Development of a decision aid for planning, implementing and measuring the success of AI applications in customer interactions of SMEs
Funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) on the basis of a resolution of the German Bundestag.
The aim of the project is the systematic development of an AI-based decision aid for planning, implementing and measuring the success of AI applications in customer interactions of SMEs. Specifically, the project will identify which AI applications in customer interactions are useful for customers and SMEs, which tools are suitable for implementing these applications in the company and which key performance indicators can be used to measure the success of these applications.
Research units involved:
Chair of Strategy and Organisation, Technical University of Munich, Prof. Dr Isabell M. Welpe
Chair of International Management and Corporate Strategy, Freiberg University of Mining and Technology, Prof. Dr Jutta Stumpf-Wollersheim
Initial situation
Artificial intelligence (AI) is currently on everyone's lips, as AI has the potential to make a significant contribution to creating competitive advantages for companies. AI can be used to automate processes and make well-founded, data-based decisions. However, SMEs often find it difficult to utilise the potential of AI. It is often unclear in which scenarios AI can be used and how its success can be measured. In addition, there is often a lack of data and expertise to successfully implement AI projects. Many stakeholders inside and outside SMEs are sceptical about the technology.
High-quality customer relationships are particularly important for SMEs. They can improve innovative capacity and reputation and thus create competitive advantages. AI has the potential to significantly improve customer interactions through increased automation and personalisation, the recognition of trends and customer segments, and the provision of optimal solutions for customers.
The aim of the research project
The research project will investigate how AI applications can be used and implemented by SMEs in various customer interactions (customer acquisition, customer development and customer retention) so that they are accepted by employees and customers, relieve the burden on employees and deliver sustainable added value for SMEs, customers and society. The research project also aims to define criteria that make the use and success of AI in customer interactions measurable. The insights gained will be made accessible in a barrier-free, individualised and easily understandable way by means of a web-based IT demonstrator to aid decision-making in practice.
Possibility of cooperation as a company
The needs of SMEs are developed in representative expert discussions, regular workshops and meetings of a research project committee with SMEs and large companies.
If you are interested in participating in the research project, please get in touch with the research project contacts.
Your benefit
- Exclusive and free access to research results
- Generation of new impulses through the exchange with other companies
- Possibility to use the project in marketing (Internet, company and customer magazines, etc.).)
- Dissemination of your commitment through project publications (project homepage, presentations, etc.)
- Possibility of exclusive, partner publication in a specialist journal as part of case studies
- Possibility of influencing the design of the research results (solution of currently existing company problems)
Next meeting:
- When: 20 June 2024
- Where: TU Bergakademie Freiberg
- Who: The event is primarily aimed at employees who are familiar with different types of customer interactions in the company: Decision-makers, management, sales, marketing, etc.
- What: (1) Presentation of research results from expert interviews, case studies and experiments, as well as (2) workshop on the design of a digital decision aid for SMEs for planning, implementing and measuring the success of AI in customer interactions.
- Registration: tim [dot] kanis [at] bwl [dot] tu-freiberg [dot] de (Tim[dot]Kanis[at]bwl[dot]tu-freiberg[dot]de)
Contact person
Tim Kanis, Chair of International Management and Corporate Strategy at TU Bergakademie Freiberg
