Intercontinental Trust Limited (ITL) is one of the leading management companies in Mauritius, with over 25 years of operations in the financial services sector. ITL has become a pioneer in the financial sector by delivering high quality services based on continuity, stability and consistency.
ITL has always embraced innovation and lately deployed Amelia, an AI (artificial intelligence) receptionist. By adopting this technology, ITL has taken on the mantle of being one of the first companies in Mauritius to offer this cutting-edge and automated customer support service, while ensuring that all data remains strictly confidential, secure, and contained within ITL’s protected systems.
The AI receptionist, going by the name of Amelia, answers various questions — often recurring queries — from callers, such as those about the company’s services or job opportunities. Additionally, Amelia has been adapted as a visual avatar for HR purposes, notably being deployed at career fairs to provide information about employment opportunities at ITL.
ITL operates in the financial services sector and counts multinationals among its clients, implying that the company must always be geared to take calls from customers. With Amelia at the helm, no calls are missed after traditional business hours, to ensure continuity of service, without ever compromising data privacy or confidentiality.
We spoke to Yan Ng, Executive Director at ITL, to delve deeper into the technical and human aspects of introducing Amelia, the first AI receptionist for a management company in Mauritius:
Q: ITL has always been a pioneer in introducing innovative corporate solutions and now, the first to introduce an AI receptionist to serve customers. How did the idea of this path-breaking innovation come about?
At ITL, innovation is not just a buzzword. It is embedded in our culture and strategy. We have been actively following the rapid advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially the rise of agentic AI that enables systems to operate autonomously, as we have seen in smart assistants for example. While exploring how this could translate into our business context to benefit our own service ecosystem, we identified a relevant use case in enhancing how we manage customer interactions, and that is how Amelia, our AI receptionist, came to life born out of a desire to deliver round-the-clock service, improve client responsiveness, and reinforce ITL’s positioning as a forward-thinking, tech-savvy firm. Amelia is not just about automation; she reflects our commitment to combining cutting-edge technology with our human-centred approach to service delivery.
We also used the avatar version of Amelia at the recent Mauritius Finance career fair to provide information about job opportunities at ITL. This is an innovative and engaging way to connect with job seekers.
Q: We understand that Amelia takes client calls and then the data is stored on a server. Could you tell us what happens next with the data in terms of mining insights and contributing to service efficiency at ITL?
Absolutely. Amelia does more than just answer calls, she captures and logs each interaction in a secure system, including call recordings and metadata. All call logs and recordings are reviewed daily to ensure that no client request is missed. Based on the analysis, we follow up with clients either via phone or email. This helps us ensure timely responses, identify common queries, and continuously improve service delivery.
Q: We note that Amelia is powered by agentic AI, an advanced form of AI technology currently doing the rounds. What is the difference between traditional AI and agentic AI?
Traditional AI typically provides outputs based on predefined models and logic. It works within a fixed set of rules or pre-trained models to produce outputs when prompted. Think of it as responding to instructions: you ask a question, it gives an answer, based on historical data or programmed logic.
Agentic AI, on the other hand, is capable of making autonomous decisions and initiating actions towards a goal; it doesn’t just respond, it acts with purpose based on context. This makes agentic AI incredibly powerful for service innovation, particularly in enhancing responsiveness and improving user experience in a more intelligent and intuitive way.
Q: Going ahead, how will Amelia’s intervention make operations at ITL more efficient?
Amelia is continuously being trained to become more intelligent and context aware. She is designed to evolve alongside our business needs. She will eventually assist not just with client queries but also internal support tasks, improving the overall client experience while freeing up our team to focus on more complex, value-adding work. By automating some tasks, Amelia frees up our professionals to concentrate on higher-value, more strategic work such as advisory, relationship-building, or complex structuring. Ultimately, Amelia is part of a wider digital transformation journey at ITL, aimed at delivering smarter service, driving productivity, and ensuring we remain responsive in an increasingly fast-paced environment, while maintaining the highest standards of data protection, compliance, and client confidentiality.
Q: Looking beyond ITL, do you think this model could be adopted by other sectors or companies in Mauritius in the near future?
Absolutely. The potential is vast. This type of intelligent, autonomous technology can be adapted to a wide range of industries and operational needs in Mauritius. From handling booking requests in hospitality and commercial sectors, to conducting surveys and even client onboarding. For instance, in the hospitality sector, AI receptionists could manage booking requests. In healthcare, they could assist with appointment scheduling or even send follow-up reminders. It is a scalable solution that can bring value across multiple industries. In all cases, the responsible use of AI and protection of client information must remain paramount. That principle underpins everything we do at ITL.
