Artificial intelligence-driven customer service bot startup Agent IQ Inc. has raised $6.3 million to hire more people and scale up its platform.

The Series A round was led by Sierra Ventures and included CRCM Ventures and Rubicon Ventures. As part of the deal, Tim Guleri from Sierra Ventures is joining the company’s board.

Founded in 2015, Agent IQ uses AI and machine learning to power bots that it claims brings a human touch to customer care bot interactions. Geared toward enterprise use, the company’s platform can handle repetitive and mundane Q&A and workflows. That measn human customer care representatives can handle higher value customer interactions with AI-suggested responses and dynamically presented knowledge base articles, the company said.

Described as a hybrid human/machine platform, the bots are claimed to be able to handle up to 85 percent of total customer interactions, including services such as booking plane tickets and returning products. The company claims they can deliver 15 times more customer interactions daily versus traditional bot systems.

The bot platform offers “omnichannel” support across webchat, social, email and voice. The company cites a customer base that includes Nike Inc., Bed Bath & Beyond Inc., Airbnb Inc. and Proctor & Gamble Co.’s Gillette.

“Agent IQ champions a new approach to customer care that brings the human touch back to the forefront,” a spokesperson for the company told SiliconANGLE. “Enterprise companies, who previously preferred programmed chatbots and zero human intervention, are learning that bots are bad for businesses and consumers.”

Image: Agent IQ