SK Telecom to roll out AI across T World stores

SK Telecom announced Wednesday that it will introduce AI across its T World offline stores to drive improvements in customer service.

The company has begun development and infrastructure work to deploy in-store AI agents and other tools starting in September, building on data gathered through AI-based surveys. The rollout follows the launch of a store star-rating system on T World platforms in June.

SK Telecom plans to integrate AI technology across the full customer experience — from browsing for a store to in-person consultations — and to advance its capabilities in stages. The company said the initiative marks a shift for telecom offline stores, moving beyond simple activation and consultation counters toward spaces that use customer data to improve service quality on their own.

As a first step, SK Telecom is making store information more transparent so customers can easily find the location that best suits their needs. Since June, the T World website and app have displayed star ratings for individual stores based on a customer recommendation index compiled from actual visitors.

The customer recommendation index is derived from satisfaction and recommendation surveys conducted using an AI call service powered by speech-to-text recognition. By presenting the results as easy-to-read star ratings, the company allows customers to check service quality — including how friendly a store is — before deciding which location to visit.

SK Telecom plans to combine customer experience data collected through AI with store-level data to build a personalized store search feature on the online T World platform by 2027. The company also plans to gradually expand an AI consultation analysis function.

The analysis function uses AI to automatically review and summarize consultation content. It is currently being piloted at about 300 stores nationwide under a "safe consultation recording" service as the company refines the feature.

In addition, SK Telecom will promote an online consultation and appointment reservation service to minimize wait times and raise the quality of in-person consultations. When customers book a visit in advance and specify their purpose, the store can send relevant guidance beforehand, allowing staff to provide tailored consultations from the moment the customer arrives.

The AI rollout at T World stores targets not only customers but also franchise owners and T Crew staff who run the locations directly. SK Telecom plans to embed AI into the consultation process to deliver faster, more expert service, and to develop dedicated AI agents for franchise owners and T Crew members to significantly reduce the burden of repetitive tasks.

An AI agent for franchise owners will be piloted first, with a target launch in September. An agent for T Crew members is under development with a pilot planned for the second half of the year. Both agents will provide real-time answers to work-related questions that arise during customer consultations and will diagnose staff members' weaker consultation areas, suggesting ways to improve — with the overall aim of raising employees' consultation capabilities across the board.

SK Telecom expects that swift, precise and personalized consulting enabled by AI agents will substantially boost customer trust in its offline stores.

"The ultimate goal of introducing AI to T World stores is to listen more closely to the voice of the customer and bring about real change toward a more customer-friendly store," said Koo Hyun-cheol, head of SK Telecom's Sales & Marketing division. "We will transform T World stores into a trusted telecom partner that customers feel comfortable visiting at any time, by lowering the psychological barrier to entry and building greater confidence."