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What are Conversational AI Calls for Payment Collections?
What is Conversational AI (robots)?
These SMART conversational robots call customers who have not paid after their due date.
The robot call serves as a payment reminder only to help keep the accounts of SMART postpaid customers active.
Following are the Conversational robots’ names deployed per call campaigns:
- Cindy is dedicated to doing outbound calls for PLDT Collections
- Chloe is dedicated to doing outbound calls for PLDT Churn
- Celine is dedicated to doing outbound calls for SMART Collections
- Cassey is dedicated to doing outbound calls for SMART Churn
Why am I being called by a robot to remind me of my SMART bill?
We use a robot to remind our valued customers of their SMART bills because it enables us to reach more customers promptly and efficiently.
The automated system allows us to provide a helpful reminder to prevent service disconnection due to missed payments.
How often will I receive the AI Bot payment reminders?
The AI Bot payment reminder is designed to send reminders starting from day 35 after the due date.
If payment is made, the reminders will stop. If we cannot contact the customer and the outstanding balance remains unpaid, we will continue to call up to two (2) times daily from 9 am to 6 pm, Monday to Sunday (except SMART Collections – no bot calls on Sundays).
Can I customize the frequency and timing of the AI Bot reminders?
No, our AI robots cannot call you back. Instead, if you advise our robot of your preferred schedule (day, date, time), our SMART employees will hand it over to our live agents for re-call out.
From the SMART perspective, the robot’s call attempts can be customized twice daily.
What happens if I miss a payment?
If you have reached your payment due date, you will be included in the list of accounts that will be called for payment reminders by bots.
Is my data secure with AI Bot?
AI Bot has passed our Data Privacy and Cyber Security requirements to ensure your data is well handled and secured.
How can I stop receiving AI Bot payment reminders?
You will stop receiving AI Bot payment reminders once you pay your bill in full and on time.
How do I know that the reminders are legit and not a scam?
AI Bot payment reminders are legitimate and come from our system. They include your account and outstanding balance details.
Please get in touch with us through our official channels to verify if you need clarification on a call or message. Your security and privacy are important to us.
PRIVACY NOTICE
SMART Conversational Artificial Intelligence
Smart Communications, Inc. (“SMART” or “We”) respects your fundamental right to privacy and we commit to take great care in safeguarding your personal data. As We use the Smart Conversational Artificial Intelligence (“SMART Conversational AI”) system to contact you, and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act, We share with you the principles that govern how your data will be collected, processed, and shared.
Why we collect and process your personal data
The SMART Conversational AI system allows SMART to do call-outs to SMART Postpaid Customers under varying scenarios, such as when We need to reach out to you for bill payment reminders or when We need to inform you of possible account settlement options that you may explore. Do note that the SMART Conversational AI system will not involve a human agent, but instead, you will be conversing with a type of AI called a natural language processor (“NLP”) which is able to understand your spoken speech and respond based to what you say.
When We use the SMART Conversational AI system, We utilize Smart Postpaid customer-on-record (“COR”) data for the following purposes:
| Data Item | Purpose |
|---|---|
| COR Mobile Number | So that the SMART Conversational AI system may reach out to you through a voice call. The Mobile number is also declared by the SMART Conversational AI system to the recipient of the call, to confirm if the individual being called is the account owner to which the Mobile number is connected to. |
| COR Other contact number | So that the SMART Conversational AI system may reach out to you through a voice call if it is unable to reach you through your Mobile Number. |
| COR first and last name | To validate if the person being called is the COR, or is an authorized representative (“AR”) of the COR (the SMART Conversational AI system will ask the person who answered the call for the COR name to validate an identity). |
| COR birthday | To validate if the person being called is the COR, or is an AR (the SMART Conversational AI system will ask the person who answered the call for the COR birthday to validate an identity). |
| COR last bill payment details | To validate if the person being called is the COR, or is an AR (the SMART Conversational AI system will ask the person who answered the call for the details of the last bill payment). |
| SMART Postpaid Account bill balance and due date | The SMART Conversational AI system will declare this to the COR/AR, as part of the reminder for the unsettled bill. |
Once identities have been verified, the SMART Conversational AI system will request for consent from the person being called as a condition for the call to proceed; this consent applies to SMART use of artificial intelligence (AI) to process your data (this consent will only apply to the current call only and will not apply to future AI based processing that SMART may conduct).
The SMART Conversational AI system will also request for consent for the call to be recorded (for purposes of reference, in cases of complaints, and for SMART internal audits).
During the call, the SMART Conversational AI system may collect information/answers from you, for example, when you plan to pay your bill, or if you want to request for a bill payment extension, or if you want to speak to a human agent instead.
Do note that after the call, there will be a process where the audio recording will be converted to a transcript (i.e., to text) which will be used as reference by SMART on how to handle the settlement of your bill moving forward based on your responses to the SMART Conversational AI system.
Why your personal data is shared
We have engaged the services of e-PLDT, Inc. (“e-PLDT”) for the development, hosting, operations, and maintenance of the PLDT Conversational AI system. e-PLDT has partnered with Wiz Holdings PTE Limited (“Wiz”), as the provider of the NLP solution.
When your personal data is disclosed, we ensure that it is done on a confidential basis, through secure channels, and in compliance with applicable privacy laws and regulations. Only personnel with a need-to-know will have access to your personal data.
Data within the SMART Conversational AI system will be retained for twelve (12) months for the purpose of maintaining consent records, performance metrics, internal audits, and for complaint or aftersales handling.
How your personal data is protected
The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your personal data is important to us. This is why we strictly enforce this Privacy Notice within SMART and have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities. Your personal data is also protected from other natural and human dangers.
We likewise require e-PLDT and its partners to implement an equivalent level of these security measures in their respective operations.
Your rights and choices
The Data Privacy Act gives you certain rights to your personal data. Subject to exceptions under the law, you are entitled to request:
1. Access to the personal data we process about you;
2. Rectification of your personal data if it is found to be outdated, inaccurate, or incomplete;
3. Erasure of your personal data in cases where it is no longer needed to achieve the legitimate purpose of its processing;
4. Restriction of processing of your personal data in limited circumstances;
5. Portability of your personal data so that you may receive a copy thereof or that we transmit the same to another company on your behalf.
Depending on the circumstances, such as when we process your personal data based on your consent, you may also have the right to object to the processing thereof. If you believe that your data privacy rights have been violated through the SMART Conversational AI system, then we encourage you to contact SMART’s Data Privacy Officer to seek resolution of your complaint. You also have the right to go directly to the National Privacy Commission or to make a claim against SMART before a competent court.
To exercise any of your rights, you may get in touch with our Data Privacy Officer through:
SMART Communications Inc.
Data Privacy Office
Ramon Cojuangco Building, Makati Avenue, Makati City 1200 Philippines
dpo@smart.com.ph