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Digital transformation technologies are experiencing a gold rush in the manufacturing industry, not just in Australia but beyond. However, amid this surge in cutting-edge tech and automation processes, a fundamental element remains crucial: trust.
Trust serves as the cornerstone of any successful industrial digital transformation. After all, even the most sophisticated tools can fall short of their potential if stakeholders are reluctant to embrace them.
In an exclusive interview with Australian Manufacturing, SugarCRM Chief Product Officer Paul Farrell shared insights into how their solutions actively shape the future of customer interactions.
Let the platform do the work
As modern companies aim to stay competitive in an ever-evolving industrial landscape, understanding and leveraging generative artificial intelligence becomes an urgent necessity. This goal has been why SugarCRM invested heavily in GenAI and collaborated with customers to optimize the use of the technology.
“Across AI, in general, we look at how it both advises and assists users in their daily tasks so they can focus on the right tasks and deliver the utmost value,” Farrell said.
One of the key areas where SugarCRM employs generative AI is the intelligent summarization of vast amounts of data generated from customer interactions. This capability enables users to quickly grasp the status of an account, understand the underlying sentiment, and determine necessary actions to serve customers better.
Data privacy
Generative AI is revolutionising industries by enhancing efficiency and personalisation, but as Farrell points out, this rapid adoption comes with significant privacy concerns from clients.
“Some customers highlighted that they were already seeing users adopt tools like ChatGPT, without seeking approval from IT. Since company data includes many of the things that separate a business from their peers, and customer data contains PII (personal identifiable information) which is often regulated, it’s understandable that IT leaders need to ensure that information stays private,” the SugarCRM chief product officer noted.
To address this concern, SugarCRM has developed a robust, multi-layered approach to secure data in the age of AI. This enables the CRM developer to ensure that their customers can safely navigate the complexities of modern technological landscapes, staying competitive while upholding stringent data security standards.
Humanizing automation
The core of digital transformation should not merely revolve around the technology itself but its capability to enhance human interactions. This perspective is crucial in an industry often criticized for losing the human touch amid the rush towards automation and efficiency.
Farrell emphasised that optimizing person-to-person collaboration has always been a core component of what SugarCRM does.
The company aims to drive trust by providing customers with a comprehensive view of their operations by gathering information from every customer interaction— whether during the sales process or extracted from deep within the company’s ERP system. This allows customers to ensure that they always have the most accurate, up-to-date information.
Looking forward, Farrell said SugarCRM is committed to remaining at the forefront of CRM technology and continually integrating the latest advancements to benefit its users.
“Looking at our history of Open Source, browser experience, cloud, mobile, business Intelligence, AI & ML and more recently gen AI. We have and always will provide technology that delivers competitive edge that can be easily consumed and trusted by our customers,” he noted.
