PUNE:  Airtel today marked Customer Day 2026, a mass movement within the organization focused on understanding customer pain points and continuously improving its delivered experiences. Nearly twenty thousand Airtel employees—from leadership teams to functional specialists—stepped out of their offices and into the field, working alongside frontline teams to engage directly with customers, shadowing field engineers, visiting homes and shops, and interacting at retail and service centres to gain an unfiltered view of the issues that matter most. Customer Day at Airtel serves as a deliberate pause for the organisation to introspect and ask a simple but critical question: what more can we do for our customers?

Commenting on the initiative, Shashwat Sharma, Managing Director and CEO, Airtel India, said: “Customer Day is an important reminder of our responsibility to listen deeply, challenge ourselves, and act with urgency. It strengthens our commitment to solving pain points, simplifying experiences, and continuously raising the standard of service we deliver to millions of our customers every day.”

This ritual and the culture of solving for customer pain points have been central to many of Airtel’s customer‑first innovations. From stronger spam and fraud protection to simpler, more intuitive digital journeys through the Airtel app and wider access to new‑age, AI‑enabled tools, Airtel’s solutions have been shaped by listening.

Customer Day also reinforces Airtel’s belief that experience improvement is not episodic, but continuous. By listening closely to customers and acting decisively on their feedback, the company continues to simplify processes, remove friction, and design services that are reliable, intuitive, and responsive. It unites Airtel behind a single, enduring purpose: to be a company where customer obsession is not a slogan, but a culture—one that drives constant improvement and ensures that every decision begins and ends with the customer.

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PUNE:  Shoppers Stop, India’s leading fashion, lifestyle, and gifting destination, turned one customer’s wedding shopping journey into the experience of a lifetime. As part of its highly successful India Weds campaign, Shoppers Stop announced Mr. Arjun Chavhan from Pune as the lucky winner of a dream holiday to Europe.

The felicitation ceremony at Shoppers Stop, Westend Mall, Aundh was a thoughtfully curated affair that celebrated Arjun’s milestone with Shoppers Stop in style. Welcomed with floral décor and a red carpet, Arjun’s celebration featured a photo zone, cake-cutting, and the symbolic cheque reveal, making the moment unforgettable and reflecting Shoppers Stop’s thoughtful approach to marking customer milestones. It was a perfect embodiment of the India Weds campaign – a landmark initiative that positions Shoppers Stop as the one-stop premium destination for India’s wedding tribe. From Haldi to Reception, the campaign highlights how the brand walks alongside customers through every step of their wedding journey, offering curated fashion, beauty, and gifting all under one roof.

“At Shoppers Stop, we cherish every celebration with our customers. Through our ‘India Weds with Shoppers Stop’ initiative, we are excited to express our heartfelt gratitude by creating truly unforgettable experiences. This season, the love and trust of our customers have inspired us to redefine wedding shopping and offer rewards that exceed expectations – including a dream trip to Europe as our way of saying thank you,”

said Jiten Mahendra, Customer Care Associate and Chief Marketing Officer, Shoppers Stop.

With over 500 premium brands, Personal Shopper services, and loyalty benefits via its First Citizen Club, Shoppers Stop continues to lead the premiumisation journey in Indian retail, one elevated customer experience at a time.

This celebration in Pune is part of a Pan-India winner felicitation series, with similar moments planned across Hyderabad and Bengaluru, for winners of the India Weds with Shoppers Stop campaign.

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Some of the financial solutions partners onboarded through this initiative are True Blue Asset Services Pvt. Ltd. (Hyderabad), CorpCare Investech Private Limited (Mumbai), and Connect Residuary Private Limited (Mumbai). Each partner brings extensive experience and a robust network of financial institutions, enabling Scania customers to access a wider range of financing options tailored to their operational and business needs. The collaborations ensure hassle-free loan processing with streamlined documentation and quicker approvals, minimizing downtime.

With these collaborations, customers will benefit from simplified loan procedures, faster approvals, and access to custom-built financial products that include structured EMIs, leasing models, and flexible repayment terms. These offerings are especially suited for Scania’s off-road and heavy-duty commercial vehicles,

“Our customers operate in some of the most demanding sectors of the economy. Access to fast, flexible financing should never be a barrier to progress,” said Silvio Munhoz, Managing Director, Scania Commercial Vehicles India Pvt. Ltd. “By building strong financial partnerships, we are not just enabling vehicle purchases but empowering businesses to scale with confidence, backed by solutions that support their long-term growth.”

Scania’s move to bolster financing support reflects its broader customer-centric approach, ensuring that ownership of high-performance vehicles becomes more accessible and financially viable for businesses across India. By embedding financing into the Solutions Sales strategy, Scania India is not only addressing key customer pain points but also reinforcing its role as a value-driven partner in enterprise growth.

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With increasing pressure on financial institutions to balance compliance and convenience, Gridlines Video KYC delivers an AI-driven approach that combines facial recognition, document OCR, fraud detection, and live audits—all within a user-friendly, multilingual interface. Designed for scale, it works reliably even in low-bandwidth environments and integrates easily with core banking and CRM systems.

“At Gridlines, we see customer onboarding as more than a regulatory formality. It’s the first opportunity to build trust and deliver value. With Video KYC, our vision was to create a solution that’s fully compliant, intuitive, fast, and scalable,” said Vineet Bansal, Co-founder & COO at OnGrid, Gridlines & eLockr.

“From day one, our priority was to create a configurable and AI-driven platform that delivers fast results without compromising on security or compliance,” said Vaibhav Yadav, Head of Product, OnGrid, Gridlines & eLockr.“The result is a powerful yet flexible Video KYC solution that can be tailored to fit diverse BFSI workflows, ensuring institutions can go live quickly and scale effortlessly.”

KYC sessions can be completed in under two minutes, with configurable workflows and dynamic agent allocation supporting use cases across loans, insurance, and account openings. End-to-end encryption, secure data storage, and built-in audit trails ensure the platform meets the highest standards of data protection and regulatory adherence.

This launch reinforces Gridlines’ commitment to powering efficient, compliant, and customer-centric digital journeys for the BFSI sector.

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MUMBAI: Poonawalla Fincorp Limited (PFL), a Cyrus Poonawalla Group-promoted NBFC focused on Consumer and MSME lending, today announced the deployment of AI-powered solutions in its marketing and compliance functions, reshaping the way it engages with customers digitally and responds to regulatory requirements with greater agility.

As part of its marketing transformation, PFL is developing a suite of AI-powered solutions to build a robust and scalable data-driven ecosystem, redefining customer engagement and marketing strategies. These solutions aim to enhance customer targeting precision, optimize acquisition costs, and deliver personalized experiences, driving efficiency and growth.

PFL has deployed an AI-driven customer targeting solution to identify and engage high-quality borrowers with precision. Through an AI-driven tool, the company has created over 100 cohorts and personas, continuously enhancing them with each iteration to sharpen its focus on attracting high-quality borrowers across various digital platforms. This targeted approach has strengthened performance marketing efforts and enhanced organic conversion efficiencies, driving better engagement and sustainable growth.

To drive efficiency at scale, PFL is using AI for performance marketing optimization and has launched 80-100 automated retargeting campaigns across its web and app platforms. By using real-time data and insights, the company is developing multiple communication strategies tailored to specific customers, locations, languages, and other factors.

PFL has undertaken a website transformation, revamping its digital presence to offer seamless experiences. New features such as a self-serve customer portal, QR-code-based referral journeys, and credit score checks provide customers with greater control and convenience. In phase 2, the company plans to introduce 24-hour support powered by conversational-AI and integrate a multilingual interface with 5 new languages for broader inclusivity. Additionally, the company will leverage Gen AI based content creation platforms to support a 10X increase in generating high impact customized content for customer engagement across website and app.

Simultaneously, the company has unveiled an AI-powered compliance solution built fully in-house to modernize its regulatory response infrastructure. The solution analyzes new advisories issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), maps them to internal company policies, and identifies areas requiring immediate action. It works by scanning regulatory inputs, flagging impacted policy clauses, and offering actionable recommendations to the compliance and business functions for swift closure. In the initial phase, PFL will combine human review of full documents with AI-generated output to ensure accuracy and quality.

In its next phase, the compliance AI platform will be able to auto-generate comprehensive compliance notes — a process that previously took two to three days. The system is designed to work in tandem with the compliance team, providing insights and recommendations while ensuring human oversight and control at every stage.

Commenting on the developments, Arvind Kapil, Managing Director & CEO of Poonawalla Fincorp, said, “At Poonawalla Fincorp, we view AI as a catalyst for responsible innovation. We aim to develop an accurate, future-ready model that delivers unbiased and consistent output. We are anticipating customer needs and moving with agility in a fast-changing environment. This is not just digital transformation—we are making a deliberate effort to strengthen our marketing and compliance functions by combining predictive technology with human oversight. We have laid the foundation for future-ready models with human oversight to increase speed and transparency.”

PFL’s dual-track investment in front-end personalization and back-end governance reaffirms its commitment to becoming a future-ready lender that delivers both experience and integrity at scale. The company has already deployed AI-powered solutions across key functions, including debt management, HR, underwriting, audit, and governance.

Through its risk-first approach, PFL continues to focus on simplifying lending, creating customer delight, and enhancing experiences, which remain its top priorities.

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BENGALURU: Global technology brand, OnePlus, today shared its vision for a future centred around personalized artificial intelligence for everyone. Supporting this vision, OnePlus unveiled the Plus Key, a new hardware customization which will debut on the upcoming OnePlus 13s, alongside a new OnePlus AI brand and a suite of new AI features designed to enhance productivity, creativity and security.

“The foundation of OnePlus AI is built upon a deep understanding of our users, and they’ve told us they want AI to help them work smart, play hard, and be their authentic selves,” said Arthur Lam, Director of OxygenOS and AI Strategy at OnePlus. “That’s why our mission for OnePlus AI is to help our users go All In On Life, creating personalised AI solutions based around our users’ unique wants and needs.”

Plus Key: A New Gateway to Personalized AI

Complementing the aim of a personalized AI experience, OnePlus introduced the all-new Plus Key. This customizable hardware button debuts on the upcoming OnePlus 13s and is planned to roll out across all OnePlus smartphones launching this year.

As an evolution of the iconic OnePlus Alert Slider, the Plus Key is a customizable button programmable for various actions like switching sound profiles, launching the camera, initiating translation, or starting recordings. Crucially, the Plus Key also activates AI Plus Mind, a new feature designed to quickly save, catalog, and recall key information found on the screen. This capability marks a major step towards delivering truly personalized AI.

When users find information they wish to retain, such as schedules, event details, reservations, or listings, they can capture it by pressing the Plus Key or swiping up with three fingers. AI Plus Mind intelligently saves the relevant on-screen content to a dedicated Mind Space, helping users combat information overload by capturing precisely what is needed and keeping it organized in one accessible location.

Beyond simple screen capture, AI Plus Mind leverages AI to analyze content contextually. For instance, it can extract schedule details from an image or text and add them directly to the user’s calendar. AI Search, integrated with AI Plus Mind, supports natural language queries for easy retrieval of saved content. Later this year, AI Plus Mind will also automatically categorize saved content for better organization.

AI Plus Mind will debut on the OnePlus 13s and become available on the rest of the OnePlus 13 Series via a future software update, with wider rollout plans for other devices to follow.

Work Smarter, Play Harder with OnePlus AI

OnePlus is actively developing a suite of tools leveraging OnePlus AI to enhance user efficiency and creativity:

• AI VoiceScribe: Enables users to record, summarize, and translate calls and meetings directly within popular messaging, video, and online meeting applications.
• AI Call Assistant (coming to India): On the OnePlus 13s, the OnePlus Dialer will offer options for automatic Call Summaries or real-time Call Translation during calls.
• AI Translation: Consolidates all translation capabilities – text, live voice, camera-based, and screen translation – into a single, intuitive app, making it easier to understand foreign languages and connect globally.
• AI Search: AI Search enables conversational, natural language queries, seamlessly searching local files, settings, notes, and calendars for contextually relevant results. Integrated with AI Plus Mind, it enhances productivity through intuitive, interactive searches.
• AI Reframe: Intelligently analyzes photo scenes, identifies the subject, and adjusts composition, generating multiple creative framing options for users to choose from.
• AI Best Face 2.0 (coming this summer through OTA): Enhances group photos by automatically detecting and correcting issues like closed eyes or suboptimal expressions for more polished results. This feature supports images with up to 20 individuals and works even with photos captured on other devices.

Furthermore, OnePlus has unveiled deeper integration with Google Gemini. Coming soon, Gemini will work across OxygenOS apps, such as OnePlus Notes, Clock, and more, as well as Google’s apps, making it a seamless AI experience.

With Gemini Live with camera and screen sharing, users will have real-time conversations about what is captured by their camera and what is on their phone screen, creating a more practical, engaging, and intimate interaction with their surroundings.

Private Computing Cloud: Balancing Privacy and Performance

For AI features involving highly sensitive information, OnePlus prioritizes on-device processing within a trusted environment. When more intensive computation is required, the company’s Private Computing Cloud provides a secure, encrypted environment for data processing, designed to keep user data private and inaccessible to unauthorized parties. This is achieved through a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) that spans the user’s device, the cloud servers, and the data transfer process itself.

With the hybrid approach, OnePlus ensures user privacy remains protected while delivering seamless and powerful AI performance.

Building a Personalized and Secure AI Future

OnePlus AI embodies an approach founded on understanding user needs and prioritizing data security through innovations like the PCC.

Through these advancements and a dedication to continuous innovation, OnePlus aims to deliver deeply personalized and secure AI experiences via an intelligent AI operating system that seamlessly integrates into and enhances users’ lives.

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To meet these rising expectations, more D2C brands and sellers are actively seeking fast, reliable, and cost-effective delivery solutions. While not aiming to match the ultra-fast timelines of quick-commerce platforms, D2C brands are accelerating the fulfillment of orders placed on their websites or marketplaces.

To support this growing demand for faster deliveries, logistics management platform Shipway has enhanced its services to include same-day, next-day, and hyperlocal delivery options across major metro cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Pune.

With these new offerings, brands can now choose between standard e-commerce delivery (2–3 days) or opt for expedited same-day and next-day options. Orders placed before a morning cut-off time qualify for same-day delivery, while those placed before 5 PM are eligible for next-day delivery—both within and between cities. Since January 2025, Shipway has achieved a 94% success rate for its next-day delivery service.

By leveraging a robust multi-courier network of hyperlocal partners, Shipway is now also facilitating hyperlocal deliveries, effectively bringing physical stores closer to the customer’s doorstep.

Saurabh Kumar Choudhary, Chief Business Officer at Shipway, said: “More brands are recognizing the value of faster delivery. Customers are increasingly expecting quick fulfillment, and when brands meet these expectations, it leads to higher conversion rates and improved customer loyalty. Fast deliveries also drive impulse purchases and help reduce return-to-origin (RTO) incidents, ultimately improving operational efficiency. At Shipway, we’re committed to enabling businesses, big or small, with better, faster, and competitively priced delivery solutions.”

Shipway will continue to expand its same-day, next-day, and hyperlocal delivery services to additional locations in the coming months

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INDIA: Hansa Research, India’s leading consumer insights firm, has released the 1^st edition of the Health Insurance Customer Experience Score (CuES) 2025 report. This comprehensive study offers a deep dive into the evolving preferences, expectations, and satisfaction levels of health insurance customers across the country, drawing insights from over 3,800 respondents across 12 health insurance brands, and presents a robust framework for insurers to sharpen their strategies and drive stronger customer engagement.

India’s health insurance sector, which saw a surge in adoption during the pandemic, continues to expand since then (albeit at a moderated pace), as consumers prioritize financial protection amidst rising medical costs. According to the report, nearly half (48%) of health insurance buyers cited ‘protection from rising healthcare expenses’ as the primary driver for purchasing insurance, reflecting heightened concern over medical inflation. Moreover, customers increasingly view health insurance not just as a financial product, but as a gateway to access quality healthcare and better health outcomes. We are also seeing that nearly 30% of Policyholders supplement existing corporate health coverage with additional policies.

As the health insurance landscape in India becomes increasingly competitive, with a mix of public sector giants, private insurers, and standalone health firms, understanding and improving customer experience is no longer optional. 

The Health Insurance CuES 2025 report pegs the Industry Net Promoter Score at 55%, and among the top-ranked brands, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, SBI General Insurance, and ICICI Lombard General Insurance emerge as standout performers. These brands are not only perceived as ‘trustworthy’ but also excel in product-related aspects, ease of claim filing, hospital network access, and customer support responsiveness, among other things.

Among these, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance is leading the rankings with an impressive Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 68%, winning customer loyalty through strong product delivery, digital support, excellent claims experience, and a well-rated hospital network. The brand has successfully positioned itself as a customer-centric insurer, fostering high levels of satisfaction and loyalty.

Sharing some insights on the Hansa Research, Health Insurance CuES report, Praveen Nijhara, CEO, Hansa Research, said, “The Health Insurance CuES 2025 report is a timely benchmark for the industry. It reflects a major shift in consumer mindset. Customers today are informed, vocal, and expect a seamless experience, and this highlights the importance of transparency, service quality, and innovation in building lasting trust.”

Key Findings from the Health Insurance CUES 2025 Report

1. Evolving Customer Expectations
   Customer expectations are rapidly changing, driven by a digital-first mindset for policy purchase and management. There is a clear preference for personalized, flexible, and wellness-oriented plans, which are associated with higher satisfaction and stronger brand affinity. Insurers that align offerings with these preferences are more likely to attract and retain today’s informed and health-conscious consumers.

2. Consumers’ brand preferences for health insurance 

Consumers’ preferences for health insurance brands are shaped by three core factors: the product offering, particularly the range and coverage of critical illnesses and plan flexibility; a strong and trustworthy brand reputation; and convenient access to 24/7 customer service. Notably, younger millennials place greater emphasis on round-the-clock support and seamless digital experiences, making these critical differentiators for insurers targeting this demographic.

3. Portability Empowers Consumers
   The growing ease of health insurance portability has shifted the balance of power toward the consumer, pushing insurers to focus on delivering value across the entire policyholder journey, not just at the point of acquisition. Increased competition is driving accountability. The study finds that premium increases, lack of transparency, and unsatisfactory claim experiences are the top reasons consumers switch providers. This highlights a growing demand for fair, transparent, and consistent service.

4. Claims Experience Remains a Key Challenge
   The claims process continues to be a critical friction point, with 55% of claimants reporting difficulties. Key concerns include limited hospital networks, pre-authorization delays, and slow payouts. These issues are even more pronounced among millennials, who have higher expectations for speed and simplicity. A smooth and efficient cashless claims process is strongly linked to overall satisfaction, underlining the need for insurers to invest in both digital capabilities and operational efficiency.

5. Barriers Among Non-Policyholders
   Despite rising awareness, several barriers continue to prevent non-policyholders from entering the health insurance ecosystem. The most cited concerns include a lack of perceived need/ benefits of health insurance, affordability, and complexity of terms and conditions. Addressing these barriers through clear communication, affordable micro-products, and simplified onboarding processes will be essential for expanding coverage and inclusion across demographics.

Piyali Chatterjee, Executive Vice President, CX, Hansa Research, said, “Expansion of network coverage, simplifying pre-authorization protocols, and ensuring timely settlements will improve customer trust. Addressing these issues is critical for strengthening India’s healthcare financing ecosystem and delivering a seamless insurance experience.”

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The countrywide outreach camps follow the RBI Monetary Policy Committee’s back-to-back rate cuts, which saw interest rates on bank credit fall 50 basis points. Union Bank’s MSME loan now starts at an affordable interest rate of 8.75%.

The programs will be conducted across 62 locations from April 28 to 30, 2025, bringing together existing and potential customers, industry associations, trade bodies, and government agencies. These events will serve as collaborative platforms to address financial needs, promote digital banking awareness, and introduce tailored financial solutions.

The MSME & CASA Outreach program will focus on understanding customers’ financial needs, showcasing bank products, generating leads, and gathering feedback for continuous improvement in service quality and customer satisfaction. The program will cater to existing & prospective MSME customers, start-ups, young professionals, emerging entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs, vendors, and suppliers associated with large industries, and representatives from industry associations, trade bodies, and chambers of commerce. The CASA Outreach program is designed for prospective premium CASA customers, government department heads, doctors, and other professionals

The event will be presided over by senior officials from Union Bank and will provide a platform for customers to engage with the bank and share their experiences.

During the outreach, customers will have the opportunity to upgrade their CASA accounts and activate salary accounts on the spot. The program will also feature on-spot locker sanction, Vyom digital banking registration, and dedicated help desks for internet banking and mobile banking activation.

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INDIA: With gold prices at an all-time high, Tanishq, India’s largest jewelry retail brand from the House of Tata, presents its ‘Tanishq Gold Exchange Program’, offering customers an unparalleled opportunity to maximize the value of their gold. Whether it’s tiny, forgotten fragments tucked away in a locker or heirloom pieces collected over generations, Tanishq welcomes every piece—no matter how small—and transforms them into jewelry that reflects today’s aspirations. At the heart of Tanishq’s Gold Exchange Program lies the Tanishq Exchange Advantage, built on 100% Transparency, Zero Deduction, and the Best Gold Rate Available.

This initiative is designed for those who see jewelry not just as an ornament but as an evolving expression of their style and milestones. Brides-to-be can now exchange decades of accumulated gold for breath-taking wedding jewellery, crafted with Tanishq’s craftsmanship and unique designs. Customers can also exchange their old gold for natural diamonds, elevating their collections with rare and timeless brilliance. With no deductions on 22K and above for pure gold and 21K and above for studded jewelry, customers benefit from a seamless and honest process, reinforced by on-the-spot Karatmeter testing and melting for complete accuracy.

The Tanishq Gold Exchange Program, valid across all Tanishq stores, comes at a pivotal time when customers are planning their gold purchases for the wedding season and festive occasions. Whether it is a bride-to-be looking to transform family heirlooms into bespoke bridal jewelry, a smart investor seeking the best value, a trend-conscious shopper upgrading to contemporary designs, or a connoisseur of craftsmanship in search of timeless elegance, this initiative caters to every need. Even the most delicate or outdated gold pieces can be repurposed into contemporary, everyday elegance, proving that no piece is ever too small to hold value. With a legacy of trust and craftsmanship, Tanishq has already helped over 1 lakh brides create their dream wedding jewelry and facilitated the exchange of 1,70,000 kg of old gold nationwide. As part of the Festival of Exchange, this program is more than just an offer—it’s an invitation to reimagine, reinvent, and celebrate jewelry in a way that resonates with today’s aspirations. Now is the time to unlock the true potential of your gold, no matter how small, and give it a new life with Tanishq.

Speaking on the initiative, Arun Narayan, VP, of Category, Retail and Marketing, Tanishq, Titan Company Ltd, said “In times like these, when gold prices are scaling new heights and wedding budgets need careful planning, Tanishq’s Old Gold Exchange program has been a beacon of joy for families across India. Over 1 lakh brides have sparkled on their special day in Tanishq’s wedding trousseau by simply exchanging old gold—of any condition, bought from any jeweler. Every Tanishq boutique is equipped with skilled karigars, advanced equipment, and a transparent purity check and melting process, ensuring you get the best value for your old gold. Exchange it for the dazzling wedding jewelry you’ve always dreamed of. Walk into any of our 500 stores to turn your old gold into new jewelry for your dream wedding!”

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