Intelligent Automation for Self-Service Product Identification

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Solution Overview

Problem

Business entities face challenges in discovering and acquiring new clients and opportunities due to manual decision-making processes, leading to delayed responses, increased risk of human error, and reduced effectiveness in sales productivity and efficiency.

Innovation Solution

Implementing an intelligent automation system that automates tasks in transaction opportunity workflows, utilizing machine learning and natural language processing to schedule, execute, and monitor automated tasks, enabling self-service product identification and delivery, and improving communication channels within sales teams.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If manual decision-making processes are used for transaction opportunities, then human flexibility and judgment are maintained, but response time increases and productivity decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesales productivityVSAvoidresponse time

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-service product identification and delivery by automatically analyzing transaction opportunities, identifying suitable products, and executing delivery workflows without requiring manual human intervention for each transaction, thus improving productivity while reducing response time

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system pre-configures workflow automation rules and product identification criteria in advance, allowing automated tasks to be executed immediately when transaction opportunities arise, eliminating the delay between opportunity identification and response

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If manual tasks are performed in transaction workflows, then human oversight is maintained, but human error increases and efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesales efficiencyVSAvoiderror rate

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces manual mechanical processes with automated computer-based workflows, including automated data processing, product identification algorithms, and workflow execution systems that eliminate human error while maintaining reliability through consistent automated operations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system incorporates monitoring and feedback mechanisms that track automated task execution, validate product identification accuracy, and provide alerts for anomalies, ensuring high reliability while maintaining automated efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Productivity

If automation is implemented in transaction workflows, then productivity and response time improve, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransaction processing efficiencyVSAvoidautomation system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The automation system is divided into distinct modular components including workflow management modules, product identification modules, data processing modules, and monitoring modules, allowing each to be developed and maintained independently while working together to improve transaction processing efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The automated workflow system is designed to handle multiple types of transactions and product categories through a single unified platform, reducing the need for separate specialized systems and thereby managing complexity while maintaining high productivity across diverse sales opportunities

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS11514458B2Intelligent automation of self service product identification and delivery

Publication Date: 2022.11.29 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

AI summary

Embodiments for implementing intelligent automation of opportunity transaction workflows by a processor. One or more tasks identified in an existing transaction opportunity workflow suitable for automation may be automated in a current transaction opportunity workflow. The automated tasks may be scheduled and executed in the current transaction opportunity workflow. The automated tasks in the current transaction opportunity workflow may be monitored.