Verizon Revolutionizes Customer Service with Google Gemini AI Integration

Verizon Is Enlisting Google's AI to Resolve Support Calls on the First Try

Verizon's cryptic Project 624 flew under the radar until this week, when the carrier announced a new customer service program built on Google Gemini AI technology that's intended to resolve issues on first contact. If it works as intended, subscribers should be able to avoid the time-sucking support slog that is often a hallmark of modern troubleshooting. Sowmyanarayan Sampath, CEO of Verizon's consumer group, laid out changes to the customer experience that went live Tuesday, which include a team dedicated to satisfying customers in their first call (called the Customer Champion team) and improvements to the My Verizon app that leverage Google Gemini AI technology. There's also expanded live customer agent hours and 24/7 live chat and a larger footprint of physical Verizon stores. The company will also offer more perks and giveaways. In an open letter laying out the carrier's new customer service initiative, the consumer group CEO also included a direct email address, [email protected], for customers to contact him. But before we get into the specifics of what's new, I wondered if the announcements were a direct reaction to the most recent quarter in which the company lost nearly 300,000 customers in the first quarter of 2025. Is the carrier boosting customer service to win back more subscribers? "That's a very fair question," Sampath said. "The answer is quite straight: Every first quarter we lose customers, that's the seasonality of the business. So this has nothing to do with our first quarter of business. This has to do with the two, three year transformation that we are in the middle of." He explained that improving customer experience is the next step after his prior efforts to revamp Verizon's sales infrastructure and price plans. Verizon may be the first carrier to get AI in its customer service platforms, but it's not the only one thinking of including it. Last September, T-Mobile announced that it was partnering with OpenAI to include a new artificial intelligence offering to help customers, which would launch sometime in 2025. Whether Verizon's system will get a leg up depends on what it's got in store for helping subscribers get their essential questions answered. Customer service for any industry is difficult, but that's compounded for large mobile players like Verizon that provide connectivity for millions of customers across large swathes of area and technological hardware. And because phones have gained outsized importance in our lives, having something go wrong with one's link to the outside world can ratchet up frustration. "I get a lot of emails from customers every day, and they're not pretty," said Sampath. He estimates that 80% of the time, customers get their issue resolved on the first call. About 15% have to call again, maybe twice. "The last 5% go into a doom loop, and they are the most dissatisfied. It's a very rough journey for them. We see it, and it's not fair on them." To try to avoid that loop, Verizon is launching its so-called Customer Champion team that uses Verizon-customized Google Gemini 2.0 models to process calls, identify solutions and keep the customer updated throughout the resolution process. It's an approach inherited from systems Verizon has been using for its enterprise customers. "We've been doing that for a few months now in pilot [programs], and 90% of the time we solve issues the first time around," he said. As the program proceeds, he hopes to get that number up to 95 or 96%. Google Gemini is also an important part of an update to the My Verizon app. The AI-powered Verizon Assistant has been built with input from Google engineers and embedded with Verizon-specific context. As a practical example, the technology can enable Verizon to deal with problems proactively. "If your phone is lost in transit, I know it because FedEx told me it didn't get delivered," he said. "Why do I need you to call me and let me know your phone got lost?" In such a case, Verizon uses AI to identify the problem, automatically open a case and get back to the customer with a plan to resolve it. Sampath explained that Verizon essentially creates a small language model for each case, and compared that to the large language models (LLMs) that have more visibility in the industry right now. The small, bespoke models don't have general knowledge around life. "I don't need to know what the Romans did," he said. "I need to know why my bill went up. And we go ahead and do exactly that." LLMs, however, are not always known for their accuracy. Sampath said that a year and a half ago they were seeing a 30%-40% error rate, but that has now improved to "well north of 90% accuracy. And when it's inaccurate, it's only mildly inaccurate because of the way we do it. We don't get crazy answers on [it]." With this surge in using AI to handle customer issues, I naturally wanted to know if that would negatively affect Verizon staffing. If Verizon's Gemini model can deal with most requests, does that take humans out of the loop and off the payroll? "We've used AI to basically take cognitive workload off our employees so that they can focus their bandwidth and headspace on listening to customers better," Sampath said. "That's the right way for us to go. Look, if I need to take out costs, there are simpler ways for me to do it. I don't need to deploy AI and all the complexity that goes with it. And for us, AI is all about problem solving." As part of this new customer support initiative, Verizon is expanding its live support options in several ways. Representatives will be available from 9 a.m. until midnight (local times) via phone calls, expanded from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m., and during the rest of the clock via live chat. "[Stuff] happens when you least expect it, and I don't want you to have to wait until the morning, because things can change," he said. The network of physical Verizon stores also plays a part, because "we want to be in your community," Sampath said. He noted that Verizon is recommitting to the retail experience, having added around 400 new stores in the last couple years and plans to keep expanding the company's brick-and-mortar footprint. In today's mobile provider environment, perks have become powerful incentives, with carriers offering extras from conventional add-ons like streaming services and in-flight Wi-Fi to the assortment of giveaways in T-Mobile Tuesdays. On this front, Sampath made a point of differentiating Verizon's offerings from the competition. "Look, we don't give you $3 off your Little Caesars Pizza... you don't get a large popcorn versus a medium popcorn. I'm sure there's good value in that," he said. "We give you bucket-list things you can do," citing examples such as tickets to NFL games, Katy Perry and Beyoncé concerts. Starting today through June 30, Verizon is giving away 35,000 free prizes in drops from its Verizon Access program, "anything from tickets to devices and a bunch of other things to keep our loyalty going."

Verizon's Project 624 Is an AI-Powered Customer Service Initiative

In April, Verizon's CEO of its consumer group, Sowmyanarayan Sampath, dropped a cryptic teaser on his LinkedIn Page: "Project 624. All about the customer. Coming soon." And then... nothing more about it, until today. Now we know that 624 represents the date, June 24, and the project is an ambitious customer service program intended to make it so subscribers can resolve issues by contacting Verizon just once. And yes, AI is involved, but don't roll your eyes just yet. In a call with Sampath just before revealing Project 624's details, he laid out changes to the customer experience that went live today. They include a team dedicated to satisfying customers in their first call (called the Customer Champion team) and improvements to the myVerizon app that leverage Google Gemini AI technology; expanded live customer agent hours and 24/7 live chat; a larger footprint of physical Verizon stores; and more perks and giveaways. In an open letter laying out the carrier's new customer service initiative published today, the consumer group CEO also included a direct email address, [email protected], for customers to contact him. But before we get into the specifics of what's new, I wondered if today's announcements were a direct reaction to the most recent quarter in which the company lost nearly 300,000 customers in the first quarter of 2025. Is the carrier boosting customer service to win back more subscribers? "That's a very fair question," Sampath said. "The answer is quite straight: Every first quarter we lose customers, that's the seasonality of the business. So this has nothing to do with our first quarter of business. This has to do with the two, three year transformation that we are in the middle of." He explained that improving customer experience is the next step after his prior efforts to revamp Verizon's sales infrastructure and price plans. Verizon may be the first carrier to get AI in its customer service platforms, but it's not the only one thinking of including it. Last September, T-Mobile announced that it was partnering with OpenAI to include a new artificial intelligence offering to help customers, which would launch sometime in 2025. Whether Verizon's system will get a leg up depends on what it's got in store for helping subscribers get their essential questions answered. Customer service for any industry is difficult, but that's compounded for large mobile players like Verizon that provide connectivity for millions of customers across large swathes of area and technological hardware. And because phones have gained outsized importance in our lives, having something go wrong with one's link to the outside world can ratchet up frustration. "I get a lot of emails from customers every day, and they're not pretty," said Sampath. He estimates that 80% of the time, customers get their issue resolved on the first call. About 15% have to call again, maybe twice. "The last 5% go into a doom loop, and they are the most dissatisfied. It's a very rough journey for them. We see it, and it's not fair on them." To try to avoid that loop, Verizon is launching its so-called Customer Champion team that uses a Verizon-customized implementation of Google Gemini 2.0 models to process calls, identify solutions and keep the customer updated throughout the resolution process. It's an approach inherited from systems Verizon has been using for its enterprise customers. "We've been doing that for a few months now in pilot [programs], and 90% of the time we solve issues the first time around," he said. As the program proceeds, he hopes to get that number up to 95 or 96%. Google Gemini is also an important part of an update to the myVerizon app. The AI-powered Verizon Assistant has been built with input from Google engineers and embedded with Verizon-specific context. As a practical example, the technology can enable Verizon to deal with problems proactively. "If your phone is lost in transit, I know it because FedEx told me it didn't get delivered," he said. "Why do I need you to call me and let me know your phone got lost?" In such a case, Verizon uses AI to identify the problem, automatically open a case and get back to the customer with a plan to resolve it. Sampath explained that Verizon essentially creates a small language model for each case, and compared that to the large language models (LLMs) that have more visibility in the industry right now. The small, bespoke models don't have general knowledge around life. "I don't need to know what the Romans did," he said. "I need to know why my bill went up. And we go ahead and do exactly that." LLMs, however, are not always known for their accuracy. Sampath said that a year and a half ago they were seeing a 30%-40% error rate, but that has now improved to "well north of 90% accuracy. And when it's inaccurate, it's only mildly inaccurate because of the way we do it. We don't get crazy answers on [it]." With this surge in using AI to handle customer issues, I naturally wanted to know if that would negatively affect Verizon staffing. If Verizon's Gemini model can deal with most requests, does that take humans out of the loop and off the payroll? "We've used AI to basically take cognitive workload off our employees so that they can focus their bandwidth and headspace on listening to customers better," Sampath said. "That's the right way for us to go. Look, if I need to take out costs, there are simpler ways for me to do it. I don't need to deploy AI and all the complexity that goes with it. And for us, AI is all about problem solving." As part of this new customer support initiative, Verizon is expanding its live support options in several ways. Representatives will be available from 9 a.m. until midnight (local times) via phone calls, expanded from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m., and during the rest of the clock via live chat. "[Stuff] happens when you least expect it, and I don't want you to have to wait until the morning, because things can change," he said. The network of physical Verizon stores also plays a part, because "we want to be in your community," Sampath said. He noted that Verizon is recommitting to the retail experience, having added around 400 new stores in the last couple years and plans to keep expanding the company's brick-and-mortar footprint. In today's mobile provider environment, perks have become powerful incentives, with carriers offering extras from conventional add-ons like streaming services and in-flight Wi-Fi to the assortment of giveaways in T-Mobile Tuesdays. On this front, Sampath made a point of differentiating Verizon's offerings from the competition. "Look, we don't give you $3 off your Little Caesars Pizza... you don't get a large popcorn versus a medium popcorn. I'm sure there's good value in that," he said. "We give you bucket-list things you can do," citing examples such as tickets to NFL games, Katy Perry and Beyonce concerts. Starting today through June 30, Verizon is giving away 35,000 free prizes in drops from its Verizon Access program, "anything from tickets to devices and a bunch of other things to keep our loyalty going."

Your Verizon customer service experience is about to feel very different due to an AI overhaul

Dealing with customer support at any company often feels like an exercise in frustration and futility. You often have to contact the company multiple times or talk to a host of different representatives to get the problem fixed. Now Verizon is looking to improve the support experience by using both people and AI. Also: Verizon will give you an iPhone 16 Plus (or 4) with no trade-in - here's how On Tuesday, the carrier revealed several changes to its support process, all designed with one goal in mind. Customers only need to contact Verizon support once, and the company will make sure the problem is resolved from there. An AI assistant will handle most common, simple support calls. If you just want to renew your service, activate a PIN, or troubleshoot a device, you can turn to the AI 24/7 instead of waiting on hold for a support rep. Of course, working with AI can be annoying if it's unable to understand your issue. That leads us to the next change. For more complex problems, a dedicated "Customer Champion" will take ownership as part of a personalized type of support. With AI-powered help from Google Gemini, that champion will update you on the status of your problem through the method of your choice--callbacks, text messages, or updates in the My Verizon app. The aim is to keep you in the loop until the problem is fully resolved. Also: Get a free pair of Meta Ray-Bans when you sign up for Verizon 5G home internet Under a new "ValU" training program, Verizon's champions will specialize in one product or brand instead of struggling to learn them all. Assigned to specific types of support issues, they should then have the necessary expertise to diagnose and resolve the problem more effectively. Next, Verizon is introducing 24/7 live customer support. Live agents will be available at any time of day or night to speak or chat with you about your issue. Your local Verizon store will be another source for support. Over the past two years, the company has opened almost 400 new retail stores throughout the U.S. With 93% of the population now within 30 minutes of a Verizon store, the carrier wants customers to have quick and convenient access to in-person support. Further, the My Verizon app has been enhanced in an effort to provide anything you might need. Available for Android and iOS, the app lets you sign up to become a Verizon customer, manage phone upgrades, add new lines, check your mobile usage, view and pay your bill, and find a nearby store. Also: Verizon will sell you the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge for free - how the deal works With AI-powered assistance, you can also check out any savings on your bill, take advantage of various perks, and pounce on new offers and promotions. Further, the app provides troubleshooting tips for different problems and direct ways to contact customer support. Many mobile customers get confused trying to choose which phone to buy or which plan to purchase. With that in mind, Verizon is rolling out a beta version of a new AI shopping assistant on its Total Wireless desktop website. Designed to engage you in a conversation, this "ShopBot" will try to guide you through the process of picking a new phone, selecting the right plan, and then completing the purchase. What if you still run into support difficulties? Well, you know that option where you feel like contacting the president or CEO of the company? That's just what Verizon is doing. Sowmyanarayan Sampath, CEO of Verizon Consumer, is inviting any customer whose experience falls short to email him at [email protected]. Let's hope he has a way to manage his email as that's likely to be one crowded inbox. Get the morning's top stories in your inbox each day with our Tech Today newsletter.

Verizon adopts Google's Gemini AI to help customers solve 'complex' issues

Jess Weatherbed is a news writer focused on creative industries, computing, and internet culture. Jess started her career at TechRadar, covering news and hardware reviews. Verizon is trying to streamline its customer service experience by overhauling it with more chatbots and AI tools. The My Verizon app is being relaunched today with a new "AI-powered Verizon Assistant" that aims to help consumers "manage upgrades, add new lines, ask billing questions, take advantage of savings, and more," according to the telecom giant's announcement. The idea is that this chatbot service will be able to quickly complete tasks that typically need to be handled by human service reps, providing a more efficient and flexible experience for customers. Dory Butler, senior vice president of customer experience at Verizon, told The Verge that the Verizon AI assistant will transfer customers to a human agent either upon request or if it's unable to handle the enquiry it's been given. Butler says the company had "worked very closely with Google" to prevent the Verizon AI agent from hallucinating by creating small language models that are personalized to Verizon services and customers. "To date, we are seeing north of 90 percent accuracy with very minor mistakes being made." Verizon says it's now providing a so-called "Customer Champion" that will leverage Google's Gemini and Cloud AI models to help customers resolve "complex issues." The press release is vague, but in 2025 we're going to assume that those champions are still humans utilizing Google's AI tools. The goal is for customers to contact Verizon once, and for the champion to then provide updates via the My Verizon app, text messages, or call backs. Verizon is also expanding the operating hours of its live customer service agents and introducing 24/7 live chat support that can cater to "diverse customer schedules and preferences."

Verizon's customer service revamp includes AI - and emailing the CEO

Dealing with customer support at any company often feels like an exercise in frustration and futility. You often have to contact the company multiple times or talk to a host of different representatives to get the problem fixed. Now Verizon is looking to improve the support experience by using both people and AI. Also: Verizon will give you an iPhone 16 Plus (or 4) with no trade-in - here's how On Tuesday, the carrier revealed several changes to its support process, all designed with one goal in mind. Customers only need to contact Verizon support once, and the company will make sure the problem is resolved from there. An AI assistant will handle most common, simple support calls. If you just want to renew your service, activate a PIN, or troubleshoot a device, you can turn to the AI 24/7 instead of waiting on hold for a support rep. Of course, working with AI can be annoying if it's unable to understand your issue. That leads us to the next change. For more complex problems, a dedicated "Customer Champion" will take ownership as part of a personalized type of support. With AI-powered help from Google Gemini, that champion will update you on the status of your problem through the method of your choice--callbacks, text messages, or updates in the My Verizon app. The aim is to keep you in the loop until the problem is fully resolved. Also: Get a free pair of Meta Ray-Bans when you sign up for Verizon 5G home internet Under a new "ValU" training program, Verizon's champions will specialize in one product or brand instead of struggling to learn them all. Assigned to specific types of support issues, they should then have the necessary expertise to diagnose and resolve the problem more effectively. Next, Verizon is introducing 24/7 live customer support. Live agents will be available at any time of day or night to speak or chat with you about your issue. Your local Verizon store will be another source for support. Over the past two years, the company has opened almost 400 new retail stores throughout the U.S. With 93% of the population now within 30 minutes of a Verizon store, the carrier wants customers to have quick and convenient access to in-person support. Further, the My Verizon app has been enhanced in an effort to provide anything you might need. Available for Android and iOS, the app lets you sign up to become a Verizon customer, manage phone upgrades, add new lines, check your mobile usage, view and pay your bill, and find a nearby store. Also: Verizon will sell you the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge for free - how the deal works With AI-powered assistance, you can also check out any savings on your bill, take advantage of various perks, and pounce on new offers and promotions. Further, the app provides troubleshooting tips for different problems and direct ways to contact customer support. Many mobile customers get confused trying to choose which phone to buy or which plan to purchase. With that in mind, Verizon is rolling out a beta version of a new AI shopping assistant on its Total Wireless desktop website. Designed to engage you in a conversation, this "ShopBot" will try to guide you through the process of picking a new phone, selecting the right plan, and then completing the purchase. What if you still run into support difficulties? Well, you know that option where you feel like contacting the president or CEO of the company? That's just what Verizon is doing. Sowmyanarayan Sampath, CEO of Verizon Consumer, is inviting any customer whose experience falls short to email him at [email protected]. Let's hope he has a way to manage his email as that's likely to be one crowded inbox. Get the morning's top stories in your inbox each day with our Tech Today newsletter.

Verizon's new AI assistant is here to replace customer service - Phandroid

Verizon AI assistant is here, and it's about to shake up how you deal with customer service. The company just rolled out a major update to the My Verizon app. At the center of it is a new AI assistant powered by Google's Gemini and Cloud AI. It's built to help with everything from billing questions to upgrading your phone, without having to wait on hold. Verizon says this new AI can handle complex problems in real time. It even uses what they call an "agentic framework" to resolve issues automatically. One example is if you return a phone and it gets lost in transit, the system is smart enough to detect that and credit your account. No call needed. The Verizon AI assistant isn't doing everything, though. If it can't help or your request is too specific, it will still transfer you to a real human. Verizon is expanding live agent hours and rolling out 24/7 chat support. That should make it easier to reach someone when you actually want to. And if you still prefer face-to-face help, the company has added nearly 400 stores over the past two years. According to Verizon, 93 percent of the US population now lives within 30 minutes of a store. The goal is to meet customers on their terms, whether that's through a chatbot, a text, or walking into a retail store. But let's be real. The AI assistant is doing most of the work now.

Verizon unveils AI-powered customer overhaul 'Project 624' By Investing.com

Investing.com -- Verizon Communications Inc (NYSE:VZ). unveiled a multi-pronged overhaul of its consumer services Monday, debuting a suite of artificial intelligence-driven tools, retail expansions, and live agent support aimed at reshaping its customer experience. Dubbed the company's most significant transformation in years, the initiative, called "Project 624," underscores Verizon's push to add personalization and reduce customer churn across its massive user base. The launch includes a dedicated "Customer Champion" support system powered by Google's AI models, a revamped MyVerizon app with greater personalization, and 24/7 live chat support. Verizon also touted physical store growth, adding nearly 400 retail locations over the last two years, placing 93% of the U.S. population within 30 minutes of a store. "Today marks another significant step in our ongoing consumer business transformation journey that began two years ago," said Hans Vestberg, Verizon Chairman and CEO. "We are setting a new standard for customer innovation by focusing on both people and technology, using the most advanced AI to make the customer experience simpler, faster, and more rewarding." As part of the rollout, Verizon launched a summer rewards campaign through MyAccess, its customer rewards platform, giving away 35,000 prizes including concert tickets to events featuring Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, as well as branded gift cards. On the network side, the company reaffirmed its position as the operator of the largest and fastest 5G network in the country, with continued investment into mobile and fixed wireless services. While the company highlighted the transformation as industry-leading, investor reactions were mixed. Sam McHugh of BNP Paribas (OTC:BNPQY) Exane reiterated an "Outperform" rating and $51 price target but noted that many of the moves may be "small incremental changes and not hugely disruptive to the wider industry." McHugh described the updates as more "hygiene factors" than game-changing innovations, particularly in light of Verizon's 2025 growth aspirations. "While none of these factors appear to be a huge game changer, the fine margins of Verizon's 'better than 2024' net add guide means that even small changes could help reduce churn in the back half of 2025," he wrote. Still, the enhanced offerings could provide tighter customer retention capabilities and align with Verizon's broader goal to emphasize service revenue, EBITDA, and free cash flow ahead of raw subscriber additions. As the telecom sector grapples with a plateaued U.S. market, targeted pricing tweaks and digital enhancements may provide a path to modest growth without sacrificing financial discipline.