i卡會員

As customer experience becomes the core driver of business growth, the service industry has significantly enhanced its emphasis on consumer satisfaction. According to a McKinsey’s report in 2023, approximately 71% of consumers expect brands to provide personalized, seamless, and meaningful interaction experiences, and customer service quality is regarded as an important component of brand value.

Against this backdrop, generative AI and intelligent automation have emerged as new tools for the service industry to improve efficiency and reduce interaction costs. Below is a case study of two countries where service robots are being used to help companies alleviate labor shortages, enhance operational efficiency, and reshape customer experience. 

One prime example is FamilyMart’s adoption of service robots in Japan. To cope with severe labor shortages, FamilyMart began its collaboration with the startup Telexistence to introduce the TX SCARA AI restocking robot in 2022, and later launched a cleaning robot in 2024. The first phase of the project covered approximately 300 stores in the Tokyo metropolitan area, with subsequent expansion planned nationwide. The initiative brings together technology partners such as NVIDIA, Microsoft Japan, and Iwith Robotics, to form a cross-industry ecosystem that is considered a major milestone in the digital transformation of Japan’s retail sector. 

The built-in AI system “GORDON” automatically determines restocking quantities based on historical sales data with an accuracy rate of up to 98%. Each store can restock more than 1,000 bottles of beverages per day. The cleaning robot performs functions such as sweeping and mopping using autonomous obstacle avoidance. It is equipped with more than 20 sensors, and can display product information on its screen. Future upgrades will incorporate AI-enabled cameras to identify shelf conditions and provide restocking recommendations.

This innovation not only effectively mitigates labor shortages, but also significantly improves the operational efficiency and cleanliness of stores. The restocking robot allows staff members to focus on customer service, while the cleaning robot maintains environmental quality, enhancing the shopping experience. Currently, the cleaning robot has been deployed in more than 300 stores, and there are plans to expand into franchised locations, making this an important global demonstration of retail automation.

Echoing the developments in the retail sector, AI-driven service robots are also demonstrating strong potential in the industrial and logistics domains. One notable example is the U.S. startup Roboligent. In September 2024, the company received Phase II STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) funding of US$1.8 million from AFWERX, the U.S. Air Force’s innovation arm, indicating that its technology has already earned military-grade trust.

Roboligent’s core product, Robin, is an AI mobility dual-armed robot, integrating advanced imitation learning capability and patented compliant manipulator technology. Its compliant robotic arms can precisely control contact force, allowing the safe handling of fragile or irregularly shaped objects. It can also learn new tasks quickly from human demonstrations, enabling deployment without the need for complex programing. Robin has already been in use for logistics applications and in warehouse environments, significantly reducing the labor requirement for the movement of materials and processing of orders, as well as improving efficiency and accuracy. Looking ahead, the company plans to expand into the fields of medical rehabilitation and remote operation, further strengthen AI–robot integration, and showcase the vast potential of human–machine collaboration. 

The use cases in Japan and the United States illustrate that service robots have become a key solution to labor shortages, whether for retail on-site management or precision collaboration in logistics and manufacturing. In Taiwan, the service industry maintains steady growth, but it is dealing with the dual challenges of labor shortages and high employee turnover. As the working-age population continues to decline, the labor shortage issue is likely to worsen. 

The adoption of digital tools and automation equipment such as service robots, intelligent customer service systems, and AI-assisted systems will help the service industry in Taiwan to cope with labor shortages, improve frontline working conditions, and achieve the operational goal of delivering high-quality customer experiences. International experience shows that such applications can enable both cost efficiency and operational upgrading, helping enterprises maintain flexibility and resilience in an increasingly competitive market.