TBC Bank Launches Ti-Bot to Make Distance Services More Accessible
At a presentation held at Techno Park Tbilisi, TBC Bank introduced a new and innovative product Ti-Bot, which, for the first time in Georgia, will enable TBC Bank clients to receive information on available banking services through the Facebook Messenger program.
Ti-Bot, the first ever Chat Bot to speak Georgian, was created by Georgian developers. No other company has yet to make use of such technology in the country. Available 24/7, and easily found on Messenger, it will provide clients with full information on where the closest TBC Bank branches and ATMs are according to the client’s location. Additionally, it offers information about exchange rates and different types of loans available at TBC Bank.
Ti-Bot only uses Georgian font, as TBC Bank considers it important for its clients to have access to modern technologies in their native language.
“For us, digitalization has always been crucial. TBC Bank’s Internet and Mobile Banking Services have been acknowledged as the best not only in Georgia but in the region,” said Vakhtang Butskhrikidze, TBC Bank CEO. “We’re always trying to be closer to our clients with new and innovative technologies. Our Ti-Bot is the first of its kind both in Georgia and the region, and gives our clients the chance to have direct communication with it. As it’s still very young, it is expected to be improved on a daily basis, with more qualified answers provided following interactions with the clients. I think it’s an extremely interesting initiative that will encourage other Georgian companies to think likewise. Perhaps, soon, we will have a different reality, where new services launched by Georgian companies enable us to branch out not only within Georgia but into other countries, too.”
Butskhrikidze added that new functions will soon be added to Ti-Bot. As a virtual assistant to the client, it will offer transaction services, give information on the customer’s accounts, and other provide services or products from TBC Bank.
The creators of Ti-Bot, Zviad Tsotskolauri, Zaal Gachechiladze and Dachi Choladze, say Ti- Bot will become a platform where all financial services will be made available to clients. The creators wanted to offer their product in the Georgian language, something they found challenging to implement. They confirm, however, that the Ti-Bot will also be able to speak other languages in the future.
“This is the first time that artificial intelligence has been used in the financial sector in Georgia. You can speak with Ti-Bot the same way you talk to a friend. We aimed to make it user-friendly, and there will be many more functions added, since it’s only the first stage now,” said Tsotskolauri, going on to demonstrate the workings of the Ti-Bot, in this example by offering a bank loan for a client, calculating possible monthly fees and setting up a consultation with a bank employee for additional information.
Chat Bots are innovative, experimental products used worldwide. The largest European and US banks already implement such services. Chat Bots are also used by the well-known companies and brands such as Amazon, KLM, CNN and others.
Nino Gugunishvili