“Digitalisation is the core of our business and thanks to the deep internal transformation that we have undergone in the last 8 years we have become a company of smart platforms,” said Chairman José María Álvarez-Pallete.

 

Since the digital assistant was launched in February 2018, it has attracted 470,000 users. The Aura service has been rolled out to six of Telefonica’s markets worldwide: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Germany, Spain and the UK. The assistant is delivered to customer devices via a mobile application, but also via other third-party channels including Facebook, Google and Microsoft. In the UK, O2 have been using Aura to power a customer services chatbot.

 

According to Antonio Guzmán, Director of Innovation at Telefónica Aura,

Aura provides customers with a homogeneous user experience through different channels. They can talk to technology in real time and get things done. Aura proactively applies cognitive capabilities with machine learning algorithms to provide contextual insights and customised recommendations. Azure Cognitive Services, including Language Understanding were leveraged to train Aura with to understand speech modes across different countries and cultures.

 

Each customer has a ‘personal data space’, in which users can see and manage their data. This data allows Aura to offer each user a personalised experience. A ‘Data Portability Cooperation’ agreement with Deutsche Telekom AG, Royal KPN NV and Orange means that subscribers can take their data with them if they decide to move to another carrier. New players will be added to this cooperation, thus building a new global data portability ecosystem.

 

Aura is also integrated into Telefónica’s Movistar pay-TV service.  In Spain, Telefónica provides pay-TV services to about 3.5 million customers. A ‘Movistar+ Habla’ app allows viewers to control their TV by voice and access a range of services. Telefonica’s research shows that 90% of users plan to keep using the assistant. 50% said it improved their Movistar+ experience, and 70% claimed it had improved their impression of the Movistar+ brand.

 

“Aura is more than a digital assistant,” said “Chema Alonso, Chief Data Officer. “Aura will grow day by day with new capabilities and will transform the way we interact with our customers.”