Transurban Upgrades Lex Chatbot with Claude AI for Smarter, Proactive Customer Service

Image Credit: Sawyer Bengtson | Splash

Transurban, a major toll road operator, is advancing its generative AI chatbot, Lex, to deliver tailored and proactive customer service on its Linkt app and website. Built on Anthropic’s Claude large language model and supported by Amazon Web Services (AWS) Bedrock, Lex has been assisting customers since August 2024. Following announcements at the AWS Summit Sydney, Transurban plans to integrate customer-specific data and explore proactive engagement, balancing innovation with ethical considerations in AI-driven customer support.

Lex’s Launch and Current AI Capabilities

Introduced in August 2024, Lex operates on Transurban’s Linkt platform, where customers manage toll road tags and payments. Developed with Concentrix Catalyst and AWS, the chatbot uses Anthropic’s Claude to provide 24/7 responses by drawing on the platform’s “help” section. Lex handles inquiries such as e-tag issues and information about natural disasters, ensuring round-the-clock support.

AWS Bedrock’s guardrails ensure Lex escalates sensitive cases, such as financial hardship or domestic violence, to human agents immediately. “The Bedrock platform provides a robust environment to put clear guardrails in place”, said Chris Jackson, Transurban’s General Manager for Customer Experience and Operations. This allows Lex to connect customers to human agents faster than traditional menu-based systems, improving efficiency.

Personalizing Lex with Customer Data

Transurban plans to equip Lex with customer-specific data, such as account balances, account status, and travel patterns, to deliver tailored responses. For example, Lex could suggest account adjustments based on a customer’s location or toll usage. “We’ll provide Lex with access to contextual-based information about the customer: what their account balance is, what state they’re in, is their account active or suspended”, Jackson explained.

This aligns with industry trends, as a 2025 Zendesk report notes that 61% of consumers expect AI-driven interactions to feel personalized, boosting retention. Claude’s ability to process large datasets supports this goal, though careful data integration is required to ensure accuracy.

Advancing Lex to Proactive AI

Transurban aims to transform Lex into an agentic AI capable of proactive engagement, such as suggesting better toll plans or notifying users of cashback eligibility. “The value to customers becomes exponentially more powerful”, Jackson said, highlighting Lex’s potential to anticipate needs.

This reflects a shift toward proactive AI, as outlined in a 2023 BCG report, which predicts AI systems will evolve to solve problems independently. Enhanced guardrails and testing are needed to ensure appropriate interactions, given the complexity of unsolicited AI outreach.

Benefits and Challenges of AI-Driven Lex

Lex’s AI capabilities offer benefits, including reduced agent workload by automating routine tasks, as noted in a 2025 Zendesk report, which states AI handles routine requests, freeing agents for complex cases. Personalized responses can also boost satisfaction.

However, proactive AI poses challenges. A 2025 Zendesk report indicates 64% of consumers trust AI agents with human-like traits, suggesting discomfort with purely AI interactions. Unsolicited AI contact risks eroding trust, requiring transparency. “Customers haven’t chosen to interact with the organization in an AI context”, Jackson noted, emphasizing the need for robust safety measures.

Lex in the AI Customer Service Landscape

Transurban’s Lex aligns with the growing role of AI in customer service, where chatbots automate up to 80% of routine tasks, according to a 2025 McKinsey survey. The partnership with AWS and Concentrix Catalyst leverages Bedrock’s secure API and Claude’s ethical framework, ensuring responsible deployment.

Privacy and consent remain concerns with proactive AI. Transurban’s focus on guardrails addresses these, but scaling proactive engagement requires clear policies to maintain trust, especially given consumer preferences for empathetic service.

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Source: IT News, Zendesk, Poly.ai, Techbest

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