Anker Japan has expanded the coverage of its in-house AI customer support system "Anker AI Assistant" and began offering automated phone support on February 18, 2026[1]. By combining generative AI with a service desk previously staffed only by human agents, the company can now respond to inquiries on weekends, holidays, and during early-morning or late-night hours when the call center used to be closed. If AI alone cannot resolve a case, the conversation log is handed off to human staff so that follow-up steps such as repairs or replacements can still be arranged smoothly[1].

A Proprietary AI Support System Built on Top of ChatGPT

Anker AI Assistant is a customer support system that Anker built in-house on top of OpenAI's ChatGPT[1]. Anker Japan first introduced generative AI for email replies in November 2023 and has since extended the system to handle chat and LINE inquiries as well[1]. The latest update marks the first time the company has applied automated responses to phone calls, a channel widely regarded as more demanding for AI than text-based inquiries.

According to Anker Japan, the system has produced a cumulative total of more than 800,000 automated email and chat replies in the just over two years since its launch[1]. Many of these came in during late-night or early-morning windows when it is hard to staff human agents, and the company says a meaningful share of them helped customers resolve their issues on the spot — momentum that ultimately led to today's expansion into voice[1].

Calls Now Accepted Outside Business Hours

Until now, phone inquiries to Anker Japan were handled only by human agents during weekday business hours, leaving customers effectively unable to reach the company during early mornings, late nights, weekends, and public holidays[1]. With the new system, the AI can take calls on any day and at any time the customer chooses, expanding the options for users who run into a problem with their device late at night or who need to ask a question while traveling on a weekend[1].

When a call comes in, Anker AI Assistant first listens to the inquiry and handles any case it can address on its own. For more complex issues that the AI cannot resolve, a human agent will pick up the case during business hours, refer to the handoff log, and continue from where the conversation left off — guiding the customer through next steps such as repairs or replacements[1]. The design places clear emphasis on a division of labor between AI and human agents, so customers do not have to repeat the same explanation multiple times.

Pushing AI Adoption Across Both Products and Support

Anker Group is a hardware maker that runs the mobile charging brand "Anker," the audio brand "Soundcore," and the smart home brand "Eufy" in more than 100 countries, with major presences in the United States, Japan, and Europe[1]. Anker Japan stresses that the group is pushing AI adoption not only in product development across its lineup, but also in the post-purchase customer experience by bringing advanced AI techniques into the support function[1].

This move into AI-powered voice support is a concrete example of how far a hardware company can take generative AI in its service operations. By increasing the share of inquiries that can be closed entirely through automated answers, the company can free up its human agents to focus on more advanced and complex cases. Anker Japan says it will continue to build out a customer support setup that combines cutting-edge AI with dedicated staff, with the goal of providing service tailored to each individual user[1].

Summary

Anker Japan has broadened the reach of Anker AI Assistant to include phone calls, launching a 24/7 automated voice response service that covers outside business hours starting February 18, 2026. Built in-house on top of ChatGPT, the system adds phone calls as a fourth channel alongside email, chat, and LINE. Cases that AI cannot finish on its own are smoothly passed to human agents through the conversation log, making it easier for users to reach out to the manufacturer even when their charging gear acts up late at night or on a holiday. It is a notable example of a hardware maker deploying generative AI deeply across the support layer.

[1] https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000627.000016775.html