Dr. Isa Hofmann was invited on June 14, 2018 on the occasion of the biannual meeting by the trade show and marketing board of VDMA in Linz, Austria to give a keynote presentation on automated communication. The committee meets twice a year to discuss current marketing and sales issues. The lecture was titled “To what extent professional communication may be automated in times of digitization? Which tools are available and what are the limits of automatization?”
Trade fair and marketing committee
The trade show and marketing committee of the textile machinery engineering consortium has 21 members, most notably company representatives responsible for PR, communication, trade shows and marketing and distribution in their respective companies. The periodic meetings are geared to networking and personal exchange of experience. VDMA with its 3.200 associated members, is the organizer and mediator between the 21 members and institutions such as the AUMA (Ausstellungs- und Messe-Ausschuss der Deutschen Wirtschaft e.V./exhibition and trade show committee of the German economy e.V.).
Automation of communication
The presentation by Dr. Isa Hofmann gave an insight into the current state of digital transformation and the use of artificial intelligence in industry 4.0. Examples demonstrated how automation of communication processes can work successfully. To a certain extent social media dialogue can be automated . However, certain criteria must be respected to please and not disappoint followers.
Chatbots as automation tools
Since approximately the last two years the so called chatbots are used in customer service. According to a recent chatbot study conducted by the Business School Cologne and the Cologne based online marketing agency morefire, chatbots are “virtually programmed robots that can communicate with humans” (p.8). Computer programs dismantle text passages into single modules and process them according to given rules. The content is analyzed and the machine recognizes the actual request. For example: the customer asks a question. The computer program determines the optimal answer. Chatbots serve to ease the workload of employees in customer service and create significant added value in customer dialogue. Chatbots allow real-time advice without any waiting time. Their use can drastically reduce processing costs. When dialogue gets complicated and the chabot is overstrained, the system is able to forward the customer to a human service representative.
Why automation processes in communication are also important for the textile machinery industry?
Chatbots can be used in any industry. Whether in customer consultation, when it comes to the description of products or processes, in complaint management or when processing purchase transactions. Textile machinery engineering is one of the important branches of engineering and plant construction in Germany. With an export rate of 95 per cent, the industry is one of the strongest engineering branches in terms of export. Due to increasing competitive pressure, constant optimization of process costs is vital. New technologies make it possible. However companies need to adapt the mindset of their human resource, empower and move their employees and strengthen the willingness to apply modern technologies.
IHOFMANN as a consulting agency for automated communication processes
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