Verizon’s integration of Google’s AI assistant for customer service representatives has resulted in a significant sales increase. Initially introduced on a limited scale in July 2024 and fully implemented by January 2025, this AI tool utilizes approximately 15,000 internal documents to help agents respond more efficiently to customer inquiries. According to Sampath Sowmyanarayan, CEO of Verizon’s Consumer Group, this implementation has led to a nearly 40% rise in sales through its 28,000-person service team.
The AI assistant, based on Google’s Gemini large language model, aids customer service agents by providing real-time assistance, thereby reducing call times and enabling agents to focus more on sales. This initiative contrasts with approaches by companies like Klarna, which have used AI to replace staff; Verizon’s strategy emphasizes reskilling agents from support to sales roles.
Verizon selected Google Cloud for this project due to its capability to support large-scale deployment, while continuing to use Amazon for infrastructure and application deployment. This development underscores the tangible returns on AI investments, addressing skepticism from some investors about the costs and benefits of AI technologies.
