Verizon Business Launches GenAI-Powered SMS Assistant to Elevate Small Business Customer Support

Verizon Business unveiled its GenAI-powered SMS assistant, a tool designed to bolster customer engagement for small and medium-sized businesses. The platform—called Verizon Business Assistant—enables businesses to automate customer support via text, ensuring rapid, 24/7 assistance without investing in new infrastructure.

Setting up the service is simple: It integrates seamlessly with existing Verizon mobile setups and doesn't require hardware upgrades or complex software installations. Business owners tailor how the AI responds by feeding relevant training data into the system, making it highly customizable.

Here's how it works: If a customer texts inquiries like "Do you offer gluten-free options?" the assistant responds instantly using GenAI. If it can't confidently answer, it escalates the interaction to the business's staff. Over time, the assistant learns from new inputs—expanding its accuracy and reducing human workload.

Small business owners juggling daily operations welcomed the tool. Iris Meijer, Chief Product & Marketing Officer at Verizon Business, explained that the assistant addresses tech access challenges, empowering owners to maintain personal customer engagement while freeing up time to grow their business. She also cited growing customer demand for easy, digital communication.

Beyond saving time, the assistant provides a dashboard of interaction insights—from frequent questions to customer sentiment—equipping businesses with actionable data to refine offerings. For just $35 per line per month, small businesses can deploy this GenAI assistant—an affordable entry into AI-powered customer service.

This launch underscores broader telecom trends toward democratizing AI capabilities. Verizon's initiative places advanced GenAI tools into the hands of entrepreneurs—enabling smarter customer interactions, operational efficiency, and better customer experiences—even in small-scale operations.