Singtel Partners with Bret Taylor's Sierra AI to Launch Singlish-Speaking Customer Service Agents in Singapore

Singapore's telecom leader Singtel has forged a key partnership with Silicon Valley's Sierra to revolutionize customer service through advanced AI agents.

The initiative began with a pilot in late January 2026, enhancing Singtel's virtual assistant Shirley in its Singapore customer care operations.

Pilot Delivers Impressive Early Results

Within six weeks, Shirley managed over 70,000 customer cases on mobile issues and roaming services.

It autonomously resolved 73% of mobile and home troubleshooting requests and 76% of roaming sign-ups without human help.

Shirley's upgrades enable natural conversations, rapid responses, and understanding of local Singlish expressions.

Expansion Plans and Executive Vision

Singtel aims to introduce voice-based AI for outbound calls while upholding compliance standards.

This technology could soon reach other departments and enterprise clients.

Ng Tian Chong, CEO of Singtel Singapore, noted that AI deployment will boost service quality and free teams for complex tasks.

Company Backgrounds and Industry Impact

Sierra, co-founded by ex-Salesforce leader Bret Taylor, offers agentic AI with security and human oversight.

As part of Singtel's sweeping AI push, this move highlights telecom's shift toward efficient, personalized digital interactions.

Looking ahead, such innovations promise widespread transformation in customer engagement across Asia's telecom sector.