Revolutionizing Call Handling & Efficiency for 1&1 Through Sustainable, Agent-Led Innovation
An Agentic AI Customer Service Breakthrough
At a glance
CLIENT
1&1
STRATEGIC PARTNER
- Microsoft
SERVICES
- Artificial Intelligence
- Generative AI
INDUSTRY
- Telecommunications
As a leader and innovator in the telecommunications space, 1&1 partnered with EPAM to accomplish an ambitious goal: transform its customer experience journey with artificial intelligence (AI). After consulting with the team, we developed a comprehensive tech transformation and implementation strategy that laid the foundation for a scalable customer service framework powered by agentic AI, with the first agents going live in just six months.
AGILE PARTNERSHIP
Strategic Foundation Drives Real-Time Innovation
As a major provider for telecommunications, cloud and internet services in Germany, 1&1 fields an impressively large number of customer service inquiries. At such scales, even small, low-value tasks, like rerouting calls and answering routine inquiries, consume vast amounts of time and resources.
From the beginning, we approached the engagement with a product mindset to align priorities with 1&1’s timelines, budget and strategy and achieve the ultimate goal of unlocking efficiencies and improving the customer journey with AI and the latest technology.
After embedding ourselves in 1&1's daily operations, we implemented EPAM's AI/Run™.Transform blueprint to support and enable the rapid deployment of AI agents to handle customer service issues and inquiries. Microsoft Azure was selected to provide cloud capabilities and support with Azure AI services. With a focus on developing a robust agent framework and ROI-driven results, our voice-enabled AI agents now field hundreds of thousands of voice calls from real customers every week.
RESULTS TO DATE
100K+
Calls handled weekly by AI agents
20+
Agents deployed in 6 months
<3
months
First agent go-live
EMBEDDED EXPERTS
Establishing AI Best Practices from the Top Down
Though the latest social media hype may say otherwise, our experts know that the key to success with AI is in targeted, specific applications of tools and solutions — not one-size-fits-all solutions that overpromise and underdeliver.
To better understand the ways in which we could help 1&1 unlock efficiencies and see real impact with AI tools, our experts embedded themselves within the company. We hosted workshops for key stakeholders, aligning leaders on the overall vision and providing the baseline knowledge and understanding of generative AI (GenAI) and AI necessary to support the transformation efforts. Our DIAL platform, part of EPAM's AI/Run.Tools set, provided flexible, secure, unified access to LLMs through a single API, allowing teams to choose the GenAI platform of their choice.
BUSINESS RESULTS
Real Results, Real Value, Real Return on Investment
Our partnership was built on two straightforward ideas: creating a platform that was simple enough for any user and demonstrating concrete business value with a measurable ROI.
First, our team provided accurate estimates based on real-world examples, enabling us to tailor our solutions to the team’s specific needs and business use cases. With clear justifications in place, our solutions could be focused, simple and high-quality, avoiding the pitfalls of overcomplication and overengineering. And unlike other AI solutions, 1&1 retains ownership of its strategy layer, retaining IP for prompt layering and other intelligence.
A fast, scalable, self-funded, ROI-driven GenAI transformation.
Delivering
Real-World Results
Our agentic AI platform was built on flexible agents and frameworks that empowered users at 1&1 to develop their own best practices around AI. By carefully and precisely mapping agent behavior to specific use cases, AI agents enable real, measurable impact.
In the world of artificial intelligence, things move fast.
Initial consulting began at the end of December 2024, with development starting just three months later. By July 2025, AI voice agents were deployed and intercepting real customer service calls — from concept to execution in just six months with no disruptions.
- HEAR FROM 1&1
“EPAM supported us in launching key GenAI initiatives to enhance our customer operations. EPAM's AI/Run.Transform enables orchestration of intelligent agents for omnichannel support via phone or digital assistants, improving customer experience and resolution speed. EPAM combines deep technical expertise with a strong commitment to scalable, future-ready solutions.”
Christian Neuroth
Head of GenAI Customer Operations, 1&1
TECH STACK
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