Best Buy announces GenAI customer service assistant days after Geek Squad layoffs

Best Buy is planning to deploy a generative AI-powered virtual assistant to provide customers with a “self-service option” on its website and app, or via the old-fashioned customer service call.

The electronics retailer is developing the technology in partnership with Google Cloud and Accenture, and plans to roll it out later this summer. The announcement comes amid reports that Best Buy is laying off employees of its Geek Squad subsidiary, which provides hands-on technology assistance to customers.

The new virtual assistant will help customers troubleshoot product issues, as well as more standard customer service inquiries such as rescheduling deliveries and managing customer subscriptions and memberships.

Best Buy joins a growing list of retailers embracing GenAI to help bolster their digital customer experience.

“These new gen AI-powered capabilities further enhance our commitment to deliver better, more personalized experiences to our customers by unlocking the power of people,” Brian Tilzer, chief digital analytics and technology officer, said in a statement.

GenAI tech will also be available to customer care agents internally to “help reduce the mental workload for agents, allowing them to better focus on personally connecting with the Best Buy customer,” according to a press release. For example, the tools will recap conversations, detect how customers felt about the interaction, and provide real-time feedback.

Front-line employees will be able to use similar AI-driven tech to increase their access to company resources such as product guides.

“Retailers are increasingly tapping into gen AI to create more seamless customer experiences and empower employees with new tools to make their work more impactful,” Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, said in a statement.