How Heathrow partnered with Salesforce to build a customer-service AI agent (www.businessinsider.com)

Heathrow Airport has collaborated with Salesforce to develop an AI customer service agent named Hallie, launched in March 2025, which primarily operates on WhatsApp. This initiative aims to enhance traveler experience as airport traffic swells, with Hallie providing real-time answers to common inquiries such as security wait times and terminal locations. This transition to AI has already led to a significant reduction in phone-based inquiries, from 70% to just 10%, demonstrating the tangible benefits of integrating AI solutions into customer service operations. The partnership with Salesforce, which began in 2009, enabled Heathrow to build a robust data foundation crucial for Hallie's functionality. By leveraging Salesforce's generative AI capabilities, Heathrow developed a unified database that continually refines AI responses based on real-time customer interactions. However, Hallie's current limitations—such as its restriction to internal data and inability to address personalized questions—highlight the challenges of ensuring AI systems operate on accurate and up-to-date information. Looking ahead, Heathrow plans to expand Hallie's features across its website and app, further embedding AI in airport operations and setting a precedent for AI utilization in large-scale customer service environments.