AI Agent Ida handles 28% of inquiries across all channels at a fraction of regular customer service costs, delivering unmatched savings and scalability.
SpareBank 1 Østlandet, a leading Norwegian savings bank serving over 496,000 customers, has always prioritized innovation in delivering customer-centric financial services. Their longstanding partnership with boost.ai began in 2017, and since then, they’ve become one of the most forward-thinking banks in Scandinavia in applying conversational AI.
Their AI Agent, Ida, has evolved into the bank’s second-largest customer service channel, handling 28% of all customer inquiries and delivering automation at scale. With the deployment of boost.ai's Generative Action functionality in late 2024, SpareBank 1 Østlandet became one of the first banks in Norway, and globally, to adopt generative AI in a customer-facing context. This deployment was supported by a rigorous risk and compliance framework, ensuring responses are generated within pre-approved guardrails that prioritize both customer safety and regulatory compliance.
This collaboration has not only transformed SpareBank 1 Østlandet’s digital service experience but has also contributed directly to the advancement of the boost.ai platform’s generative capabilities, showcasing how close partnerships can push the boundaries of what’s possible in regulated industries like banking.
SpareBank 1 Østlandet's results at a glance...
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Ida has handled over 2.3 million customer conversations since its launch, including 85,000 since December 1, 2024, alone, solidifying its role as a core service channel and the first point of contact.
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Since December, 10% of conversations have been powered by generative AI, over 6,800 in total, demonstrating early and effective adoption of the technology at scale in a regulated banking environment.
- 28% of all customer inquiries are now routed through Ida, with a 41% automation rate, enabling high service capacity while reducing pressure on human advisors.
Regulated industries pose unique barriers to Generative AI adoption
In 2018, SpareBank 1 Østlandet recognized a growing demand for digital service channels and sought to match the evolving expectations of customers, particularly as other banks began deploying chatbots.
“There was definitely some pressure to catch up,” said Elisabeth Mellum, Team Lead at SpareBank 1 Østlandet. “Another bank had started using chatbots, and we knew we needed to be present where our customers expected us to be.”
At the time, SpareBank 1 Østlandet had already implemented robotic process automation but had not yet explored conversational AI. Their ambition was to quickly scale a solution that would enable customers to engage with the bank in a more intuitive way, meeting them with a new, seamless service channel across their website.
Boost.ai’s platform offered an opportunity not only to replicate what others were doing but to build something uniquely scalable and tailored to SpareBank 1 Østlandet’s service model.
Scaling safely with Generative AI: How SB1 Østlandet became a frontrunner
The bank launched its first virtual agent with boost.ai in 2018 and became the first among its peer banks to go live with Generative Action in December 2024.
“Looking back, it’s been a pretty amazing journey. As with many technologies, we started experimenting to understand, learn and to explore the potential of conversational AI. Over time we've gained significant knowledge by testing and we have transitioned from initial trials to become a frontrunner in the group.” - Marthe Stramrud, AI trainer, SpareBank 1 Østlandet
Today, the AI Agent answers questions across banking, insurance, and savings, and can seamlessly connect customers to human advisors when needed. It plays a key role in managing unknown intents, questions that fall outside the model’s predefined scope, and provides contextual, relevant responses using generative AI.
Transparency is a core principle for SpareBank 1 Østlandet, and all conversations with the AI Agent that are powered by generative AI are clearly labeled so customers know they are interacting with a large language model. This practice reinforces customer trust and aligns with the bank’s broader commitment to responsible, ethical use of technology.
As an early adopter of boost.ai’s LLM-based Generative Action, SpareBank 1 Østlandet has played a critical role in shaping the solution. The partnership involved hands-on collaboration, from security and privacy reviews with internal legal teams to real-time testing and co-creating documentation with boost.ai.
Internally, the team emphasizes that the deployment has helped reshape how conversational AI is perceived within SpareBank 1 Østlandet and its customer base. Stramrud states, “People used to talk about chatbots negatively, but that’s changing. Now, customers want to test it, engage with it, and see how it performs.”
By leaning into collaboration with departments like risk and compliance, SpareBank 1 Østlandet has created a cross-functional culture that embraces AI, and that culture has been crucial to the success of the project.
Laying the groundwork for safe and scalable Generative AI deployment
While testing Generative Action, SpareBank 1 Østlandet laid the groundwork for broader GenAI adoption across the bank. It was a detailed process, but by doing it right, they built a strong foundation for future AI initiatives. Boost.ai played a key role as a trusted advisor, working closely with SpareBank 1 Østlandet to explain how the features work, refine the architecture, and navigate security and privacy requirements.
SpareBank 1 Østlandet’s hands-on feedback during the testing phase directly influenced the development of boost.ai’s generative capabilities, helping shape the product into a solution that could meet real-world banking needs. By involving management, IT, and legal teams early on, they ensured a smooth implementation and organization-wide support for the technology.
Delivering real value: Lower costs, higher efficiency, better CX
Since going live, Ida has handled over 2.3 million conversations, with approximately 85,000 taking place since the launch of Generative Action in December 2024.
With one of the highest generative AI adoption rates in boost.ai’s customer base, powering up to 10% of conversations, SpareBank 1 Østlandet is setting a new benchmark for regulated industries. Their AI agent, Ida, now handles 28% of all customer inquiries with a 41% automation rate, making it the second-largest service channel. Crucially, Ida delivers this level of service at a fraction of the cost of traditional channels, despite telephony still handling 40% of inquiries, making her the bank’s most efficient and scalable support option. This sharp contrast underscores the real-world value of deploying GenAI safely and effectively in financial services: faster resolutions, lower costs, and internal teams freed to focus on higher-impact work.
These metrics illustrate the potential for financial institutions to scale service and reduce costs through automation
Beyond the numbers, Ida has also helped reshape customer expectations.
“Customers don’t want to search through endless FAQs anymore. They want to ask a question and get an answer. Ida makes that possible,” - Elisabeth Mellum, Team Lead, SpareBank 1 Østlandet
Internally, Generative Action has also reduced the manual workload for AI Trainers, allowing them to focus on strategic improvements rather than writing 40–50 new responses manually. The AI agent can now handle unknown questions with empathy and relevance, improving both the customer and employee experience.
Paving the way for Generative AI in the Financial Sector
SpareBank 1 Østlandet’s journey proves that even a small team can drive big change. By approaching generative AI with a clear strategy and the right partner, they’ve built a secure, scalable foundation that’s already transforming how they serve customers.
As they expand Ida’s capabilities and explore new use cases, SpareBank 1 Østlandet is setting the standard for what generative AI adoption in banking can look like. For financial institutions, the message is clear: now is the time to integrate this game-changing technology into the customer journey, and it starts with choosing a partner who understands both the technology and the industry.
Pave the way for Generative AI in your financial institution
Ida's journey with SpareBank 1 Østlandet demonstrates the power of safely integrating generative AI in a regulated environment.
By achieving unmatched cost savings, boosting efficiency and elevating customer experience, they've written the playbook for the industry.
Ready to explore how a secure, scalable AI agent can transform your operations and customer service?
