LEO: Consistency in Innovation, Trendsetting

 LEO, United Bank for Africa’s Artificial Intelligence Chatbot, which simplifies processes and conversations, has upgraded. Chiemelie Ezeobi reports that aside a feature of the introduction in a 3D animated format and move to Instagram, it highlights Leo’s trendsetting role and consistency in innovation

For United Bank for Africa (UBA), the launch of LEO, its Artificial Intelligence Chatbot, four years ago was to simplify processes and conversations for its millions of customers. 
Striving to remain Africa’s leading Ai Chatbot, the bank has continuously changed the face of digital banking in Nigeria.
Essentially, LEO is an artificial intelligence personality bringing banking through a simple conversation as a chat buddy who is always available 24/7 and is an repository of knowledge, especially when it comes to helping with banking services.

Already,  Leo is present in 20 African countries and in three languages and has a number of rich and robust features bound to “mesmerise existing and potential customers with services that are extremely fast and secure as all transactions and inquiries are encrypted, end-to-end,” the bank opined. 

UpgradeRecently, UBA added a surprise upgrade to Leo as it launched on Instagram and GBC. This featured its introduction in a 3D animated format.

Given that Leo has always been in 2D, it evolved into the 3D format to make customer’s interaction feel more real, thus making Leo to be perceived as more than a digital channel and UBA as more than a bank. 

Also, being a tested, dependable and intelligent personality, Leo replicated on WhatsApp the success it recorded on the Facebook Messenger platform where it started its journey and later on the IOS (iPhone Operating System) platform. Now it has upgraded to Instagram. 

“We call Leo’s world, Leoverse. This 3D Avatar also positions UBA to take advantage of current like Metaverse and future innovations. This move highlights Leo’s trendsetting role and consistency in innovation,” the Group Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa(UBA) Plc, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka opined.

He added that “Leo is UBA’s chat banking solution allowing customers to transact while using social media apps. The uniqueness of Leo lies in the convenience. Customers can initiate transactions without leaving their favoured phone applications. 
“By bringing Leo to the comfort zone of proximal customers, UBA’s chat banking became a pioneer innovation and we have since enjoyed leadership status in the chat banking space. By making use of an effective marketing strategy, UBA can continue to improve status and reach intended goal of being Africa’s premier banking institution. 
“Since his creation in 2018, Leo has exemplified this goal. His availability on WhatsApp, Facebook, Apple Business Chat and now launching on Instagram & Google Business Chat present opportunities to serve customers 360 degrees regardless of age and behavioural demographics.

“The uniqueness of Leo lies in the convenience of using it without customers having to leave their favoured phone applications. Customers can shop for their items on Instagram and payment directly on Instagram or transfer searching for an item on Google,” he added. 

Pioneer InnovationUzoka added that by bringing Leo to the comfort zone of ” our customers, UBA’s chat banking became a pioneer innovation, and we have since enjoyed leadership status in the chat banking space. It also shows UBA as a tech driven organisation with her customer’s interest in mind.
“The innovative AI chatbot also boasts of remarkable innovative features that allows customers to make banking services easier. These and many more will be available across all the channels Leo has presence”, he surmised.

Meanwhile, note that the bank presently offers banking services to more than 25 million customers across over 1,000 business offices and customer touch points in 20 African countries. With presence in the United States of America, the United Kingdom and France, UBA is connecting people and businesses across Africa through retail; commercial and corporate banking; innovative cross-border payments and remittances; trade finance and ancillary banking services.So for the bank, LEO is one of the bank’s biggest investments in cutting-edge technology and has been steadily changing the face of banking in the continent. This is in tandem with UBA’s vision to always remain a dominating force in Africa’s digital banking space.
To achieve this, they must provide unparalleled experience across all channels, thus why as a technology-driven institution, LEO is key.

FeaturesFrom bills payment to buying data, funds transfer, budgeting: savings plan/spend limit, linking and funding of Prepaid card, account opening, viewing mini and full account statement, statement to Embassy/other banks/Microfinance, balance Enquiry, and linking new account, Leo does it all. 
Its other features include telling the weather, banking services like request/stop/confirm cheque, block card, freeze account; complaint Module: Log and track complaints; flight booking,ATM/Branch Locator, and Live Chat. Login begins with simple steps like using UBA account or a UBA Prepaid card.

Summarily, the AI Chat Bot’s goal is to make banking services less boring by making transactions simple, easy and fast just by having a conversation.

Artificial Intelligence
 Artificial Intelligence (Ai) is the ‘in thing’ now. This is because globally, the hype around Artificial Intelligence keeps accelerating as the end goal is to simplify conversations and processes. 
This is why UBA, through Leo, its flagship Ai Chatbot, has tapped into it to simplify the banking process for its millions of customers across the globe, while strengthening conversations. 
Four years down the line, the Chat Bothas proven to be the most formidable artificial intelligence chat bot till date; serving an ever-increasing over four million clientele who now have less transaction hassles to worry about.

As expected, given the roaring success of Leo, the bank is bent on not just consolidating its successes and accolades, but also carrying out periodic and systematic upgrade with special emphasis on enhanced advancements and specialised unique features.

Quote
“By bringing Leo to the comfort zone of proximal customers, UBA’s chat banking became a pioneer innovation and we have since enjoyed leadership status in the chat banking space”