CUSTOMER CASE | RETAIL
AI powered automation accelerates updating customer data at Stark
Author
PAIJU KOIVULA
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Updating customer data consumes valuable working hours for many organizations. To automate this process, we developed a modern solution for our client Stark that utilizes Azure ML, UiPath and Power Apps technologies. This intelligent automation saves working hours and improves processing unstructured customer data. As the machine learning model develops, it can also be used in other similar processes.
Sisua Digital has been Stark’s automation partner since 2021, and several automations have already been built together. The automations boost efficiency in Stark’s customer service and financial management processes among other things. In addition to the previous automations, a new innovative automation has been developed for Stark, which utilizes Azure’s machine learning model, Microsoft’s Power Apps, and an existing UiPath automation.
"Stark receives thousands of customer information change requests from our customers every year, e.g. e-invoicing information updates via e-mail. Updating this data manually is slow, so we wanted to make the process more efficient by automating it," says Kirsi Peltola, Stark's Assistant Controller.
The new automation that utilizes artificial intelligence was built into an existing UiPath automation, where the creation of a new customer is automated. An extension was built on top of the old automation that extracts the customer information that needs to be updated from e-mails that arrive in varying formats. A machine learning model was designed for the automation, which gradually learns to collect the data better. Free-form messages from customers are challenging and it was clear from the beginning that the model will not find all the information right away. For that, a user interface was needed where the user can check that the information is correct and Microsoft’s Power Apps was used for this.
In practice, the automation functions so that the automation built with UiPath reads the emails and feeds them to the Azure machine learning model, which produces the results in Power Apps for review. There, the employee checks and corrects any errors or completes the information if the machine learning model did not find all of them. Power Apps then sends the changed information to the robot’s work queue, from where the robot updates the information to the company’s ERP system.
"Automation streamlines the updating of customer information, freeing up valuable working hours that can be redirected toward more profitable activities," summarizes Mika Kauppi, Stark's Head of Credit Management.
In short, the automation saves valuable working hours and enhances the process of updating customer data, and creates opportunities to use the machine learning model for other similar solutions.
You can read more about how automation boosts efficiency in Stark’s financial administration and customer service teams in here.
What was achieved
Automation benefits
- Several working hours are saved
- Working hours can be allocated to profitable activities
- Updating customer data is more efficient
- ML model can be replicated to other similar processes
About the company
Stark
Stark is a Finnish building supplies company. Stark’s online store and 27 stores serve construction professionals and renovators all over Finland. The company has been in operation for over 150 years and employs around 1100 people. Stark is part of Stark Group, the largest building materials company in Northern Europe.
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