Walmart Introduces AI-Powered Tools to Enhance Customer Service and Associate Efficiency

Walmart is taking a bold step forward in the world of customer service by introducing AI-powered tools to its 1.5 million U.S. associates. The goal is to offer more support for workers to help customers in real time, enhancing the overall shopping experience for customers.

The new tools will be integrated into the Walmart associate app and include a real-time translation feature that can facilitate multilingual conversations between associates and customers in 44 languages. This is a significant improvement for Walmart, which has a diverse customer base and a need for multilingual support.

In addition to the translation feature, the tools also include an upgraded conversational AI that will offer step-by-step instructions for advanced support queries, such as how to process a return without a receipt. Walmart plans to upgrade its existing conversational AI for associates in the coming months, ensuring that the tools are always up-to-date and relevant.

The retailer's conversational AI tool has already been well-received by associates, with more than 900,000 workers using the feature every week and over 3 million queries daily. This shows that associates are embracing the technology and using it to improve their work efficiency and customer service.

Walmart is not alone in its use of AI to improve customer service. Other retailers such as The Home Depot, Target, Verizon, and Office Depot are also using AI to improve associate product and project knowledge and customer service. The trend towards using AI in retail is growing, and Walmart is at the forefront of this movement.

In addition to the new AI tools, Walmart is also introducing AI-driven task management, which uses the technology to prioritize and recommend tasks for associates. Early results have led to a reduction in the time store managers spend planning shifts for overnight stocking, and the retailer is piloting the tool for shifts other than stocking as well.

Walmart has been experimenting with generative AI for two years with the goal of encouraging associates to use the technology every day. The retailer's earlier associate-facing AI implementation, which helped with inventory and let workers spend more time with customers, helped drive higher NPS during the 2023 holiday season.

Overall, Walmart's use of AI-powered tools is a smart move that will improve customer service and streamline associate workdays. As more retailers adopt similar technologies, we can expect to see even more improvements in the way we shop and interact with store associates.