INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
where we live and what our next job should be
would want our lives ruled by a self-teaching algorithm
But for the majority of consumer businesses, AI (an umbrella term that includes natural language processing and machine learning) is a
potentially transformative force, providing vital insights into what is happening and what is likely to happen
Advances in AI mean that what customers feel about a company or brand will drive significant change in business
know it but are aware of their technological shortcomings
anticipating their requirements
important element is often overlooked, however, which is customer sentiment
Every day millions of customers leave opinions about services or products that if effectively analysed, offer a wealth of insights into
where enterprises are getting it right or wrong
Smart, AI-powered review platforms are already highly attractive to consumers, analysing the feedback of thousands of real fellow-customers
mass of consumer data automatically collected about transactions and customer habits, stock availability, logistics and product
Smart review platforms are one of the most vital sources of customer sentiment that AI can leverage
Dating apps, after all, already employ AI to create stronger matches between users, to moderate the content that is shared between them and
to offer advice on improving the attractiveness of a profile.Uncovering trends in retail before anyone else spots themAI will rapidly
analyse the information to spot important trends as soon as they emerge
Take an online retailer selling washing machines
Customers in Durham, for example, may have problems with delivery, whereas customers everywhere else in the North East are happy
in their respective sets of customers
AI can rapidly drill down and blend all the available data to find out the likeliest causes of these problems.Acting on the insights
generated will give any customer-facing business a major competitive advantage
From supply chain managers to online helpdesks and store assistants, access to this information in real time allows them to meet changing
customer demand or resolve problems before they get out of hand.Actionable insights into the travel industryIn the travel industry,
sentiment is hugely important
significance of holidays and their cost
AI gives travel companies and tour operators the ability to both extract the key elements from thousands of reviews and to compare that data
with transaction data about individual destinations and the numbers travelling to them
can, for example, uncover whether larger groups register greater satisfaction at a particular hotel or whether younger visitors are more
access to sentiment and all the other details of customer interaction
In recruitment, for example, smart review platforms are highly effective in demonstrating to job-seekers how agencies perform
They also allow the business to analyse how its branches and individual consultants are performing, using the feedback of authentic
establish trend data, demonstrating how candidates have arrived, where they apply to and where success is most likely for particular
procedures and tactics to make life easier for candidates
But AI may also indicate that a large local accountancy practice or logistics business is consulting on redundancies before any details are
analysing the data from multiple channels, empowering companies to learn more about their customers and hone how they target specific
familiar with the basic predictive abilities of online retailers, recommending what we might also want to buy
For consumer-facing businesses, AI takes this much, much farther and puts them in the driving seat of positive change.Neil McIlroy is Head
