Chatbot cuts DBS Indonesia’s manual support load

Bank DBS Indonesia has reduced its manual customer service load by as much as 80% through Guided Conversation, a virtual assistant integrated into the bank’s mobile app.

Launched to meet rising demand for fast, around-the-clock digital support, the feature uses chatbot-guided prompts to automate common banking queries, whilst escalating complex cases to human agents.

“Customers today value immediacy,” Sujatno Polina, head of technology and operations at DBS Indonesia, told Asian Banking & Finance. “They want to bank on their terms, not around the bank’s schedule.”

An internal 2024 study found that 90% of new customers joined through digital channels, whilst 60% of users expected service issues to be resolved in under 10 minutes.

Guided Conversation addresses this shift by enabling 24/7 self-service for tasks such as card delivery tracking, account information retrieval, and loan application updates.

“Our approach was not just to automate responses, but to create a system that feels intuitive and personal,” Sujatno said in an emailed reply to questions. “It’s not about replacing human support; it’s about freeing up our teams to handle what truly needs a human touch.”

The state-owned lender’s platform is also built with secure access in mind. It uses two-factor authentication, know-your-customer (KYC) protocols, and soft token provisioning to ensure safe and verified usage.

Since launch, user adoption has jumped from 600 in January 2024 to 10,200 in March 2025—a 17-fold increase—whilst operational costs dropped 25%.

In June last year, the bank launched the GC Card Delivery feature, which helped lower card delivery inquiries from the third-most common customer request to the 11th.

“Customer satisfaction has risen 18% since launch,” Sujatno said. “This is a leap forward, and we’re continuing to evolve it with artificial intelligence (AI)-powered natural language processing (NLP).”

The next phase will integrate AI and NLP to better interpret customer intent and deliver personalised responses. “With AI and NLP, we’re moving from reactive support to proactive guidance, helping customers even before they ask,” he added.