While these back-office investments are necessary to increase productivity and streamline internal workflows, Fillmann highlights the potential downsides of too narrow an approach.

“To fully realize the most important benefits, an equally careful eye must be placed on front-line applications. »

Balancing productivity and customer experience

One of the biggest challenges business leaders face is finding the right balance between reducing costs and improving the customer experience.

“Many businesses are wondering: how can we increase productivity without compromising the customer experience? » said Fillmann. “Reducing costs, saving time, giving customers the best possible experience with your business: it all contributes to the bottom line. »

Fillmann says recent advances in AI have largely solved this challenge by allowing productivity and customer experience to go hand in hand.

“Where technology is today, especially with the introduction of AI agents, productivity and customer experience no longer have to be trade-offs,” he says.

The introduction of Enterprise Agentforce, he says, allows companies to deploy autonomous AI agents that support employees, effectively acting as an extension of the team. “Agents help reduce the cognitive load on employees, allowing them to focus on the more nuanced and human aspects of their work. »

Navigating Misconceptions

Adopting AI can be a daunting task, and leaders are feeling pressure from internal and external stakeholders to act quickly.

“There is pressure from the board to hurry up and get going, and of course, deliver value; and pressure from customers to bring the ‘magic’ of public AI models to their experiences with businesses,” says Fillmann.

Part of this pressure is on tech leaders, who often delegate AI decisions upward, seeking advice from the CEO.

He cautions against over-complicating AI implementation by focusing on the technology itself rather than the business outcomes it can support.

“Companies spend too much time deciding which user interface or template to choose, or even trying to create their own LLM,” he says.

“The quickest, safest and most sustainable path forward is to abandon DIY efforts that start with AI, and instead identify the most urgent, high-impact use cases that will quickly deliver value. commercial value. »

Data quality and confidentiality remain major obstacles

For AI to succeed, Fillmann emphasizes, companies need robust, well-managed data infrastructures that address quality and privacy concerns.

“Almost every organization tells us that their data is fragmented, trapped in disconnected systems, and that they are not prepared to ensure the effectiveness of AI investments,” he says.

As a result, many organizations spend far more on data infrastructure than on AI itself.

“Our global study found that CIOs spend four times more on infrastructure and data management than on AI,” says Fillmann.

Without an adequate database and secure connections to daily business operations, AI cannot move from a mere novelty to a powerful decision-making and strategy tool.

The company’s Data Cloud aims to solve this problem by creating a secure, unified database. “Data Cloud was designed to address precisely these issues. This is the foundation of any AI transformation and the heart of Agentforce,” says Fillmann.

For business leaders, the challenge lies not only in managing data quality, privacy and training, but also in developing a holistic AI strategy that aligns with their goals strategic.

The customer experience must be impeccable

Fisherman & Paykel leverages AI on the frontline to improve its technology-driven customer service and maintain a competitive advantage.

The appliance leader is exploring the integration of generative AI to streamline support processes and improve user experience.

Chief Digital Officer Rudi Khoury sees customer service as an ideal entry point for generative AI applications, thanks to its high volume of manual and repetitive tasks.

These AI tools could help increase efficiency while allowing customers to resolve issues quickly and independently.

Fisherman & Paykel uses AI bots to triage customer needs, directing them to appropriate resources and self-service options through tools like Salesforce’s Einstein bot.

According to Khoury, this innovation has already generated positive feedback, with approximately a third of users choosing to self-serve after interacting with the robot, thereby reducing wait times and improving response rates. However, he emphasizes that these tools do not entirely replace the human touch, particularly in terms of quality control and nuanced support.

Khoury acknowledges that while AI holds great promise, it also presents challenges, particularly in terms of data reliability and accuracy. “If you put generative AI in a customer-facing role, it has to be flawless,” he says, adding that any AI-induced errors could harm customer trust, which is paramount in their approach to support .

“We don’t want savings to come at the expense of the customer experience,” Khoury says.

To avoid pitfalls, Fisher & Paykel implements governance structures and careful monitoring to ensure that information presented to customers is as accurate as possible.

Internally, AI tools deliver productivity gains, allowing staff to complete tasks more efficiently and focus on solving higher-level problems. This controlled deployment provides another level of quality assurance, with humans ensuring that AI-generated insights are appropriate before they reach customers.

As for data, Khoury describes it as the “oil that fuels AI,” emphasizing the importance of structured, labeled, and consolidated data systems. Fisherman & Paykel has invested heavily in data platforms to streamline this infrastructure, knowing that consistent data sources are fundamental to AI effectiveness.

Rather than feeling obligated to deploy AI across all facets of the business, Khoury says the focus remains on aligning AI solutions with core business objectives. For the fisherman & Paykel means prioritizing tools that enhance, rather than replace, the human-centered service approach they are known for.

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