TECHNOLOGY
Navigating the intricacies of digital transformation
In an interview at this year’s Digital Transformation Week Europe, Ambit Software Managing Director Jaap van Vliet delved into the intricacies of digital transformation and how the company utilises innovative strategies to assist clients globally.
“We try to help to accelerate our customers to improve their business,” says van Vliet. “We do that from multi-angles: from the sales perspective, marketing perspective, and customer service perspective.”
Integration of cloud, IoT, and focusing on customer service
Discussing the integration of IoT in manufacturing, van Vliet emphasised its role in predictive maintenance. IoT-enabled sensors gather real-time data, enabling timely equipment servicing and preventing breakdowns. Ambit Software integrates this data into their field service solutions, ensuring seamless operations for clients.
“Whenever a company is producing any kind of machines, it knows about their general lifespan but it’s an average,” says van Vliet. “We’re getting all this information about their equipment, feeding that into our field service solution, and we know within one week we need to service this piece of equipment or it will break down.”
Ambit also places a strong emphasis on enhancing customer service, using AI-driven language models to provide detailed responses across various communication channels, including voice, email, and chat.
“When you’re providing good customer service, people are more likely to recommend you. Especially nowadays in Europe, it’s quite hard to get skilled or trained people,” says van Vliet.
“We have a solution based on the language model of GPT which you can feed with your internal knowledge systems about the product, the manuals … whenever people have a question, we’re able to provide them a really good answer.”
Leveraging AI and machine learning
Van Vliet highlighted the integration of AI and machine learning in Ambit’s digital transformation solutions. Drawing a parallel with sports analytics, he explained how AI aids sales predictions and provides data-driven insights that supersede intuition.
“We can help organisations and salespeople to predict which deals are likely to close this month, next three months, or within half a year,” explains van Vliet. “It gives you more actual information rather than a sales guy’s feeling, which always has some personal preferences.”
Additionally, generative AI helps in tailoring outreach strategies based on specific client types; ensuring a more targeted and personalised approach.
Evaluating return on investment and emerging trends:
When evaluating the return on investment for digital transformations, van Vliet noted regional disparities. Companies in regions with limited prior investments stand to gain significantly, whereas those with existing infrastructures face different challenges.
Looking ahead, van Vliet highlighted the post-COVID resurgence of interest in technology across diverse industries. He noted an uptick in investments, even in sectors like law, where AI-generated templates aid legal professionals.
Our conversation with Jaap van Vliet revealed the need for businesses to be willing to embrace new technologies to maintain their competitive edge.
You can watch our full interview with Jaap van Vliet below:
(Photo by Jordan Madrid on Unsplash)
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