The new assistant called CeeTee, which was launched without fanfare at the end of last March, can be used via Canadian Tire’s iOS mobile application when purchasing tires.
According to information revealed by the retailer to the magazine Retail Insiderit allows customers to choose the right model for their car in a “natural and human” way.
Canadian Tire customers can chat with CeeTee and ask questions in text or voice about tire models and their use.
The new assistant called CeeTee can be used via the Canadian Tire iOS mobile application when purchasing tires. (Canadian Tire)
The CeeTee assistant, developed by Microsoft AI, is only available for the tire department, but should eventually be functional for purchasing other types of items.
A question of language
However, Quebec customers of the Canadian channel will not be able to benefit from this new service, since it is not available in the province.
“In order to offer our French-speaking customers the best possible user experience, with responses that imitate natural conversations, the launch in Quebec has been postponed for the moment,” responded by email Cindy Hoffman, director of communications for Canadian Tire, to questions from Sun.
CeeTee allows you to choose the right tire model for your car in a “natural and human” way. (Screenshot)
“We are currently studying the possibility of adapting the technology and making it available in Quebec and we will provide details on the timeline as soon as they become available,” she added.
General purpose robots
Canadian Tire has also started a partnership with British Columbia-based company Sanctuary AI to develop “general purpose” robots that can perform different tasks in distribution centers.
These machines will not be intended to replace employees, but to perform simple, repetitive tasks so that employees can focus on “more important” tasks.
The robots will carry out simple tasks such as filling pallets intended for stores. They could also carry out more complex tasks, such as filling baskets with orders made by customers via the Web, and possibly be present in branches.
“We plan to test Sanctuary’s robots in our Calgary or Ontario distribution centers before expanding them to our Montreal distribution center or stores,” said Hoffman.
