# KeyCorp (KeyBank): Client experience technology

Source: https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/keybank/client-experience-technology
Last updated: Oct 16, 2026

*Part of the [KeyCorp (KeyBank) AI strategy profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/keybank).*

## How is KeyBank using AI in client experience?

KeyBank's client-facing AI sits in two places: the contact centre and the mobile app. In the contact centre, which runs on UJET's Google Cloud-based platform, AI now answers calls at about $0.25 each against $9 for a human, CEO Chris Gorman told investors in January and February 2026; the move cut agent call volumes 15%, raised digital chat 50% and lowered running costs about 10%. In the app, KeyBank chose Personetics' Engage in June 2025 for AI-driven, real-time insights on spending and saving. Enriched transactions went live in April 2026, replacing numeric codes with merchant names, logos and locations, which Personetics says raised app engagement and contributed to a directional decline in transaction-related calls; transaction inquiries are the bank's biggest call driver. An AI-driven Engage Portal with goal setting, subscription management and alerts is rolling out, with personalised insights targeted for the third quarter of 2026. A conversational assistant is 'the next step' but undated. Commercial clients get machine-learning receivables matching (KeyTotal AR). The bank has not published usage or accuracy figures. ([American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/keybank-lowers-costs-by-moving-contact-center-to-the-cloud), [PYMNTS](https://www.pymnts.com/news/artificial-intelligence/2026/keybank-taps-conversational-ai-cut-call-center-costs/), [Investing.com](https://investing.com/news/transcripts/keycorp-at-bank-of-america-conference-strategic-growth-in-focus-93CH-4497647), [Finovate](https://finovate.com/keybank-taps-personetics-to-give-customers-insights-into-spending), [Banking Dive](https://www.bankingdive.com/news/keybank-digital-banking-regionals-ai-insights-personetics/823541/), [Personetics](https://personetics.com/designing-digital-banking-for-every-generation-key-takeaways-from-moneylive-north-america-2), [American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/how-keybank-is-creating-cognitive-banking-with-ai), [KeyCorp](https://investor.key.com/press-releases/news-details/2025/KEYBANK-LAUNCHES-PREDICTIVE-ACCOUNTS-RECEIVABLE-MATCHING-WITH-KEYTOTAL-AR-POWERED-BY-VERSAPAY/default.aspx))

## What client-facing AI has KeyBank launched, and when?

Launches and reported results, oldest first.

| Date | What | Detail | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| June 2, 2025 | Personetics partnership announced | Engage to deliver AI-driven, real-time insights and recommendations from spending and saving patterns; Personetics serves more than 150 million bank customers | [Finovate](https://finovate.com/keybank-taps-personetics-to-give-customers-insights-into-spending), [Business Wire](https://businesswire.com/news/home/20250602504801/en/KeyBank-Partners-with-Personetics-to-Advance-Financial-Wellness) |
| July 7, 2025 | KeyTotal AR | Machine learning matches payments to open invoices at more than 90% straight-through processing, white-labelled from Versapay | [KeyCorp](https://investor.key.com/press-releases/news-details/2025/KEYBANK-LAUNCHES-PREDICTIVE-ACCOUNTS-RECEIVABLE-MATCHING-WITH-KEYTOTAL-AR-POWERED-BY-VERSAPAY/default.aspx), [Bank Automation News](https://bankautomationnews.com/allposts/business-banking/keybank-taps-versapay-for-ai-driven-accounts-receivable) |
| August 1, 2025 | 'Cognitive banking' pilot | Enrich first, then Engage; transaction inquiries are the number-one call driver | [American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/how-keybank-is-creating-cognitive-banking-with-ai) |
| August 15, 2025 | Contact centre on UJET | Fully moved to the Google Cloud-based platform with new AI capabilities; agent call volumes down 15%, digital chat up 50%, costs down about 10% | [American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/keybank-lowers-costs-by-moving-contact-center-to-the-cloud) |
| January-February 2026 | AI call economics | About $0.25 per AI-handled call against $9 for a human-handled one | [PYMNTS](https://www.pymnts.com/news/artificial-intelligence/2026/keybank-taps-conversational-ai-cut-call-center-costs/), [Investing.com](https://investing.com/news/transcripts/keycorp-at-bank-of-america-conference-strategic-growth-in-focus-93CH-4497647) |
| April 2026 | Enriched transactions live | Merchant names, logos, locations and contact details replace numeric codes; inline notes and automatic check images | [Banking Dive](https://www.bankingdive.com/news/keybank-digital-banking-regionals-ai-insights-personetics/823541/), [Personetics](https://personetics.com/designing-digital-banking-for-every-generation-key-takeaways-from-moneylive-north-america-2) |
| April 14, 2026 | Key Virtual Card | Virtual commercial card issuing with Qolo, in which KeyBank holds a minority stake | [American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/payments/news/keybank-to-stand-up-virtual-commercial-card-issuing) |
| June 23, 2026 | Insights pilot; assistant next | Personalised insights targeted for Q3 2026; a conversational assistant discussed for 2027 funding | [Banking Dive](https://www.bankingdive.com/news/keybank-digital-banking-regionals-ai-insights-personetics/823541/) |
| September 29, 2026 | Engage Portal rolling out | Goal setting and budgeting, subscription management and alerts on unusual spending and large upcoming payments, per Personetics | [Personetics](https://personetics.com/designing-digital-banking-for-every-generation-key-takeaways-from-moneylive-north-america-2) |

## How does KeyBank decide what client technology to build?

Personetics reports that KeyBank's research found 90% of consumer clients engage through mobile first while 60% of small-business clients prefer desktop, so the bank designed features separately for mobile and web. ([Personetics](https://personetics.com/designing-digital-banking-for-every-generation-key-takeaways-from-moneylive-north-america-2))

Emily Gessner, then head of consumer digital, said in June 2025 that the Personetics platform would give clients 'real-time insights and guidance'; in 2026 she described KeyBank as a fast follower that bets on relationships over the size of its technology budget, and by October 2026 she had moved to the commercial side. ([Finovate](https://finovate.com/keybank-taps-personetics-to-give-customers-insights-into-spending), [Banking Dive](https://www.bankingdive.com/news/keybank-digital-banking-regionals-ai-insights-personetics/823541/), [American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/2026-the-most-powerful-women-in-banking-next-3-emily-gessner-keybank))

Gorman's stated method is to re-engineer a process before applying technology, starting with commercial onboarding, which he called 'the first experience a client experiences'. ([Investing.com](https://investing.com/news/transcripts/keycorp-at-bank-of-america-conference-strategic-growth-in-focus-93CH-4497647))

## What does the KeyBank profile record on this topic?

| Date | Move | Detail | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 1, 2026 | Gessner ranked No. 3 in American Banker's Most Powerful Women in Banking NEXT | Profile reports four consumer origination platforms scrapped in 2025, Personetics Enrich starting to reduce call-centre volume and her move to the commercial side. | [American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/2026-the-most-powerful-women-in-banking-next-3-emily-gessner-keybank) |
| Jul 21, 2026 | Q2 2026 call: no AI programme update | Prepared remarks cite investment in people and technology only; Gorman's sole AI reference is to power-infrastructure demand behind lending to larger clients. | [Investing.com](https://investing.com/news/transcripts/earnings-call-transcript-keycorp-tops-q2-2026-profit-view-shares-slip-premarket-93CH-4803732) |
| Jun 23, 2026 | Insights pilot under way; assistant is 'the next step' | Personalised insights targeted for Q3 2026; 2027 funding conversations include a conversational assistant. | [Banking Dive](https://www.bankingdive.com/news/keybank-digital-banking-regionals-ai-insights-personetics/823541/) |
| Apr 16, 2026 | Q1 2026 call: four AI themes; CFO formally leads technology and operations | About $1 billion of technology spend this year; AI aimed at client experience, credit decisioning, technology productivity and risk and security monitoring; the CEO sees 'huge opportunity' for AI with 1.15 million mass-affluent households. | [Yahoo Finance](https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/keycorp-key-q1-2026-earnings-155013854.html) |
| Apr 14, 2026 | Key Virtual Card with Qolo | Virtual commercial card issuing to fend off spend-management fintechs; KeyBank holds a minority stake in Qolo. | [American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/payments/news/keybank-to-stand-up-virtual-commercial-card-issuing) |
| Apr 1, 2026 | Enriched transactions go live in the app | Merchant name, location and category on every transaction; the feed also powers AI insight models. | [Banking Dive](https://www.bankingdive.com/news/keybank-digital-banking-regionals-ai-insights-personetics/823541/) |
| Jan 20, 2026 | Q4 2025 call: loan underwriting named as the next area | Gorman says AI is working in call centres and internal tasks, with room to rethink whole horizontal areas such as loan underwriting and processing. | [Investing.com](https://investing.com/news/transcripts/earnings-call-transcript-keycorp-beats-q4-2025-earnings-stock-dips-93CH-4455523) |
| Jan 20, 2026 | AI calls at $0.25 versus $9 | Q4 2025 earnings call: technology and operations investment at about $1 billion; about $100 million of annual savings found through continuous improvement. | [PYMNTS](https://www.pymnts.com/news/artificial-intelligence/2026/keybank-taps-conversational-ai-cut-call-center-costs/), [GuruFocus (Yahoo Finance)](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/keycorp-key-q4-2025-earnings-190057656.html) |
| Dec 9, 2025 | 'No interest' in buying a bank | Days after an activist called for his firing, Gorman says a moratorium on bank deals and buybacks are the priorities. | [Banking Dive](https://www.bankingdive.com/news/keybank-has-no-interest-in-buying-a-bank-ceo-says/807427/) |
| Nov 16, 2025 | Chief Data and Analytics Officer on Google Cloud panel | Ankit Goel says AI cut analyst research time in commercial loan approvals from 60% to 25%. | [Google Cloud](https://cloud.google.com/transform/why-context-not-just-data-volume-is-key-to-successful-ai) |
| Aug 15, 2025 | Contact centre fully on UJET's cloud platform, with new AI capabilities | Agent call volumes down 15%, agent digital chat volumes up 50% and contact-centre running cost down about 10%; KeyBank also holds an equity stake in UJET. | [American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/keybank-lowers-costs-by-moving-contact-center-to-the-cloud) |
| Aug 1, 2025 | 'Cognitive banking' pilot with Personetics | Enrich (transaction detail) first, then Engage (real-time personalised offers); transaction inquiries are the number-one call driver. | [American Banker](https://americanbanker.com/news/how-keybank-is-creating-cognitive-banking-with-ai) |

## Common questions

### Does KeyBank have an AI virtual assistant?

Not a named, customer-facing one yet. AI answers calls in its contact centre, which runs on UJET's platform, and its mobile app uses Personetics for enriched transactions and insights. The bank's head of consumer digital said in June 2026 that a conversational assistant is 'the next step', discussed for 2027 funding.

### How much does AI save in KeyBank's call centre?

CEO Chris Gorman said an AI-handled call costs about $0.25 against about $9 for a call handled by a person. After moving the contact centre to UJET's cloud platform in 2025, KeyBank reported agent call volumes down 15%, agent digital chat up 50% and contact-centre running costs down about 10%.

### What is KeyBank doing with Personetics?

KeyBank announced in June 2025 that it would use Personetics' Engage for AI-driven insights on spending and saving. Enriched transactions went live in April 2026, and an Engage Portal with goal setting, subscription management and spending alerts is rolling out, with personalised insights targeted for the third quarter of 2026.

### What AI does KeyBank offer commercial clients?

KeyTotal AR, launched in July 2025 with Versapay, uses machine learning to match incoming payments to open invoices, at more than 90% straight-through processing. KeyBank also launched a virtual commercial card with Qolo in April 2026 and is re-engineering commercial onboarding before applying technology to it.
## Deeper on KeyBank

- [What is KeyBank's AI strategy?](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/keybank/ai-strategy)
- [What technology stack does KeyBank run its AI on?](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/keybank/technology-stack)


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