Emtelco resolves one-third of self-service interactions on first contact with AI

Streamlining journeys for customers and advisors alike  

As a strategic partner for mobile solution providers like Tigo, Emtelco has prioritized building a seamless, omnichannel experience that provides advisors and customers with fast and accurate solutions. But previously, a complex IVR system had thwarted the telecommunications company’s efforts to achieve that goal. 

Customers seeking quick answers to even simple questions like checking a bill or verifying data usage often encountered unintuitive IVR options that guided them to incorrect areas. Misrouted transfers not only increased operational costs but also negatively impacted the customer and employee experience by overloading advisors and frustrating customers. 

Eager to overcome the limitations of its traditional IVR to better support its partners and improve its experiences, Emtelco sought an innovative and agile solution capable of automating conversations and streamlining journeys. The company also wanted to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) pervasively to ensure that every interaction is efficient yet personalized and meets the needs of today’s digital-savvy customer. 

To help achieve this, Emtelco implemented the Genesys Cloud platform and built its SophIA intelligent virtual assistant, powered by Genesys Cloud AI. Using functionalities such as predictive routing and real-time analytics, SophIA has improved transfer accuracy. It also predicts user intent and tailors responses to optimize conversational support flows. And with integrated virtual agent capabilities, SophIA operates as an advanced voicebot that handles common requests, providing quick responses without human assistance. 

Now, nearly half of transfers are directed to self-service channels, one-third of self-service interactions are resolved during the first contact and there’s a 12% reduction in misrouted contacts — surpassing the company’s customer experience targets.  

“Emtelco has evolved to put AI at the service of people,” said Juliana Henao Usuga, Director of Customer Experience and Marketing at Emtelco S.A. “We were a traditional contact center, but we chose to transform into an experience hub, embracing AI not just as automation, but as an empowerment tool for our people, and as a catalyst for a cultural, strategic and emotional transformation.” 

And, by embracing an AI strategy that amplifies human capabilities and drives innovation, Emtelco has earned the Genesys 2025 Orchestrators Innovation Award in the AI Innovator of the Year category. 

Operational efficiencies ensure greater responsiveness  

Today’s customers expect to be able to communicate with brands across a vast array of communication channels. For Emtelco, these include voice, mobile apps, social media and WhatsApp. The telecommunications company understands that delivering high-quality customer experiences means ensuring customers can interact in their preferred channel without losing continuity in service. It also requires anticipating customer needs and responding proactively to resolve issues quickly.  

“We aim for each interaction to reflect a deep understanding of the user’s individual needs, providing personalized solutions that meet their expectations,” said Usuga. “And we aim to ensure consistent responses at every touchpoint, enhancing customer satisfaction and building loyalty.” 

Implementing Genesys Cloud AI to power its SophIA intelligent virtual assistant is helping the telecommunications company to build an omnichannel experience that achieves these goals.  

SophIA anticipates and understands customer needs from the first contact — remembering, learning and adapting to guide users through seamless journeys across any channel. By continuously learning from behaviors, transcriptions and detected intents, SophIA becomes increasingly accurate, empathetic and aligned with customer expectations. 

Built on the open architecture of Genesys Cloud, SophIA can rapidly incorporate new self-service flows, adjust routes and expand capabilities with agility — while delivering consistent, expert-level responses at every touchpoint. 

“SophIA detects the user’s emotional tone to adjust its response empathetically, enhancing the perception of closeness during the interaction,” added Usuga. 

In parallel, Emtelco leverages the Genesys Cloud platform to integrate data from CRM systems and payment gateways, enabling proactive, resolution-driven self-service. Customers can complete tasks such as managing billing, updating addresses or registering devices without advisor intervention. 

An agile, autonomous and deeply human experience 

SophIA’s use of advanced algorithms to identify behavior patterns, detect the customer’s emotional tone, and understand user context and intent in real time has enabled Emtelco to eliminate complex validations and IVR menu navigation. Customers simply state their needs in natural language. SophIA automatically interprets their intent and offers proactive solutions or executes actions immediately. And SophIA’s virtual agent capabilities means customers have access to service 24/7.  

“We replaced a linear IVR structure with a fully conversational experience, without requiring a user to navigate preset options,” said Usuga. “This evolution has significantly increased satisfaction by reducing effort, time and complexity.” 

And with the integrated analytics available through Genesys Cloud, Emtelco experience teams now have access to real-time data on user behaviors, interaction flows and performance, as well as areas for improvement. This visibility allows for agile and strategic decision-making based on evidence, not assumptions. 

AI delivers operational and experience advantages 

Implementing Genesys Cloud AI has enabled Emtelco to realize a wide range of benefits. Chief among them is greater operational efficiency. Since deploying SophIA, Emtelco has increased the volume of digitally handled interactions by 15%, representing 150% of its original goal. And 45% of all transfers made by SophIA have been directed to self-service, surpassing the company’s 30% target.  

Yet, achieving greater responsiveness in automated channels is only valuable if customers are properly routed. Fortunately, SophIA can predict customers’ intent and direct requests to the appropriate support team. Since deploying SophIA, misrouted contact rates improved by 12%, which is a 400% achievement over the telecommunications company’s original goal of 3%. Plus, Emtelco has optimized its routing capabilities. With SophIA, 100% of more than 1.6 million interactions were routed without error. 

“The implementation of SophIA integrated key Genesys Cloud AI functionalities such as predictive routing and real-time analysis,” said Usuga. “This is helping us to achieve a significant leap in transfer accuracy.”  

Another notable operational gain for Emtelco is the ability to provide quick responses without human assistance, reducing the number of repetitive requests advisors need to handle. Since launching SophIA, 34% of interactions transferred to self-service were resolved during the first contact, exceeding the telecommunications company’s original goal of 30%.   

“SophIA facilitates self-service through optimized conversational flows,” added Usuga. “This frees up resources so advisors can focus on complex problem solving and high-value cases.” 

Along with directing more interactions to self-service, Emtelco is strategically balancing advisor workloads using tools like contact reason analysis. With advisors focusing more on cases that require critical thinking and empathy, their autonomy, engagement and satisfaction are increasing.  

Plus, with Genesys Cloud AI, advisors have real-time visibility into a customer’s journey before an interaction reaches them — providing context that enables continuity and faster resolution. 

“Together, SophIA and our human advisors form a hybrid ecosystem where innovation doesn’t replace talent — it amplifies it. This synergy has significantly improved KPIs related to satisfaction, containment, first-contact resolution and operational efficiency,” said Usuga. “SophIA has not only transformed customer service, but it also redefined the balance between self-service and agent-assisted channels, creating value in every interaction.” 

The future is continuous innovation 

Today, Emtelco considers its contact center operations an experience hub: an organization that designs and delivers outstanding experiences powered by AI and the best human talent. And the successes the company has had so far with Genesys Cloud AI and SophIA are just the beginning. 

For Emtelco, innovation is not a destination — it’s an ongoing journey. The company is continuously upleveling how customers connect with brands like Tigo by integrating cutting-edge technology to deliver smarter, more cohesive, and more effective customer and employee experiences. 

“Today, while many are just beginning their digital journey, Emtelco is already operating from the future — a place where artificial and emotional intelligence converge to design more human, seamless and memorable experiences,” concluded Usuga. “Because at Emtelco, technology doesn’t replace — it amplifies — the most valuable thing we have: our people.”