Bharat Petroleum partners with Microsoft to drive digital transformation

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL) has announced a seven-year partnership with Microsoft to accelerate its digital transformation and enhance customer experience.

The multi-year partnership aims to unlock the opportunities that Microsoft's cloud provides to address the unique challenges of the oil and gas sector and shape the future of innovation in the industry.

In a press release on Tuesday, Microsoft said that it will provide infrastructure as a service (IAAS), platform as a service (PAAS), network and security services on the cloud, including Azure native services on Azure Datafactory, API, IOT and analytics to fuel BPCL's cloud transformation.

"BPCL is one of the most respected public sector companies in the country and we are honored to work together to define the next frontiers of data-driven innovation and customer engagement in the oil and gas industry. Bringing together BPCL's operational expertise with Microsoft's cloud and AI capabilities, our partnership will help fortify BPCL's business operations with trust and security at the core," said Anant Maheshwari, President, Microsoft India.

The partnership will focus on:

• Digital Customer experience: Creating a digital customer experience for BPCL customers via UFill, an innovative fueling solution powered by Microsoft Azure, which delivers on BPCL's promise of ensuring that their customers have complete control over Time, Technology and Transparency as part of their fueling experience.
• Digital transformation of backend operations: BPCL's Digital Nerve Center, IRIS, will remotely monitor thousands of sensors, integrating across 19000+ fuel stations, retail terminals, bottling plants, consumer pumps, RDI (Railway Diesel Installations) and VTS (Vehicle Tracking System) systems, to ensure the company's entire supply chain is tamper-proof and delivers 100% percent quality.
• Customer support: BPCL is building a conversational AI platform, chatbot Urja, to provide access to anytime, anywhere customer support across platforms anytime, anywhere. Powered by Azure Analytics, customers can access the chatbot on WhatsApp and Facebook with a click.

The collaboration gives a strong fillip to BPCL's digital-first strategy, as part of 'Project Anubhav' to redefine the customer experience.