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Find the optimal mix of human and artificial intelligence

Automate where it pays off, keep customer contact human. This is how you weigh the options for your business.
July 5, 2023 by
Find the optimal mix of human and artificial intelligence
Abstractive BV, Vincent Baggerman
In short. AI can take over many tasks today, from data analysis to customer communication. Still, judgment and customer contact remain human work. The right question is not what you can technically automate, but where automation really pays off.

Software keeps getting smarter. It analyzes data, suggests actions and even writes texts. Since the breakthrough of AI, many companies are asking themselves which tasks should remain human work.

The answer: technology takes over tasks, not responsibility. Even where AI can do the work, there is still room where human intelligence makes the difference. The art is knowing where.

How does AI change the work of your team?

Technology has changed not only the way we work, but also the range of tasks in entire roles. Take the salesperson. With AI and data analysis, they spend less time on research and administration, and more on maintaining customer relationships.

AI software delivers the data and suggests actions. That reduces the mental load on your employee. But translating that data into a message that resonates with the customer remains human work. Interpretation and empathy cannot be automated.

Can systems also interpret, not just analyze?

Better and better. Systems analyze communication styles and advise you on how best to communicate. Digital assistants that answer in a "human" way are now commonplace. Still, in many situations a real face, with all the non-verbal signals that come with it, remains desirable.

Technology also helps us understand human behavior better. Companies use speech and text analysis to find points for improvement in their customer service conversations. Stores use cameras with AI image analysis to see how customers respond to the store layout.

The current Odoo version also has AI built into more and more apps. Which of them already work truly smart today, and which do not yet, you can read in our blog post about AI in Odoo.

How do you find the optimal mix?

Look beyond what can technically be automated. Weigh the cost of building it against what the automation brings in. Does a situation occur often enough to justify the investment? If it is only a few exceptions a year, a person who fills the gaps is often cheaper than software that covers everything.

That is how we work too. In our services we advise you per process on what works best for you, standard Odoo, configuration or custom development, and we automate only where it pays off for your operations.

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