PulsePoint Solutions stands at the intersection of technological innovation and customer centricity with its decision to deploy a Gen AI salesbot. My argument is that they should deploy the Gen AI salesbot in a human-centered way.
Why PulsePoint Should Deploy the Gen AI Salesbot
AI is moving fast. Just like in every technological revolution, companies which cannot keep up with the pace are doomed to fail. It was like that during
the dot com revolution: none of the commerce which did not launch in the web space survived that era. In my other class, we were discussing how Blockbuster was a giant in the video rental industry once, but they dismissed streaming technology as a fad, passing on an opportunity to buy Netflix for $50 million in 2000. Their failure to adapt to online streaming had huge negative consequences, even leading to filing for bankruptcy after 10 years. So, in my view, there is no doubt that PulsePoint should deploy this bot “now” without waiting. However, we should scrutinize how they should deploy.
Embracing Resistance as a Natural Step
Last summer, I was working on an enterprise chatbot which can be used as a FAQ bot, sales bot or customer assistant bot. While interacting with our customers, I witnessed first-hand that the older the company, the more resistant they are. The reason is clear: they have already succeeded to reach that position, so they trust their way of work. Therefore, it is quite normal to face this resistance from the largest client they have.
Moving on, the executive team should team up with their most ambitious clients which are growing exponentially and looking for new opportunities at every moment, and listen to their point of view.
Learning from Industry Failures
The key point here is to avoid making assumptions about what users want or what the CEO thinks it is “cool” to do now. By closely analyzing the industry failures that aimed at building something similar, it’s clear that the right approach involves designing solutions that respect existing workflows while gradually introducing change. This means deploying technologies that not only deliver value but also feel intuitive and seamless to the end-users. PulsePoint should take these insights into account to avoid repeating common missteps.
Launch Fast, Fail Fast: Pilot Phase
Before this salesbot becomes the official company-wide solution, it should be first put in a pilot phase. At first, starting with one or two ambitious clients, they should start with a pilot program focusing on low-stakes applications, integrate human oversight, and collect user feedback to refine the system. This can be done in a few weeks using open-source options to see the impact of AI powered salesbot. As product managers see the direct impacts of the product, they will have a chance to iterate and have a deeper understanding of the potential of this technology.
In conclusion, the general approach should follow:
- Analyze market trends to ensure the bot aligns with current and future industry shifts.
- Identify and prioritize clients receptive to innovation for initial deployment.
- Design the bot to integrate seamlessly with existing workflows, minimizing disruption.
- Begin with a pilot phase focused on small-scale, low-stakes applications.
- Gather user feedback during the pilot phase to identify areas for improvement.
- Iterate on the bot’s functionality based on pilot program insights.
- Incorporate human oversight to mitigate errors and build user trust.
- Plan for scalability to handle increased usage and future business needs.
- Align the deployment strategy with PulsePoint’s customer-centric mission and innovation goals.