AI in companies: more efficiency in customer communication

Companies that want to integrate AI models into their workflows have a fundamental problem with almost all current providers: data that is given to the AI for processing ends up in the public data set. This means that internal business data can also be read under certain circumstances, as AI models do not know which information is internal and confidential and which can be made available to other users. At the same time, the possibilities offered by artificial intelligence are so diverse that a complete abandonment of the technology has long-term disadvantages.

One solution to this dilemma could be in-house AI models that work on a company's own servers. Without the public component, data cannot reach the outside world; all requests are internal to the company. However, data from a single company is not necessarily suitable for training AI models, as the larger the data set with which the AI can be trained, the better the results will be.

This is why RYZE Digital takes the approach - where possible - of combining the best of both worlds with a multi-level model: an industry model that can access and work with public data from the respective sector, and a company model that can be used to process and analyse confidential data internally. The separate data sets also mean that different AI models can be used in companies, even if the AI is to work on business figures, intellectual property (IP) or other confidential information.

The tiered model also allows a connection to the outside world in the form of content, as a specially trained AI can ideally map the language of the company and support marketing, communications and PR departments with formulations.

AI in customer communication: process
enquiries faster

We were able to demonstrate the effectiveness of our own AI solutions at our parent company: VRM is a leading media company in the Rhine-Main region, which includes eight daily newspapers such as Allgemeine Zeitung, Darmstädter Echo and Wiesbadener Kurier, several advertising papers and digital media services. The media company, which has been operating since 1850, is not only an important mouthpiece in the Rhine-Main region, it also receives many enquiries by e-mail from customers and other interested parties. VRM receives around 200,000 enquiries every year. Organising the emails takes a lot of time, which is why VRM uses an external service provider to categorise them and import them into the company's internal SAP system.

An ideal area of application for AI: with automation, around 80 per cent of emails can be correctly categorised and transferred to SAP without human intervention. This means that enquiries can be processed more quickly and the costs for the external service provider are largely eliminated. Instead, employees can take care of special enquiries that require more human management. Enquiries to VRM are also only processed internally by the in-house AI solution, meaning that data is not made public. This is not only important for the privacy of the enquirers, but also for any sensitive company information that may be contained in such emails.

How AI improves communication within
companies

Organising and categorising emails is just one aspect in which artificial intelligence can improve workflows in companies. Beyond images, text and audio, there are many areas in which AI can make processes more efficient.

Meetings are an everyday part of many companies. To ensure that all participants are on the same page even after hours of meetings, many companies use minutes or individual employees take their own notes. However, AI can take over this step completely: from transcription to correctly recognising who said what. An automatic summary can also help those who were absent to quickly get up to date.

RYZE Digital has defined a number of areas that can benefit from the use of AI in the long term. In marketing, for example, AI tools are suitable for acquisition - from lead generation to evaluation after a successful conclusion, AI can provide support and even take over work steps itself.

Automating processes for better results

AI can also help with the creation of company website subpages. Artificial intelligence can analyse texts and then independently start a keyword search, which significantly simplifies search engine optimisation. Together with automated product descriptions and other content, such as frequently asked questions (FAQ), company presences on the web can be set up or revised quickly. AI can also independently formulate meta descriptions and titles, which also has a positive impact on the reach of a website.

In principle, AI models are also suitable for analysing data, which can then be visualised and evaluated. Instead of cleaning up data sets for outliers, searching for the best form of visualisation and then manually comparing the results with previous ones, AI offers a significant acceleration of these processes.

Thanks to chatbots and voice-controlled programmes, AI is even suitable for the HR sector. For example, pre-selections can be made for job interviews, bureaucratic processes can be improved and the flow of information from the company to employees can be simplified. Chatbots are already firmly established in contact with customers, and the latest developments in the field of AI are likely to significantly improve this service.