Bell begins Cohere AI rollout to streamline operations
October 10, 2025
Bell Canada has started deploying Cohere's North platform across its organization, with early access in place and full availability planned for all management team members by early 2026. The move centers on an agentic AI setup that automates tasks, integrates with internal tools, and supports secure, private deployments.
Initial integrations connect North to Bell's enterprise products, with a goal to lift customer experience, productivity, and revenue. Over 100 use cases are already identified, signaling a broad, practical rollout rather than a narrow pilot.
What North brings to the table
- Customizable agents that handle repetitive workflows and handoffs
- Generative and search models for knowledge retrieval and content generation
- Workflow automation tools that plug into existing systems
- Private deployment options for stronger control over data and security
Bell underscored data sovereignty as a key factor-important for government and regulated customers where data residency, auditability, and access control are non-negotiable. This fits companies that need to keep sensitive information inside their own perimeter.
Why this matters for operations leaders
- Fewer manual steps: Agents can triage tickets, generate responses, summarize cases, and update records.
- Faster decision cycles: Search + generative tools reduce time spent hunting for policies, procedures, and prior resolutions.
- Cleaner handoffs: Workflow automations standardize processes across teams and tools.
- Better compliance posture: Private deployment and data controls help meet internal and external requirements.
Signals from Bell's leadership
Michel Richer, SVP of Enterprise Solutions, Data Engineering and AI at Bell, positioned the Cohere partnership as core to embedding AI across operations and enabling new services for business customers. The intent is clear: equip teams to work faster, with higher consistency, while keeping sensitive data protected.
High-impact use cases to prioritize
- Contact center assist: Real-time guidance, knowledge retrieval, and after-call summaries.
- Field operations: Procedure lookups, work order updates, and automated incident reporting.
- Network operations: Alert triage, ticket enrichment, and playbook execution.
- Enterprise support: IT helpdesk auto-resolve for common requests and smart routing for complex ones.
- Governance workflows: Automated audit logs, access requests, and policy checks.
Execution checklist for your team
- Map processes: Identify tasks with high volume, clear rules, and measurable outcomes.
- Define guardrails: Set data access boundaries and approval workflows before deployment.
- Start with 3-5 use cases: Pilot with clear SLAs, success metrics, and a short feedback loop.
- Integrate where work happens: Plug agents into your CRM, ITSM, knowledge base, and comms tools.
- Measure weekly: Track handle time, first-contact resolution, backlog, CSAT, and policy adherence.
Data sovereignty and security
Bell's emphasis on data sovereignty aligns with requirements common in public sector and regulated enterprises. Private deployment options and strong access controls make AI adoption viable without exposing sensitive data to external environments.
What to watch next
- Expansion from management access to broader teams and partner ecosystems.
- Standardized playbooks for cross-functional workflows (support, field, NOC, finance).
- Clear ROI models tied to time saved, ticket deflection, and contract compliance.
Learn more
Training for operations teams
If you're planning a similar rollout, upskilling your team on automation and agent workflows will speed adoption and reduce rework. Explore focused programs:
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