Sometimes innovation begins quietly and inconspicuously – and then unfolds with impressive force. This is exactly what the development of artificial intelligence cAI shows, with which coeo not only generates efficiency and productivity gains, but also raises customer service to a new level. But what is behind this success? In this edition of the “Success Story” format, we look at the success of cAI in figures and talk to the people who have made cAI what it is today.

From an idea to a game changer

At the heart of cAI is the vision of an “all-in-one” platform concept that revolutionizes working methods and processes through the use of intelligent technologies. Since its launch, the holistic AI system consisting of several modules has made astonishing progress and conquered numerous areas of application. “Caller satisfaction has once again increased significantly, as cAI can now process many business transactions autonomously – such as payment agreements, questions about incoming payments or statements of receivables – at any time without waiting,” explains Frank Kollack, Head of Contact Center at coeo. “This development is the most fundamental change that I have witnessed in over 20 years of contact center experience and have been able to help shape.”

Christian Giehler, Managing Director of coeo Inkasso GmbH (Austria) and coeo Inkasso AG (Switzerland), also emphasizes the importance of cAI for process optimization: “Our AI-supported solutions prove that efficiency and quality can be reconciled. I am particularly proud of how well we are able to resolve individual customer concerns in almost real time and at the same time continuously improve our internal processes.”

An overview of the highlights and developments

But what exactly do these benefits and simplifications for employees and customers through cAI look like? To answer this question, we let the figures speak for themselves and take a closer look at specific application areas such as Text Flow, Voice Agent and Document Analytics. We also look at what progress has already been made, what innovations are being worked on and what challenges the team is overcoming.

Text Flow: AI-automated inbox processing in real time

One highlight is the use of cAI in the “Text Flow” module. Since its launch on August 1, cAI has already processed over 500,000 emails using AI – with an average automation rate of over 25%. While the rate was initially just under 10%, it is now between 45% and 50%. Today, the AI processes case-closing requests regarding payment agreements and questions about receivables.

“We are continuously developing new use cases in sprints and optimizing the existing ones,” says Anita Gluszak-Haefs, Director Operations Germany. “We have created a new department in the company for this purpose – ‘AI Operations’. The team ensures quality and user experience.”

Voice Agent: Call excellence – the digital voice genius

cAI also shows what is possible in the “Voice Agent” module. Around 500,000 calls were received in 2024 – cAI has been handling all incoming calls since the 4th quarter. We are currently achieving a positive validation rate of over 70 %. This is extremely remarkable and exceeds the previous level in some areas.

The AI handles the greeting, file number query, identification, issue recognition and, depending on the use case, final case processing. Around 60% of all telephone enquiries can be processed by cAI.

Dynamic routing, which distinguishes between simple and deeper identification, is particularly innovative. This makes customer service more efficient and at the same time fully meets security requirements. A caller can clarify several issues during a phone call or decide to speak to a human agent at any time. In this case, the call is forwarded to the appropriate employee, who receives all the previously discussed information and can therefore seamlessly connect to cAI.

Of course, there are also challenges – especially with a module like the “Voice Agent”, which requires direct interaction with debtors. “Many people still have no experience in dealing with AI on the phone,” says Stephanie Dittrich, AI Project Lead at coeo. “It’s always a challenge to put yourself in the user’s shoes, to meet them where they are – with their concerns – and to create trust in the technology. At the same time, we have to be aware that our years of expertise also make us susceptible to expert blindness.”

According to Frank Kollack, multilingualism is a particularly exciting topic. “The ability to make calls in different languages means a huge increase in convenience for callers,” he explains. For non-German-speaking users in particular, the reference to the multilingual service portal is still a hurdle.

Document Analytics: AI document recognition on a new level

The development of document analytics is particularly promising. In the first use case in 2024, 40,000 bailiff invoices were automatically read and imported between June and August. Today, around 6,000 invoices are processed per month – for around 90% of them, the entire process through to payment is fully AI-automated.

With Document Analytics, cAI is expanding its capabilities and can now perform specific tasks such as the evaluation of email attachments, the identification of contact references, the processing of court communications and the analysis of debtor advice letters completely AI-based.

Dr. Kevin Yam, Chief AI Officer at coeo, emphasizes the central role of technology in overcoming social and ethical challenges in the field of artificial intelligence – such as safety, fairness, justice and sustainability. “Technology is our key! These challenges can only be overcome through consistent technological progress,” he explains. This progress also opens up access to the immeasurable possibilities of AI. It is therefore essential to continuously work on more energy-efficient, more transparent and safer AI systems. “At cAI, we combine the latest achievements in research and development with the responsible use of AI,” Yam continues.

What cAI is currently learning – and what comes next

The future of artificial intelligence is already here and it goes by the name of cAI. cAI is one of the world’s most powerful GenAI conversation platforms and has already processed over a million customer interactions. But that’s just the beginning. Our vision goes much further. We strive to liberate the business world from static, isolated and manual processes and transform it into a GenAI-native data intelligence platform, a networked system of autonomous AI agents.

The future of cAI will be characterized by outstanding capabilities in the areas of transfer learning, multi-criteria optimization as well as recursive and distributed intelligence. With these capabilities, cAI will be able to constantly improve itself and find solutions autonomously. The key to this development lies in cAI’s ability to access all sources of knowledge.

Our vision is to develop an artificial intelligence that is more than just a tool. With cAI, we intend to create an AI that not only processes data, but also understands and uses it. We are striving to develop an AI that thinks, learns and optimizes independently. It should not only react to commands, but also proactively offer solutions.

With technology advancing so rapidly, our goal is to stay at the forefront of the AI revolution with cAI. We strive to create a world in which AI not only plays a supporting role, but is an integral part of our everyday lives.

With cAI, we focus on enabling personalized, efficient and seamless customer communication. We strive to understand and optimize interactions with customers to not only meet their needs but also exceed their expectations. Our goal with cAI is to shape a new era of customer communication based on understanding, efficiency and personalization.

A success story with an open end

cAI shows how artificial intelligence can massively optimize processes – while always putting people first. Dr. Kevin Yam emphasizes: “With cAI, we are not only witnessing the AI revolution, but are actively involved in shaping it. With the awareness that our today defines our tomorrow, we are working tirelessly to make the future a reality.”

With this vision, coeo is driving the continuous development of cAI and setting new standards in efficiency and customer satisfaction. The next steps include a deeper integration of AI into all business processes to remain at the forefront of the technological revolution.

The success of cAI is not only a technological milestone, but also a commitment to the responsible and future-oriented use of artificial intelligence.

Coverimage © stock.adobe/MUNTHITA