Greek lender Alpha Bank has expanded its partnership with AI voice technology company ElevenLabs, introducing a new artificial intelligence-powered voice assistant designed to make customer service more natural, faster and easier to use.

The bank said the service will enable customers to describe their request in natural language, rather than navigating multiple menu options or answering a series of automated questions, before being directed immediately to the most appropriate adviser.

According to the bank, the new system is expected to significantly reduce the time required for customers to reach the right member of staff.

With the rollout, Alpha Bank becomes the first bank in Greece to deploy ElevenLabs’ voice technology on a large scale for customer service, as part of its broader strategy to use artificial intelligence to strengthen rather than replace the bank’s customer-focused identity.

The bank explained that the technology is intended to deliver faster, more natural and more personalised customer support, while complementing its existing specialist advisers.

Alpha Bank and ElevenLabs jointly developed a voice with a distinctive identity to make customer interactions sound more familiar and natural.

The solution is powered by ElevenLabs’ ElevenAgents technology, which the bank said simplifies and accelerates customer communication by enabling more direct and accessible conversations.

Implementation of the project is being led by ElevenLabs’ consultants with support from Alpha Bank’s partners Barphone and SmartRep.

The AI voice assistant will initially operate through the bank’s customer service telephone gateway, before being gradually expanded across all digital customer contact points.

The assistant supports conversations in both Greek and English, helping customers during the first stage of their interaction before transferring them to a specialist adviser whenever necessary.

The bank said customer experience remained the central priority throughout the project, with the objective of delivering a natural-sounding voice, seamless conversations and a service requiring minimal effort from users.

The same AI-generated voice will also be integrated into Alpha Bank’s e-banking and mobile banking chatbot, allowing customers who currently communicate through text to interact by voice in the near future.

Alpha Bank explained that the chatbot’s conversational understanding is powered by Moveo.ai, while ElevenLabs provides the natural voice technology.

“Alpha Bank is developing a dynamic ecosystem that combines talent, technologies and partnerships to deliver projects at the forefront of developments in the banking sector,” said Alpha Bank chief executive officer Vassilios Psaltis.

“Our partnership with ElevenLabs strengthens our ability to offer every customer faster and more natural access to personalised support, while delivering an overall experience that reflects Alpha Bank’s identity,” he added.

“We are proud to work with Alpha Bank to provide an artificial intelligence voice assistant that delivers fast and natural customer service through a voice that faithfully reflects the bank’s identity,” said ElevenLabs co-founder Mati Staniszewski.

“We are delighted to see ElevenAgents being deployed so consistently within the European banking sector,” he added.

Alpha Bank said the partnership reflects its continued investment in advanced technologies, strategic acquisitions and collaborations with leading technology companies, fintech businesses and customer-facing platforms.

The bank added that these investments have enabled it to build an innovation ecosystem distinguished by the in-house development of new applications, products and services, while also helping attract talented professionals.

According to the bank, its collaboration with ElevenLabs demonstrates a shared commitment to innovation that delivers tangible value for customers and illustrates how artificial intelligence can transform everyday banking by making it more accessible, intuitive and human.