What virtual assistants does BankUnited use?
BankUnited runs two kinds of AI assistant, neither branded to customers. For staff there is SAVI, built on Anthropic's Claude 2 in Amazon Bedrock with Amazon Kendra search, which answers questions from about 400 policy and procedure documents; AWS reports 95% accuracy, responses in under 10 seconds and fewer procedural calls and emails, and branch staff use it 'while with a client'. In March 2024 the then CTO described an internal chatbot that tells branch staff, in plain steps, how to complete procedures such as opening a trust account. For clients, the contact center runs on Talkdesk's Financial Services Experience Cloud: Autopilot, Talkdesk's generative-AI virtual agent for banking (launched March 2024), handles simple requests, Copilot guides agents during calls, and Talkdesk Identity authenticates callers. Talkdesk reports a 16% self-service rate, abandonment down to 5.3%, IVR containment up 15-20% and a 104% rise in net promoter score at BankUnited. In June 2025 Talkdesk named BankUnited among customers using its multi-agent Customer Experience Automation platform. BankUnited has not launched a named customer chatbot or published interaction counts.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Data as of Oct 16, 2026 · BankUnited profile updated Oct 13, 2026 · 13 sources cited on this page · 140 banks profiled on this site · Markdown
Which AI assistants does BankUnited run, and for whom?
Capabilities as described by BankUnited, AWS or Talkdesk; results are vendor-reported.
| Assistant | Users | What it does | Built on | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAVI | Employees, including branch and small-business teams | Answers natural-language questions from about 400 policy and procedure documents; moved support to a 24/7 self-service model | Anthropic Claude 2 in Amazon Bedrock; Amazon Kendra | Undated (AWS case study)[1] |
| Branch procedures chatbot | Branch staff | Gives 'a very human-friendly response' listing the steps for procedures such as opening a trust account | Not stated; the bank used AWS Bedrock and Lex in 2023 | Disclosed March 18, 2024[2][7] |
| Talkdesk Autopilot | Customers calling or messaging the contact center | Self-service for simple requests; Talkdesk's banking version uses generative AI for balances, transaction history, transfers, loan information and card management | Talkdesk Financial Services Experience Cloud | Product launched March 4, 2024[3][4] |
| Talkdesk Copilot | Contact-center agents | Guides agents during live interactions | Talkdesk | In production (reported March 2025)[5] |
| Talkdesk Identity and Interaction Analytics | Callers; contact-center managers | Caller authentication and interaction analytics; the CIO said in June 2025 that a contact-center platform with AI capabilities was exploring sentiment analysis | Talkdesk | In production (customer story)[3][8] |
| Customer Experience Automation (CXA) | Contact center | Talkdesk's multi-agent AI platform; BankUnited named among customers already using CXA capabilities | Talkdesk | June 11, 2025[6] |
| BankUnited Feed | Customers | Personalized text-message channel (from 37123) with account updates, security tips and product recommendations; never asks for credentials; not described as AI | BankUnited | FAQ dated August 14, 2026[9] |
What results has BankUnited reported from its assistants?
All figures come from AWS or Talkdesk materials that quote BankUnited staff; none is audited, and the case studies are partly undated.
| Metric | Value | Source | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAVI accuracy and response time | 95%; under 10 seconds | AWS case study | Retrieved 2026[1] |
| SAVI effect on support | Fewer calls and emails about procedures; 'reduces the training life cycle of the employees' (Jeiner Morales) | AWS case study | Retrieved 2026[1] |
| Self-service rate with Autopilot | 16% | Talkdesk customer story | Retrieved 2026[3] |
| Abandonment rate | Down to 5.3% | Talkdesk customer story | Retrieved 2026[3] |
| IVR containment | Up 15-20% | Talkdesk customer story | Retrieved 2026[3] |
| Net promoter score | Up 104%; agent development that took six months to a year done in 90 days | Talkdesk blog | March 11, 2025[5] |
| Industry recognition (vendor) | Talkdesk's 2024 BCX Award release names BankUnited among banks where its AI reduced handle times and abandonment | Talkdesk | September 11, 2024[10] |
How does BankUnited balance digital assistants and people?
The bank's public position is 'digital plus human': its head of branch banking says digital 'excels at delivering convenience and enabling self-service', and a December 2025 piece argues small businesses want digital convenience combined with relationship-based service from bankers. SAVI is framed the same way, as a tool that lets front-line staff be 'the advisers that our clients expect and want', in Morales's words.[11][12][1]
The CIO said in June 2025 that a contact-center platform with AI capabilities was exploring sentiment analysis to help bankers and customers find the right solution, and that vendors' use of the bank's data has to be governed and verified.[8]
Talkdesk cited BankUnited among the financial-services customers behind its January 2025 AWS Financial Services Competency, which ties the contact-center stack to AWS as well.[13]
What does the BankUnited profile record on this topic?
The rows below are the entries of the BankUnited AI strategy profile that bear on this page, as of Oct 13, 2026; the profile holds the full record of 30 dated moves, 15 use cases and 35 sources.
| Use case | What the record shows | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAVI internal policy assistant | Per AWS's published case study: built on Anthropic's Claude 2 in Amazon Bedrock with Amazon Kendra, answering employee questions from about 400 policy and procedure documents; reported 95% accuracy and sub-10-second responses, used by front-line staff. | In production | [1] |
| Sentiment analysis in the contact centre | A contact-centre platform with AI capabilities was exploring how sentiment analysis can help bankers and customers find the right solution (June 2025). | Pilot | [8] |
| Talkdesk AI contact centre | The contact centre runs on Talkdesk's Financial Services Experience Cloud: Talkdesk Copilot guides agents during interactions, Talkdesk Autopilot handles simple requests as self-service, and Customer Experience Analytics drives agent training. Talkdesk reports a 104% rise in net promoter score, agent development that used to take six months to a year now done in 90 days, a 16% self-service rate and abandonment down to 5.3% (the vendor's figures). | In production | [5][3] |
| Branch procedures chatbot (2024 disclosure) | In March 2024 the then chief technology officer said an AI chatbot lets branch staff ask how to complete procedures, such as opening a trust account, and get plain-language steps; in 2023 he said the bank used AWS Bedrock and Lex. BankUnited has not said whether this is the SAVI assistant AWS later described. | In production | [2][7] |
| Date | Move | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 6, 2025 | CIO on governing vendors' AI | At a South Florida Business Journal roundtable, Julio Jogaib said BankUnited's vendors use AI in their applications, that the bank and its vendors need governance on usage and data privacy, and that vendor claims about not using the bank's data must be verified; a contact-centre platform with AI capabilities was exploring sentiment analysis. | [8] |
| Mar 11, 2025 | Talkdesk case study: AI contact centre | Talkdesk says BankUnited's move to its Financial Services Experience Cloud, with Copilot agent assist and Autopilot self-service, lifted net promoter score 104% (vendor-reported). | [5] |
| Mar 18, 2024 | Internal chatbot disclosed at Bank Automation Summit | Lehmbeck said BankUnited had deployed an AI chatbot that lets branch staff ask how to complete procedures such as opening a trust account; Bank Automation News put the bank's technology spend at $18.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2023, down 16.5% year on year. | [2] |
What is BankUnited's SAVI?
SAVI is BankUnited's internal generative-AI assistant. According to AWS, it runs on Anthropic's Claude 2 model in Amazon Bedrock with Amazon Kendra search and answers employees' questions from about 400 policy and procedure documents, with 95% accuracy and responses in under 10 seconds. Branch and small-business staff use it to answer client questions quickly.
Does BankUnited have a customer chatbot?
Not a branded one like Erica or Fargo. Customers who call or message the contact center can be served by Talkdesk Autopilot, a virtual agent for simple requests, which Talkdesk says reached a 16% self-service rate at BankUnited. Agents are supported by Talkdesk Copilot, and callers are authenticated with Talkdesk Identity.
Is SAVI the same as the BankUnited branch chatbot?
The bank has not said. In March 2024 its then chief technology officer described an AI chatbot that lets branch staff ask how to complete procedures such as opening a trust account, and AWS's undated case study describes SAVI doing similar work on policy documents. Both are internal; neither is offered to customers.
What results has BankUnited reported from contact-center AI?
Talkdesk reports a 104% rise in net promoter score, a 16% self-service rate with Autopilot, abandonment down to 5.3% and IVR containment up 15-20%, and says agent development that used to take six months to a year now takes 90 days. These are vendor-published figures, not BankUnited disclosures.
Which vendors power BankUnited's assistants?
Amazon Web Services and Anthropic for SAVI (Amazon Bedrock, Amazon Kendra and Claude 2), and Talkdesk for the contact center (Financial Services Experience Cloud with Autopilot, Copilot, Identity and Interaction Analytics, plus its Customer Experience Automation platform).
- BankUnited Enhances Customer and Employee Satisfaction for SMB Banking Using AWS (undated case study, retrieved 2026-09-24)
- BankUnited deploys chatbot for internal searches
- BankUnited Customer Story (undated page, retrieved 2026-09-24)
- Talkdesk Unveils Talkdesk Autopilot, a Generative Artificial Intelligence Customer Service Experience with New Self-Service Use Cases for Banks and Retailers
- BankUnited Crushes CX With 104% Increase in Net Promoter Score
- Talkdesk shatters outdated customer experience paradigm with launch of Customer Experience Automation platform
- BankUnited CTO to speak at Bank Automation Summit U.S. 2024
- AI revolution: Navigating the promises and perils of a new era
- What is the BankUnited Feed?
- Talkdesk honored at 2024 BCX Awards ceremony, recognized for the use of artificial intelligence in transforming customer experience for banking
- Banking Moments That Matter: Why Branches Still Count
- Digital + Human: Why Small Businesses Want the Best of Both Worlds in Banking
- Talkdesk achieves Amazon Web Services Financial Services ISV Competency
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