内容来源：https://www.livemint.com/ai/artificial-intelligence/ecommerce-quick-commerce-firms-make-human-help-a-paid-perk-swiggy-one-blck-flipkart-black-zomato-vip-mode-11759226512035.html

内容总结：

【本报报道】近期，印度电商与即时配送行业正经历一场客户服务的静默变革：人工智能客服成为用户投诉的首道关口，而人工服务则逐渐演变为付费会员专属的"高端权益"。这一转变在提升企业效率的同时，也引发了消费者对服务品质与信任危机的担忧。

付费墙后的人工服务
包括Flipkart黑金会员、Swiggy One BLCK和Zomato VIP模式在内的多家平台，已将通过订阅制或单次付费获取人工客服设为增值服务。Flipkart明确宣传其黑金会员可享受"超越自动回复的专属人工服务"；Zomato甚至在其服务条款中明确保留对人工客服收取订阅费用的权利。业内分析指出，企业正通过将"用户为人工服务付费的意愿"转化为收入，使客户部门从成本中心转向利润来源。

消费者困境：陷入AI迷宫的投诉之路
尽管AI客服能高效处理常规咨询，但许多消费者反映在遇到复杂问题时举步维艰。德里市民罗汉·梅赫塔抱怨："过去缺件问题几分钟内就能接通人工回电，现在要在聊天机器人循环里耗费半小时。"更有用户指出，当通过外卖平台投诉时，"等到接通人工客服，餐品早已变质"。分析人士法尔辛警告，这种将人工服务深度隐藏的模式，无论是否出于设计初衷，都已呈现出"暗黑模式"特征。

技术优化与监管空白
面对争议，AI初创企业强调其系统会在检测到用户不满或对话轮次过多时自动转接人工坐席。印度AI与法律协会主席阿比瓦丹则指出，大型语言模型固有的"幻觉问题"使其仅适合处理简单任务。值得注意的是，将人工服务设为付费项目目前处于监管灰色地带——企业虽需确保投诉解决时效，却拥有设置客服入口的自主权。

效率与信任的博弈
行业数据显示，70%-80%的客户咨询属于重复性问题，这让AI替代成为必然选择。节日订单激增时，企业不可能同比增加三倍人工坐席，AI便成为控制成本的解决方案。但正如专家所言："自动化或许解决了量级难题，却未必能破解信任命题。"当企业与用户的连接从人情温度转向算法精度，如何守护消费体验的底线，已成为整个行业必须面对的考题。

中文翻译：

网购遇到问题？想找人工客服？得加钱。印度电商行业正悄然掀起一场客服变革：AI客服成为处理投诉的主力军，人工服务则沦为付费特权。这种重效率轻体验的转变正引发消费者不满。

印度蓬勃发展的电商行业正在悄然重塑客户服务模式：AI聊天机器人成为处理投诉的首道防线，人工帮助则被重新定位为付费享受的增值服务。但这种将自动化置于同理心之上的做法，正引发众多消费者不满。

Flipkart的Black会员、Swiggy的One BLCK和Zomato的VIP模式——这些需订阅或额外付费的服务，均承诺提供优先支持并直接对接人工客服。而普通用户只能通过聊天机器人反馈问题，用户表示联系人工客服正变得日益困难。

"出现这种现象，是因为企业认为AI的边际成本使其适合处理海量查询，但人工客服在情感共鸣和复杂问题处理上更具优势，"行业组织印度人工智能与法律协会主席Abhivardhan指出，"企业试图挖掘用户为人工服务付费的意愿，将客服部门从成本中心转变为利润来源。"

关键要点：

• AI聊天机器人正成为处理投诉的首道防线，人工帮助则被重新定位为付费增值服务
• Flipkart Black、Swiggy One BLCK和Zomato VIP模式均通过订阅或额外付费提供优先人工服务
• 企业试图将用户为人工服务付费的意愿变现，使客服部门从成本中心转为利润来源
• 企业似乎刻意设置障碍增加联系人工客服的难度
• 将人工服务设为付费项目处于监管灰色地带：企业须确保及时有效的解决方案，但在首选接触点设置和付费会员快速通道方面拥有自主权
• 自动化或可解决流量问题，但未必能解决信任问题

大语言模型将聊天机器人升级为能提供类人回复的对话代理。随着在线零售商和即时商务公司聚焦盈利能力，AI代理显著降低了客服中心的人力成本。这些平台甚至能在节日订单激增时保持运转，无需扩充人力编制。

人工服务成为奢侈品
Flipkart将其Black会员宣传为"提供超越自动回复的专属服务"，会员可直接联系专属客服、享受即时回电和24×7优先支持，跳过聊天机器人排队环节。Swiggy One BLCK作为邀请制高级会员，将"顶尖客服专员优先支持"列为核心权益，会员相比普通用户能获得更快速、个性化的解决方案。

Zomato曾测试按订单付费的VIP模式，收取50卢比提供优先配送和礼宾式协助。其服务条款明确保留收取客户支持订阅费的权限，预示着行业未来发展方向。

Zepto虽未将人工服务作为卖点，但正全力押注自动化。其首席技术官Nikhil Mittal表示："我们正大力投资智能AI模型，这些系统能理解语境、执行策略、做出决策并采取行动——如同人类一样，但更快速、精准且可规模化。"

Swiggy2025财年年报将"AI主导服务"定位为增长引擎，重点介绍其AI驱动平台Pyng能连接逾百个领域的认证专家，堪称"由个性化AI助手驱动"。

截至发稿前，向Zomato、Swiggy、Flipkart和亚马逊发出的问询邮件均未获回复。

消费者信任受挫
然而客服体系的AI转型并非一帆风顺。去年Zomato因用户投诉AI生成食品照片具有误导性，被迫下架该功能，该事件引发大量退款申请并侵蚀了用户信任。

许多消费者难以及时投诉并解决问题。德里25岁咨询师Rohan Mehta反映："数月前若遇到漏送，几分钟内就能接到人工回电。现在要在聊天机器人循环里折腾近半小时，多数时候只是机械重复。"23岁研究生Priya Sharma抱怨："等到联系上人工客服，外卖订单早已无法挽回。他们简直是在刻意设置障碍。"26岁市场专员Ananya Rathore指出即便简单退货也会陷入无尽聊天循环，"过去向人工说明问题只需几分钟，现在单是升级处理就要数日"。

这些不满折射出服务模式的深层裂痕。亚洲高级研究院关键与新兴技术中心分析师Farheen分析："当系统缺乏能理解深层问题的人类时，它就更像在阻碍而非解决问题。这便开始显现'暗黑模式'特征——无论出于设计初衷还是AI系统的副作用。"她补充道："直接互动正变得日益困难。Zepto用AI聊天取代客服电话，亚马逊强制用户先通过机器人流程。这种极高摩擦度的设计，仿佛刻意隐藏转接人工的入口。"

当前被货币化的实质是"稀缺性，我们正迈向一个将注意力和信任视为奢侈品的范式"。

AI布道者的观点
AI初创企业主张自动化并非全无益处——它能即时处理常规咨询，释放人力处理复杂个案。入选印度AI使命计划的Soket AI Labs创始人Abhishek Upperwal解释："当客户明确要求人工服务，或对话超过一定轮次，系统会启动转接。AI代理的运营成本随对话轮次递增，超过临界点后交由人工秒速解决反而更高效。"

Upperwal认为，随着AI运营成本急剧下降，且70-80%的客服咨询属于重复性问题，人工服务终将成为付费用户特权。他指出运营人工客服成本高昂，收费模式将是平衡收支的必然选择——这种模式已初见雏形。

融资达490万美元的CoRover.ai创始人Ankush Sabharwal表示："系统感知到用户沮丧情绪时会自动转接人工坐席。"他以美国市场为例指出即便购买所谓优先支持也难以联系人工，"可能需要数日才能接通，且仅能获得一两次人工服务，体验极其艰难"。他直言："随着印度发展，联系人工本就不应过于便捷。服务商并非用来提供情感支持或挨骂的。人工在销售领域仍不可或缺，但常规服务完全可由AI胜任。"

监管灰色地带
政策研究倡导组织CUTS International高级研究员Sohom Banerjee指出："将人工服务设为付费项目处于监管灰色地带：企业必须确保及时有效的解决方案，但在首选接触点设置和付费会员快速通道方面保留自主权。"

不过专家警告聊天机器人仍存缺陷。印度人工智能与法律协会的Abhivardhan指出："幻觉是大语言模型与生俱来的问题，无法完全消除，建议仅用于简单分流任务。"

全球企业正纷纷借助AI填补空白——优步使用生成式模型处理全品类咨询，本土平台Meesho正在测试声称评分超越人工坐席的语音机器人。CUTS International高级研究员Sohom Banerjee总结道："商业逻辑令人信服：当节日订单量翻三倍时，没有企业能承担人工客服同步增长的成本。但自动化或可解决流量问题，却未必能解决信任问题。"

英文来源：

Problem with your online order? Deal with an AI agent or pay to speak with a human
Customer support is shifting from human agents to AI chatbots in India's online retail sector. Premium memberships provide access to priority human support, while standard users face long waits, raising concerns about eroding consumer trust.
India’s booming online retailer sector is quietly redefining customer support: AI chatbots are becoming the default frontline to tackle complaints, and human help is being recast as a premium, paid perk. But prioritizing automation over empathy is leaving many consumers miffed.
Flipkart’s Black, Swiggy’s One BLCK and Zomato’s VIP Mode–either requiring subscriptions or additional payments–promise priority support and direct access to human agents. For other users, chatbots are the only way to raise concerns, and users say getting through to consumer service executives is becoming increasingly difficult.
“This happens because people assume that AI's marginal costs (e.g., per-query inference in GenAI) make it economical for volume, but human agents excel at empathy and complexity," said Abhivardhan, president, Indian Society of Artificial Intelligence and Law, an industry forum. “Companies try to capture “willingness to pay" for humans, turning support from a cost center into revenue."

• AI chatbots are becoming the default frontline to tackle complaints, and human help is being recast as a premium, paid perk.
• Flipkart’s Black, Swiggy’s One BLCK and Zomato’s VIP Mode—either requiring subscriptions or additional payments—promise priority support and direct access to human agents.
• Companies try to capture the willingness to pay for humans, turning support from a cost centre into revenue.
• The companies have seemingly made human support deliberately hard to reach.
• Paywalling human agents sits in a regulatory grey zone: firms must ensure timely, effective redress, but they retain latitude on whether the first touchpoint is a bot or a person and whether premium tiers get faster human access.
• Automation may solve the problem of volume, but it does not necessarily solve the problem of trust.
  Large language models (LLMs) have transformed chatbots into conversational agents that can provide human-like responses. As online retailers and quick commerce companies focus on profitability, AI agents cut down on the costs of staffing call centres for customer support. They allow these platforms to even process surges in festive orders without ballooning headcount.
  A human premium
  Flipkart markets its Black membership as offering “personal attention over automated responses," with direct access to dedicated agents, immediate callbacks and 24×7 priority support, bypassing chatbot queues. Swiggy One BLCK, an invite-only premium tier, lists “priority support from top customer care agents" as a marquee feature. Members get faster, personalized resolutions compared to standard users.
  Zomato has tested a pay-per-order VIP Mode, charging ₹50 for priority riders and concierge-style assistance. Its terms of service explicitly reserve the right to charge subscription or membership fees for access to customer support, signalling where the model could head.
  Zepto hasn’t marketed human escalation as a perk yet, but is doubling down on automation.
  “We're heavily investing in agentic AI models that will create unprecedented leverage across multiple business functions," Nikhil Mittal, chief technology officer at Zepto, told Mint in an emailed response. “These intelligent systems should be able to understand context, apply policies, take decisions and appropriate actions–just like a human would, but faster, more accurately, and at scale."
  Swiggy’s FY25 annual report positions “AI-led services" as a growth driver. It points to Pyng, a standalone AI-driven platform that connects users with verified professionals across 100+ specializations, described as “powered by personalised AI assistants".
  Queries emailed to Zomato, Swiggy, Flipkart, and Amazon did not elicit a response until press time.
  Customer trust shaken
  Yet, customer care’s AI pivot hasn’t been smooth. Last year, Zomato was forced to ban AI-generated food photos after users complained they were misleading, fuelling refund claims and eroding trust. The platform rolled back the feature.
  Many customers are struggling to raise complaints and get resolutions in time.
  “Some months back, I used to get a callback from a human agent within minutes if something was missing," said Rohan Mehta, 25, a consultant in Delhi. “Now I’m stuck nearly half an hour in chatbot loops, and most of the time it’s just the bot repeating itself."
  Priya Sharma, 23, a postgraduate student in Delhi, said, “With food delivery, by the time I reach a human, the order is already ruined. It feels like they’ve made human support deliberately hard to reach."
  According to Ananya Rathore, 26, a marketing executive, even a simple return gets stuck in endless bot chats. “Earlier, I could explain the issue to a person in minutes; now it takes days just to escalate."
  These frustrations signal deeper cracks in the service model as users find it difficult to reach human agents even for genuine concerns.
  “Without a human who understands the deeper issue, the system often seems designed to block resolution rather than help. That’s where it starts to look like a dark pattern—whether by design or as a byproduct of AI-based systems," said Farheen, an analyst at the Centre for Critical and Emerging Technologies, Advanced Study Institute of Asia.
  “It’s becoming increasingly difficult to have direct interaction for customer service. Zepto uses AI chat instead of a customer service number. Before you can speak with a human, Amazon forces you to go through bot-first flows. It is extremely high-friction, and it seems like escalation to an agent is purposefully hidden," she added.
  What is being monetised “is scarcity, as we are now moving towards a paradigm that views attention and trust as luxury items".
  AI evangelists
  AI startups argue that automation isn’t all bad—it clears routine queries instantly and frees up humans for complex cases.
  “If a customer explicitly asks for a human, or if a conversation drags on beyond a certain number of turns, we trigger an escalation. The cost of running AI agents rises with every turn, so beyond a point it’s more efficient to hand over to a human who can resolve it in seconds," said Abhishek Upperwal, founder of Soket AI Labs, one of the startups chosen under the IndiaAI Mission.
  Human support will eventually be reserved for premium users because the cost of running AI agents is coming down drastically, and 70–80% of customer support queries are repetitive, according to Upperwal. AI will naturally handle those, while humans will be pulled in only for complex or paid tiers, he said.
  Running human support is costly, and the way to balance the books may be to charge for it—a model already taking shape, Upperwal said.
  “Paywalling human agents sits in a regulatory grey zone: firms must ensure timely, effective redress, but they retain latitude on whether the first touchpoint is a bot or a person and whether premium tiers get faster human access," said Sohom Banerjee.
  Ankush Sabharwal, founder and CEO of CoRover.ai, which has raised around $4.9 million in funding, with HDFC Bank as its most recent investor, said, "If the system senses frustration, it can automatically route the query to a live agent."
  He cited the example of markets like the US, where it is difficult to reach a human, even with so-called premium support. “It can take days to connect, and you might only get to speak to a live agent once or twice. It’s a real struggle."
  “As India grows, talking to humans should also not be that easy. A service provider is not there just to offer emotional support or be scolded," he said. “Humans still have a role in sales, but for routine service, AI can handle it just as well."
  Regulatory grey zone
  According to Sohom Banerjee, senior research associate at CUTS International, a policy research and advocacy group, “Paywalling human agents sits in a regulatory grey zone: firms must ensure timely, effective redress, but they retain latitude on whether the first touchpoint is a bot or a person and whether premium tiers get faster human access."
  Yet, experts warn that chatbots remain imperfect. “Hallucination is a ‘by design’ problem of LLMs and cannot be eliminated in entirety, so it is advisable to engage in only readily simple tasks for triage," said Abhivardhan of the Indian Society of Artificial Intelligence and Law.
  Companies worldwide are leaning on AI to plug the gap—Uber now uses generative models to field whole categories of queries, while back home Meesho is testing voice bots it claims score higher than human agents.
  “The business logic is compelling: when festive order volumes triple, no company can afford to triple its human support headcount," said Sohom Banerjee, senior research associate at CUTS International, a policy research and advocacy group. Yet, automation may solve the problem of volume, but it does not necessarily solve the problem of trust, he said.