Spitch.ai, the global leader in conversational AI solutions, announced that the company is working with Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, to implement a Virtual Assistant (VA) to boost efficiency in Etihad contact centres. The Spitch.ai solution will be deployed to provide Covid-related travel information to Etihad passengers. Etihad Airways Virtual Assistant

Etihad passengers will benefit from the Virtual Assistant’s ability to share immediate Covid-related travel information about their flights without having to wait in queue. Flexibility has been built into the system, enabling passengers to connect with an Etihad agent live to hear the relevant information directly or receive it via SMS text message.

The Spitch omnichannel approach helps ensure information is accurate through an integration mechanism that enables the Virtual Assistant to communicate with a Knowledge Base where worldwide travel regulation details are stored and constantly updated.

“The Spitch solution is an exciting project for the Etihad Innovation Lab”, said Frank Meyer, Chief Digital Officer of Etihad Aviation Group. “We wanted to source technology which will make it easier and quicker for our guests to reach us and resolve their issue. Spitch will save our customers’ time and enable them to enjoy a smoother experience when we receive spikes in the volume of calls.”

Spitch’s association with Etihad came via the Microsoft for Startups Middle East and Africa GrowthX accelerator program, which ran in the last quarter of 2021. Spitch was one of only fifteen finalists from an original application list of 3,000. Etihad had previously run their own selection process, choosing Spitch as their partner for the program from a shortlist of candidate companies.

The range of technologies they were able to demonstrate, along with their competency and experience in delivery for such a relatively young company was a strong point for Spitch when it came to being judged as a potential supplier.

“We are proud to have been able to foster the relationship between Etihad and Spitch as part of the GrowthX accelerator program,” said Robert Croci, Managing Director at Microsoft for Startups MEA. “We congratulate both teams for all the energy and enthusiasm they have shown in bringing this innovative project to life. We are looking forward to hearing more great news as things progress.”

“Spitch’s leading-edge Conversational AI solution can easily address a major pain point for many companies, particularly airlines,” said Patrick Naef, former long-time airline CIO and now a member of Spitch’s Advisory Board. “Their intelligent solution can automatically handle large volumes of customer calls, drastically improving customer experience and driving efficiency for call centres. Customers get an immediate answer instead of the pain of waiting in a call queue and this increases customer satisfaction immensely.”

Spitch develops and maintains its own core technology with a focus on customer experience in the evolving era of the digital customer while reducing cost, increasing sales, and managing risk, fraud, and compliance. The team includes members with extensive experience in the sector; both technology entrepreneurs and management experience at Fortune 500 multinationals such as Oracle, Genesys, Ericsson, Avaya, Yandex, SVOX, Nuance, BEA, and Swisscom.

Spitch.ai customers across Europe and the U.S. range across finance, insurance, health, technology, telecom, education, retail, public transport, the public sector, and government, and Spitch solutions handled over 50 million end-user interactions during the last year. Etihad Airways Virtual Assistant