TIAA Launches Alexa And Chatbot Capabilities

TIAA announced today the launch of new capabilities on Amazon Alexa, a leading digital assistant for devices ranging from the Echo Dot and Echo Show to smart phones, displays and speakers. For TIAA customers, Alexa can provide information about when clients will receive 2018 tax statements like W-2s and 1099s.

Users can also ask Alexa for a stock market quote, where to find the closest TIAA advisor or even play a TIAA trivia game. Future features are slated to include personalized account information, daily market briefings and information about TIAA Bank accounts.

On its website, TIAA also offers customers both a live chat function and a chatbot "TIAA Virtual Assistant" that can answer customer questions in real-time, providing the information they need to make financial decisions with confidence.

Through the TIAA Virtual Assistant, which is available to all customers, users can ask questions and receive answers specific to their accounts for approximately 400 of the most commonly asked questions related to transfers, cash withdrawals, and loans. The TIAA Virtual Assistant has supported over 35,000 customer interactions and answered more than 104,000 questions since its initial launch in October 2017.

The TIAA Virtual Assistant also offers:

* Useful content including financial education resources, helpful tips and suggestions as customers navigate through the site.

* The option to connect to a TIAA representative via "live chat" or opt to be directly connected to an individual Consultant via "Request a Call". During normal business hours, customers receive a call back in 1-2 minutes.

* TIAA representatives immediate access to customers' chat history to understand context of the Virtual Assistance in order to better support the customer and continue the conversation.

"TIAA is committed to helping people build financial well-being. Digital tools can help them engage with their financial future and create positive financial behaviors," said Scott Blandford, TIAA's chief digital officer. "We understand that individuals are looking to check in on their financial lives while they're 'on-the-go' and at moments that are most convenient to them. By extending our reach through new technologies and new customer services features, we're looking to integrate their financial lives into their daily lives by meeting individuals on the devices that they're already using regularly."

Ready to start your own conversation with Alexa? Enable TIAA's Alexa skill .

All Virtual Assistant capabilities are available on www.TIAA.org once an individual logs in with their security details.

About TIAA

With an award-winning 1 track record for consistent investment performance, TIAA (TIAA.org) is the leading provider of financial services in the academic, research, medical, cultural and government fields. TIAA has nearly $1 trillion in assets under management (as of 12/31/2018 2) and offers a wide range of financial solutions, including investing, banking, advice and education, and retirement services.