valliyur, senior director of engineering, Velocity AI recently launched an AI-powered customer service platform called Vani AI. In just about three months from launch, over 80 direct-to-consumer brands have integrated Vani AI into their AI is an AI-enabled voice chatbot that can speak fluently in English, Hindi and other regional languages to help solve payment-related problems, OTP issues, return and exchange scheduling calls and more with the platform Meesho has a generative AI-powered voice bot that supports Hindi and English and distinguishes between casual affirmations such as 'yes', 'ji' and 'okay'. The bot had achieved 10% higher Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) scores, as of November for the human workforce in the segment has picked up in the past year while companies are focusing on making their AI chatbots better and adding AI the post-Covid world, between 2020 and 2021, job postings in the sector surged by 498%, and jobseeker interest rose by 1,400% as companies ramped up digital support, according to Bengaluru-based staffing company Quess Later, in 2022-2023, job postings in the customer care space fell 73.5% and candidate interest also dropped by 64.5% as offices started opening and repetitive work started getting automated in the in 2024-2025, hiring is picking up again, but with a shift in focus. 'India's BPO sector added 700,000 new jobs in the last year alone,' said Kapil Joshi, chief executive of IT hiring and staffing at Quess. 'We're seeing demand rise for digitally skilled customer support agents — those who can work alongside AI tools to manage complex, non-scripted queries.'Take Flipkart, for instance. While the platform is automating its customer care services, it is hiring for the segment with an AI focus.'Even as the customer experience landscape evolves, key competencies required in the customer support workforce are emotional intelligence and technical adaptiveness combined with learning agility,' said a Flipkart spokesperson, in response to ET's queries. 'Our focus is on developing adaptable talent that can rapidly respond to changing multi-modal needs of our customers and manage omnichannel support (voice/chat) seamlessly.'
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Jodhpur changes I-Day venue due to rising groundwater levels
Jodhpur: For the first time in recent memory, the traditional venue for Independence Day celebrations in Jodhpur has become unfit for use due to rising groundwater levels, forcing the district administration to relocate this year's festivities. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The Maharaja Umaid Singh Stadium, which has hosted the event for years, has been plagued by significant waterlogging, prompting officials to move the celebrations to the larger Barkatullah Khan Stadium. This year, the city is hosting the state-level Independence Day function with chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma scheduled to preside over the celebrations here on Friday. District collector Gaurav Agrawal elaborated on the situation, stating, "Maharaja Umaid Singh Stadium has a waterlogging problem and the groundwater level in the city has risen significantly this year. In such a situation, it would not be feasible to hold the programme there. Additionally, Maharaja Umaid Singh Stadium is smaller and since this time it would be a state-level ceremony here, we require a venue that can accommodate a larger audience. " Jodhpur has been grappling with challenges related to rising groundwater levels for over two decades, with mitigation efforts proving inadequate. Currently, nearly 40% of the city is affected, facing issues such as seepage in buildings and damage to foundations. The groundwater levels in Jodhpur have been rising contrary to trends seen in much of Rajasthan, a phenomenon linked to the city's rocky surface and its proximity to a canal and two reservoirs, as well as increased rainfall recharge in recent years. The result has been water oozing from underground structures, leading to dampness, erosion and structural damage. Despite two surveys conducted by the National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, and the National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, no effective solution has been implemented. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In response, the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) initiated groundwater extraction in 2007, dividing the city into four zones and increasing the number of pumping points to combat the rising water table. Currently, 94 pumps are operational, costing approximately Rs 1.5 crore annually, with areas like Laxmi Nagar and BJS Colony designated as red zones due to groundwater levels rising alarmingly close to the surface. Experts attribute the groundwater challenges to Jodhpur's connection to the Rajiv Gandhi canal, the primary water source for the city, which is fed by the Kaylana and Takhat Sagar reservoirs. "These two reservoirs hold enough water throughout the year, and because the region is rocky, it seeps into the city areas through fine aquifers. Moreover, the city's residents, accustomed to ample water availability, tend to overuse it, allowing excess water to percolate into the ground," explained an expert. As the city prepares for the Independence Day celebrations at Barkatullah Khan Stadium, it faces a critical juncture in addressing its ongoing water management challenges.
Time of India
16-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Docs: Pulmonary rehabilitation can help patients with lung diseases
Prayagraj: The rising cases of lung diseases are primarily attributed to pollution, smoking and poor lifestyle choices. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ), ILD, asthma , lung disease and lung cancer often struggle with breathing difficulties. In such situations, pulmonary rehabilitation is a treatment that helps improve the quality of life of these patients, said senior chest physician Dr Gaurav Agrawal, speaking at a CME programme at Allahabad Medical Association (AMA) Convention Centre on Sunday. During his lecture titled Pulmonary Rehabilitation-- Beyond Medication, Agrawal said, "This treatment focuses on exercise, respiratory techniques , diet and mental health. The aim of this process is to increase the breathing capacity of patients and improve energy levels." Dr Agrawal emphasised that "It can be lifesaving, especially for those who have to be hospitalised frequently due to respiratory problems." The programme concentrated on enhancing patients' physical capabilities. Experts explained, "Exercise programmes focus on improving patients' physical and mental capacity. Respiratory techniques also improve the breathing capacity of patients, which allows the use of oxygen more effectively." The comprehensive programme addresses mental health concerns, stress management and proper nutrition. Benefits include enhanced breathing, increased physical endurance, improved mental wellbeing, better ability to perform daily activities, and strengthened muscles for managing lung conditions. Notable participants included Dr JV Rai, Dr Ashish Tandon, Dr Ashutosh Gupta, Dr Sujit Singh, Dr Anoop Chauhan and Dr Atul Dubey.
Time of India
15-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Lung disease patients find relief through pulmonary rehabilitation: Docs
Prayagraj: The rising cases of lung diseases are primarily attributed to pollution, smoking and poor lifestyle choices. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), ILD, asthma, lung disease and lung cancer often struggle with breathing difficulties. In such situations, pulmonary rehabilitation is a treatment that helps improve the quality of life of these patients, said senior chest physician Dr Gaurav Agrawal, speaking at a CME programme at Allahabad Medical Association (AMA) Convention Centre on Sunday. During his lecture titled Pulmonary Rehabilitation-- Beyond Medication, Agrawal said, "This treatment focuses on exercise, respiratory techniques, diet and mental health. The aim of this process is to increase the breathing capacity of patients and improve energy levels." Dr Agrawal emphasised that "It can be lifesaving, especially for those who have to be hospitalised frequently due to respiratory problems." The programme concentrated on enhancing patients' physical capabilities. Experts explained, "Exercise programmes focus on improving patients' physical and mental capacity. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch xu hướng AUD/USD? IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Respiratory techniques also improve the breathing capacity of patients, which allows the use of oxygen more effectively." The comprehensive programme addresses mental health concerns, stress management and proper nutrition. Benefits include enhanced breathing, increased physical endurance, improved mental wellbeing, better ability to perform daily activities, and strengthened muscles for managing lung conditions. Notable participants included Dr JV Rai, Dr Ashish Tandon, Dr Ashutosh Gupta, Dr Sujit Singh, Dr Anoop Chauhan and Dr Atul Dubey.
Time of India
11-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Approach road missing, bridgein Samrat Ashok Nagar unused
Nagpur: A Rs5.5 crore bridge constructed by the (NMC) in Samrat Ashok Nagar during 2022–23 remains unused as the approach roads connecting it are yet to be built. This situation causes severe inconvenience to thousands of residents, including schoolchildren and commuters to nearby industrial and residential bridge, located near Padmavati Nagar and Mhada area on an 80-ft road under Development Plan (DP) No. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 9, was intended to connect key localities such as the Uppalwadi industrial zone, Mhada Colony, and several densely populated residential clusters. However, the road leading to and from the bridge was never completed due to limited land availability between Mhada Colony and Guru Nanak Pharmacy College, despite a work order being Nagar zone's executive engineer Ajay Pazare admitted that the civic body failed to construct the road. "Now we are going to propose this work in this year's budget," he told residents report that the lack of access roads has turned the bridge into a dead investment. "People struggle to commute. Students from the nearby Mook Badhir (deaf and mute) school and a newly opened Hindi medium school face difficulties every day," a local resident said. The area also houses a Muslim graveyard, further underlining the critical need for accessible bridge was initially constructed to facilitate an upcoming sewage treatment plant (STP), and while that component was completed, the accompanying bridge infrastructure remains unutilised. The locality also faces sanitation issues, with residents alleging that the sewage line was only partially cleaned by a contractor, leading to unhygienic Ashok Nagar and its surroundings, including Patel Layout, Deepak Nagar Housing Society, Naseeman Housing Society, Dattatreya Nagar, and Gaurav Agrawal's scheme, are home to over 10,000 people. Two major infrastructure schemes—one worth Rs584 crore and another Rs544 crore—are ongoing in the area, but locals complain that the most basic need, road connectivity, is being bridge, built over the Nag river, was meant to be a vital link for residents to access essential services such as fuel stations, gas agencies, and schools, including a military school nearby. Locals say that despite repeated visits by civic officials, including the commissioner, no permanent resolution has been are now demanding urgent intervention from NMC to construct the missing roads and make the bridge functional, as continued inaccessibility affects daily life and public safety.
