Vodafone invests €10m in customer service overhaul
Nearly half of Irish adults are now using AI on a weekly basis, according to new research from Vodafone Ireland, a striking indicator of how AI tools have entered everyday life in Ireland. The findings highlight a clear trend toward tech-assisted living, as AI shifts from a niche innovation to a routine part of how consumers work, communicate, and solve problems.
The study of 1,000 people conducted by Coyne Research found Irish people were increasingly positive about AI as it becomes part of their daily lives, using it primarily for finding information quickly, customer service interactions, grammar checking, answering specific questions, and drafting written content.
Vodafone Ireland has invested €10 million over the last three years to further enhance its overall customer service experience, including incorporating AI with the launch of its digital care assistant, TOBi.
Ciaran Barrett, Vodafone Ireland’s commercial operations director, said: “We’ve listened to our customers, and have invested €10 million to further enhance our care experience including embracing AI to give customers more choice and greater convenience in how they connect with us. Today, 60% of our customers use TOBi, our 24/7 digital assistant, for everyday queries like checking bills, making payments, or understanding roaming services. Our care specialists are available and contacted for more complex queries, and they are supported by Ireland’s largest retail footprint.”
Almost half of all Irish adults (48%) now use AI weekly, with usage rising to 66% among Gen Z, nearly a quarter of whom use it every day. One in three are already using AI tools specifically for customer service interactions, appreciating how these tools save time and provide immediate answers.
“With more personalised and flexible support available across digital, in-store, and over the phone, we are resolving more queries first time round than ever before and giving customers fewer reasons to call. Our investment is delivering a better customer experience, care contacts have halved in just three years, dropping from two million to one million, as more issues are resolved first time.”
Unlike many digital assistants that simply provide information, TOBi is fully integrated with Vodafone Ireland’s core operating systems, enabling secure, real time account changes and issues resolution, distinguishing Vodafone Ireland’s care offerings from its competitors.
“TOBi is much more than a standard chatbot,” said Barrett: “It’s a comprehensive, self-service platform that gives Vodafone Ireland customers immediate solutions at any hour of the day or night. The most popular customer queries include checking bills, making payments and top-ups, understanding roaming services and allowances and checking eligibility for upgrades, all without waiting in a queue or repeating information.”
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