Sber presents Smart Auto Reply solution: Salute assistants to leave customized answers to people on user’s contact list and take on communication with couriers and spammers

The Salute application has added a Smart Auto Reply solution, which is Sber's response to the growing number of spam calls and identical communications over the phone. The Salute virtual assistants can now take on interactions on matters the user is ready to delegate to them, like talking to delivery companies. The move ushers yet another vital stage in the evolution of the Salute assistants as full-fledge personal assistants - they will answer an incoming call, talk to the caller, and give the user a message.

The solution steps in when the user cannot answer the call, does not want to do that or is simply outside of the coverage zone. The new feature will also help protect users - unknown callers can be redirected to the virtual assistants, so the user will not waste time on spam and avoid scams. To activate the service, simply make a voice request by saying, "Salute, turn on the auto reply." Soon, the Smart Auto Reply will also be available in the SberBank Online mobile application.

The service has a function that is unique in Russia, allowing users to set up personalized responses for numbers from their contact list. For example, when your mother calls, and you are in the middle of a meeting, the Salute assistants will say that you are busy right now and tell her not to worry. If you take a day off in the middle of the week, the assistant will inform your co-workers that you will definitely contact them when you come back to work. The assistants always introduce themselves and talk on their own behalf, so as not to make the impression that the caller is taking with a live person. They will also never confirm anything on behalf of the user - for example, a service marketed by a spam message - the automatic responder does not have consent responses in its scripts.

Individual response scenarios can be created for unknown numbers and calls from organizations. Here is one way of doing this: when the Salyut virtual assistants recognize that the call comes from by a Delivery Club courier, they will say that you cannot pick up the phone, dictate the intercom code, and ask the courier to leave the order at the door. Another possible scenario is expecting a call to confirm a doctor's appointment at the clinic, but you cannot answer and the assistants will do it for you. Calls from couriers and organizations are recognized by the phone number, as well as by the content of the message. If during a call the assistant realizes that the user is being called about delivery - for example, they hear the phrase "Can you accept the order within an hour?" - it will use a scripted answer. You can customize your unique responses for different organizations.

Naturally, the service can simply identify numbers and receive messages the way an answering machine does. Due to the technology SberDevices created, users do not have to listen to the recording of the call - after the call, you will receive a push notification with a link to the message, its full transcript, and the original recording.

Konstantin Kruglov, CEO of SberDevices, senior vice president for new digital surfaces, Sberbank: