Why is your CRM implementation failing
The CRM (Customer Relationship Management) implementations have shown a potential growth in past five years and according to market analysis is expected to grow continuously in coming years with more focus on AI integration, seamless user experience with mobile first user interfaces. There is another observation from Forrester that states that most of the IT and business decision makers have realized a potential low success ration on CRM implementation projects. The reason for this failure can be any of the following: Unified view of the customer While customer information in a single view is a key driver for successful CRM adoption, many CRM implementations fail to provide a single view for customer. Users need to follow nested navigations for deeper drill down. User adoption Many of the implementations face cultural resistance to adopt new tool for working, lack of attention on training and enablement while the end users do not want to impact their sales outcomes due to delay in adoption and still stick with manual processes Insufficient skill set to implement and support CRM solutions With continuous evolving updates in technology, the implementation is required to stay up to date and continued monitoring. Many times the implementations are left alone without any tracking or upgrades which leads to lower utilization. Over customization While all Enterprise CRM software provides the default Sales lifecycle, the contextual implementation is required to align with business strategy. These implementations sometimes lead to over customization in the system leading to performance and scalability issues. System Integration A simple CRM system for successful adoption requires at least three integrations enabled 1. ERP system 2. Project management system 3. B2B integration covers vendors, channel partners/sales agents. B2C integration is also required in verticals like Insurance, Healthcare, Manufacturing, etc. CRM implementation many times is not set up with scalable architecture or integration is time consuming. Data quality In the case of Enterprise implementation which requires large data migration, absence of effective data migration strategy cause data quality issues which impacts the implementation badly. The success of technology initiatives is crucial for business and requires effective CRM strategies. These strategies include a robust architecture setup, addressing people’s challenges with AI integrations, accurate data migration strategies, and seamless user experiences. Advaiya’s expertise in CRM implementation effectively addresses these challenges.
How AI agents are enabling more efficient sales through Microsoft 365
With the continued focus of Microsoft 365 Copilot to improve productivity and creativity by leveraging AI for use cases like quickly catching up on meetings with more substantial business context, summarizing long and complex documents into relevant context, converting the written content into creative presentations, Copilot has extended the focus on embedding AI for its business application users. The recent announcement from Microsoft brings two new AI Agents: Sales Agent and Sales Chat – to help the sales team close the deals faster. Sales Agent Enables your sales representative with an assistant working for them around the clock to evaluate the pipeline, enabling the personalized two-way conversation, qualifying the lead based on data available in CRM, chat summary from the email conversation, configuring the agent to respond that complies with company policy, etc. With the ability to identify the low and high-impact deals, the agent drafts the path to close the leads faster. Sales Chat The Sales Chat helps the sales team accelerate communication with prospects or accounts. It provides proactive next steps from CRM data available, company policies, sales process followed at the organization, meetings summary, etc. Another cool thing about these accelerators is that they work with Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM and Salesforce to enable the sales representative to accelerate processing more daily data and being better prepared for each prospect/account. The AI Accelerator for Sales is an elite program Microsoft offers to help customers and leverage these agents with built-in AI capabilities. These agents may help your organization enhance the current processes using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales or migrate from a legacy CRM. The program AI Accelerator for Sales includes: Microsoft 365 Copilot as an AI assistant for every salesperson. Prebuilt agents like Customer Intent, Customer Knowledge Management, Case Management, Scheduling Operations Custom agents with Microsoft Copilot Studio to customize the Copilot in the context of business need Model fine-tuning includes getting support from Microsoft AI experts to tailor AI models and agents. Dynamics 365 Sales will manage customer accounts and drive sales from lead to close. White-glove engagement, working closely with Microsoft’s AI experts. Advaiya can help you accelerate your CRM implementation journey by enabling these existing agents or developing custom agents for your unique business needs. Continue reading
India’s Full Potential for AI Innovation
The article highlights how Chinese startup DeepSeek built a powerful AI model with limited resources, challenging Big Tech. It argues that India, with its strong software talent, problem-solving mindset, and English expertise, has the potential to lead in AI. By moving beyond offshore dependency and focusing on domain-specific AI applications, India can establish itself as a key player in the global AI race. Continue reading
AI Automation for Business Growth | Advaiya
Imagine a world where mundane tasks are effortlessly handled by intelligent systems, and critical business decisions are driven by deep insights rather than gut feelings. This is not a distant future— it is the reality for businesses that have embraced artificial intelligence (AI). But before diving headfirst into AI transformation, it is crucial to build a strong foundation with automation and analytics. The importance of automation and analytics Automation and analytics are the cornerstones of any successful AI strategy. They not only streamline operations but also provide invaluable insights that enable informed decision-making. By automating routine tasks, businesses can significantly reduce manual workloads, minimize errors, and optimize efficiency. Advanced analytics, on the other hand, transforms raw data into actionable intelligence, helping organizations anticipate market trends, understand customer behavior, and make proactive decisions. Assessing AI readiness: the first step towards transformation Before embarking on your AI journey, it is essential to assess your organization’s readiness. Understanding your current processes, data infrastructure, and technological capabilities will help identify the gaps that need to be addressed. A readiness assessment provides a roadmap for integrating AI, ensuring a smoother transition and maximizing the benefits. Innovation and agility through automation and analytics Organizations that have successfully adopted AI are reaping significant rewards. From increased operational efficiency and cost savings to enhanced customer experiences and innovative product offerings, the advantages are numerous. Here are a few key benefits: Operational efficiency: AI-powered automation reduces manual workloads, minimizes errors, and accelerates processes, leading to substantial time and cost savings. Innovation and agility: AI enables businesses to quickly adapt to market changes, develop new products, and explore innovative business models. Informed decision-making: Analytics-driven insights provide a solid foundation for strategic decisions, helping businesses stay ahead of the competition. Customer satisfaction: Personalized recommendations and proactive customer service driven by AI enhance customer experiences and loyalty. Building your AI roadmap To fully capitalize on AI, it’s crucial to have a clear roadmap. Start by identifying key areas where automation and analytics can have the most impact. Develop a phased implementation plan, beginning with pilot projects to demonstrate value and gain stakeholder buy-in. Continuously assess and refine your strategy, ensuring alignment with business goals and technological advancements. Embarking on the AI journey can be daunting, but you don’t have to do it alone. Partnering with experts who understand the intricacies of AI implementation can make a significant difference. They can provide the necessary tools, frameworks, and support to guide you through the process, ensuring a successful transition to an AI-driven organization. Conclusion AI is transforming the business landscape, offering unparalleled opportunities for growth and innovation. By laying a strong foundation with automation and analytics, assessing readiness, and developing a strategic roadmap, your organization can unlock the full potential of AI. Don’t wait—start your AI journey today and transform your business for the future. Are you ready to unlock the full potential of AI in your business? Join our upcoming webinar, “Are you ready for AI? Transform your business with automation and analytics,” and discover how to prepare your organization for an AI-driven future. Learn from real-world case studies, gain insights from industry experts, and start building your AI strategy today.
Microsoft Syntex – Simplifies document management with AI brilliance!
As organizations go digital, they’re accumulating a lot of digital stuff. Businesses use content like proposals, contracts, invoices, designs, plans, and training videos. But here’s the thing: important info is scattered everywhere, and digging it out from thousands of documents each week is a real hassle. In the age of AI, can’t we simplify the process? Instead of sorting through hundreds or thousands of files, imagine one smart solution extracting data, streamlining searches, and understanding content automatically. Can we directly build content understanding and classification capability into the content management flow? SharePoint stands out as a leading platform for efficient document management, widely adopted by organizations. Having utilized it for years, I appreciate its robust features—streamlining the loading, storing, organization, and retrieval of documents. SharePoint excels in sorting files to your preference, facilitating easy search and retrieval. Beyond these essentials, it offers crucial document management features such as version control, configurable permissions, and onboard editing tools. What sets SharePoint apart for me is its user-friendly customization, allowing the addition of custom columns for capturing file metadata. Moreover, creating multiple tailored views caters to diverse business roles, enabling filtered and sorted displays. These customizable views can be strategically placed within a SharePoint site, efficiently directing individuals to the precise information needed for their tasks. Hello, I’m Kamal. I’m an experienced communications and learning professional with a background in SharePoint. I’ve been an end-user and a designer, creating solutions using SharePoint and Microsoft 365 services. Extracting valuable insights from documents within SharePoint libraries has been one of the most challenging tasks I’ve tackled. On the SharePoint platform, when storing documents or filling out forms, it would be ideal if information could automatically be extracted into SharePoint libraries. For instance, imagine automatically importing numerous proposals into a document library and having SharePoint recognize clients, participants, costs, and timelines. You could also extract totals from a group of contracts and add that data directly to a SharePoint library column. While possible, it currently demands significant manual effort, time, and technical skills. Some users have started using Power Automate workflows to extract limited information from specific document types, but this requires technical expertise and a separate workflow for each document library. I have a solution for you! So, I have a treat for you. Welcome to Microsoft’s SharePoint Syntex. Microsoft Syntex is a Microsoft 365 service that uses advanced content artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to provide an end-to-end intelligent document processing solution for your organization. Microsoft Syntex is a set of content Artificial Intelligence (AI) services available as a premium offering with Microsoft 365 to help you discover information, process content, and ensure content compliance with your organization’s documents stored in SharePoint. SharePoint Syntex. Welcome to Microsoft’s SharePoint Syntex! Syntex, part of Microsoft 365, is a powerful service that leverages advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to offer a comprehensive solution for intelligent document processing in your organization. SharePoint Syntex. This set of content AI services, available as a premium feature with Microsoft 365, is designed to assist you in discovering information, processing content, and ensuring compliance with your organization’s documents stored in SharePoint. SharePoint Syntex. Syntex simplifies the extraction of information from various documents and forms, providing a fast and efficient way to access essential business data. The best part? It doesn’t require coding, making it accessible to users without a developer background. With automation and machine learning, you can effortlessly transform business content into valuable knowledge. SharePoint Syntex. If that sounds intriguing, you’re not alone – it’s captivating to me too! Syntex utilizes AI to automatically read, tag, and index large volumes of content, connecting it where it’s most needed – in search, applications, and as reusable knowledge. Syntex manages your data throughout the content lifecycle with robust analytics, security features, and automated retention. SharePoint Syntex. Exciting, isn’t it? SharePoint Syntex. Conclusion SharePoint Syntex. I believe Microsoft Syntex is a great way for companies to unlock valuable information from their content without the hassle of manual effort. However, it’s still in its early stages and evolving quickly. For the latest tips, troubleshooting, and updates, I recommend checking the Power Apps Community Forum and Microsoft Tech Community resource page for Syntex. SharePoint Syntex. Remember that Syntex may not be suitable for everyone due to its cost and setup time. Yet, its potential is evident, and I anticipate many businesses will find value in this powerful tool. I hope you enjoyed reading about Microsoft Syntex and got some ideas to try!
Vertical, Baby, Vertical: Data, AI, and Residential Real Estate
In business and technology, every era has a defining concept, which absorbs the mental cycles of the entire industry. In technology, with the Silicon Valley-hyperbole machine at play, the concept often becomes larger than life. Over the past 5 years, we’ve had twin concepts that have emerged into the limelight and dominated the technology narrative: Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI.) Metaphors and prognostications have abounded. Some have called Data “the new oil.” Others have suggested that AI will disrupt and displace all of society as we know it, and jobs certainly. Dreaming and opining is great, but they have side-effects too. One of these is the difficulty that has arisen in separating rhetoric from reality when it comes to claims about Big Data, AI, and their ubiquity. Indeed, separating the wheat from the chaff is the most important part of the story- especially for investors who are sinking tens of billions of dollars into these claims. Certainly, there are amazing things happening in the Big Data and AI spaces. There are about a dozen behemoths- companies and governments that have the money and human-power to hire tens of thousands of people in the Data and AI fields and who have built the lattice/foundation of a potential AI-based economy. These are the usual suspects- players like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Apple, and the US and Chinese governments. But what of the last mile? The context and vertical knowledge that is necessary to “bring AI home?” In an article in Information Week, I suggested, in this spirit, that “Vertical AI is the New Black.” I strongly urge investors, buyers, and industry-watchers to kick the “vertical” tires on all companies that claim to bring AI into a particular space to “disrupt” or make change. In the residential real estate space, we see this playing out. Residential real estate is the largest single asset class in the world. In the US alone, the aggregate value of RRE exceeds $35 trillion. The numbers are staggering; the industry thus deserves “real” AI and not just its rhetorical counterpart to help drive value, efficiency, and innovative solutions for the entire- currently cumbersome and opaque-processes. If you ask scientists, they’ll tell you that the questions asked are often more important than the answers provided. We see this play out in the form of simple questions that lead to complex processes to answer. Take the basic question, “Why is House 1 valued at $X and House 2 valued at $Y.” In reality, there are thousands of variables- all of which are dynamic- that impinge on this question and inform the answer. Now, imagine asking that at scale- for, say, a million houses? You can see where both the speed and scale of AI comes in but also of the importance of the right approach to data coupled with a deep knowledge of the real estate vertical. One cannot approach the problem tabula rasa. Though perhaps a shameless plug for my company Quantarium, I must share at this point the work of Dr. John Smintina, co-founder and Chief Analytics Officer of Quantarium. He had the insight that genetic algorithms would be particularly useful for the stochasticity of real estate valuations; he and his team then built the highest ranking Automated Valuation Model in the business, which exceeds all others in breadth and precision simultaneously. He took a concept from Science and highly verticalized it. There are of course many other such examples. Vertical AI is not only the new black, it is the epicenter of the next wave of innovation. Romi Mahajan I’m an accidental marketer. My skills are in building deep relationships, seeing markets before they burgeon, and in applying socio-political concepts to business. I have 3 pillars on which I pursue opportunities: People, Impact, and Autonomy. Contact us by filling the form below for Data, AI implementation and integration.
Artificial Intelligence: A Silver Bullet for Housing?
Artificial Intelligence is the technology and business topic of the decade. With advances in AI- both real and rhetorical, realized and claimed- new things are possible in almost all business scenarios. Traversing business-to-business and consumer scenarios, AI has provided a silver bullet of sorts to organizations world-wide. Now, such claims are rightly met with skepticism. Silicon Valley’s force-field has created so many overpromises and in the light of such hyperbolic pronouncements, very few results to match; however, there have been breakthrough products and services that have altered the way billions of people live, work, play, and exist. Whatever one’s politics and whatever one’s view of environmental stewardship, it would be a fool’s errand to deny that products, services, and concepts like Microsoft Office, Apple iPhone, Google Search, or Amazon’s one-day fulfillment for e-commerce have created an indelible imprint on society. Same with the work of hundreds of companies- less storied but equally important- like Xerox, IBM, Sybase, Adobe, Oracle and others. AI represents a phase-transition, a punctuating mark in the general equilibrium of progress in technology and business. Thus, the comment about AI being a silver bullet. I amended the claim, however with “of sorts.” For indeed there are no panaceas, no perfect products, no infallible theories, and no permanent fixes to any of the vexing problems in any particular vertical industry. But there are foundational technologies and paradigms that give us the best shot at speedily solving problems at the scale and in the time-frames needed to enact real, even fundamental change. I argue that in the world’s largest Asset Class- residential real estate or “housing”- that AI is just such a foundational paradigm. Take the US Housing Sector for instance. There are 103 Million residential plots in the US with an aggregate value in excess of $32 Trillion. Depending on the year, about 5 Million homes are bought and sold every year, though many other monetizable transactions take place- including refinancings. The housing ecosystem has a variety of players, from both the private and public sector and appears labyrinthine to those who don’t work in the sector. For most buyers, even questions as simple as “Why is this house worth X?” remain unanswered. Two different housing “experts” will provide two different answers and ten experts will provide ten answers. Moreover, even if consistent, acceptable answers were available, they would be available long-after the time frame in which they were needed. Here, AI comes in- speed and scale can be consistent with deep context and multivariate factoring. I am not qualified to offer a primer on AI. I am on the commercial side of the industry, but as I look through the looking glass and see not only what could be but what has already been done, I remember the image of the silver bullet. Though an imperfect metaphor, it provides the hope and promise that we can democratize and transform the world’s biggest Asset Class with AI. Please email me at romi.mahajan@quantarium.com with comments or your own silver bullet ideas! A nice gift from team Quantarium awaits the sender of the best idea.
The brave new world of practical AI
Every five years or so, the technology world is illuminated and animated with a concept- either a new idea or an advancement in an idea that has been around for decades. These concepts take center-stage in an already crowded “Techosystem” and are developed in the press, at events, and in all manner of conversations. Further, the power of the technology industry- backed as it is with well-resourced marketing—compounds the amplitude of the hype. In this sense, we are undeniably in the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI). There is no doubt about it- AI is real. A storm that has been gathering for 6 decades, AI has reached an advanced state in which scenarios thought impossible 5 years ago have been made possible today. Still, we have barely scratched the surface here, with possible outcomes that at once delight and frighten. That said, the technology hype-machine has also created an enormous number of false claims about AI. Evidence for this is abundant as all-kinds of companies claim great advances in AI and use phrases like “AI-enabled” to describe their products and services, even when doing so has nothing to do with technological advancements and more to do with sleight of hand. Now, extended claims and futuristic thinking are keys to innovation so it’s okay to be patient with some loose claims but when they collectively become an epidemic, we waste too much time and precious energy in separating the wheat from the chaff. Here, I believe it is important to introduce a new term- “Practical AI.” Here, we readily distinguish between theoretical and practical as well as hype versus real. We must be exacting in our use of the term and encourage entrepreneurs and other leaders to be honest as well. It is okay to say “we are developing AI products or AI solutions” versus claiming that an after-the-fact rhetorical bolt-on is sufficient. Dreaming is wonderful but lying is not. The implications of this are vast. Not only with reference to the waste of time and money mentioned above, but also in the investment community which is backing “AI” companies to the tunes of tens-of-billions. Investors have to shrewdly determine if the “AI” being referred to is “Practical AI” or some dreamy derivative thereof. Words matter, even in tech. Let’s make sure we remember this in the era of AI.
Quantarium’s REAL AI for REAL Estate
At Advaiya, we have the pleasure of running across dozens of amazing companies- in technology, services, and product development. These companies range from fledgling startups to the world’s largest technology companies. With such a large range at play, one might ask what the commonalities are. Indeed, that is the million-dollar question- what is the taproot of greatness in companies of any size? A common answer is “People.” Great people make great companies, or so the logic goes. We believe this is true but only partly so. We believe strongly that the sine qua non of greatness is a combination of people and timing. Markets are dynamic- they change. No doubt, this dynamism does not necessarily spell doom for the incumbents but it does bring into question the need for timed adaptation. The history of business is littered with the carcasses of projects and companies that were “too soon” or “too late.” These stories needn’t bear recitation- we’ve all heard about these “Kodak Moments” a lot. Given this, we get excited when we find companies that seem to have their timing perfectly aligned with Market dynamics. One such company is Quantarium, an Artificial Intelligence company in Bellevue, WA. With a team of Data Scientists, Mathematicians, Commercial Executives, and Entrepreneurs, Quantarium applies AI to the vast and important residential real estate industry. The numbers are staggering- residential real estate is the world’s largest asset class, with a world-wide estimated value of almost $200 Trillion. In the United States, this number is closer to $30 Trillion. Despite the size of the asset-class and market, real estate data is still a developing business. Traditional parts of the Real Estate value chain are often isolated from one another and no particular part has comprehensive, timely, and contextual data at its disposal- in an actionable and time-sensitive set up. This is partly due to infrastructure, partly to culture, and partly because the questions surrounding Real Estate are incredibly complex. Indeed, we find that AI, Deep Learning, and scientific Big Data management are necessary to create an accurate and repeatable analytics platform in this multi-variate industry. That’s why we love Quantarium. With the largest and most sophisticated Data Lake in the business and with the speed, scale, and insight driven by AI, they are enhancing the industry. Consider for instance their AVM solution– the best in class- which helps mortgage owners, Banks, and other financial institutions value their residential real estate assets or their Portfolio Analytics that allows for propensity models, if/then scenarios, and other focused and relevant solutions- game-changing solutions that are directly applicable to today’s housing market. This brings us back to the notion of timeliness. Not all claims around Data and AI were paid off in reality; claims abound. Quantarium however developed these solutions painstakingly and got them right before releasing them into the wild. We believe timing is on their side. We are impressed but not robotic cheerleaders. Much remains to be seen, but from our vantage point, Quantarium is a Real AI company that offers Real value to one of the largest markets on the planet. We, at Advaiya, are happy to be a trusted partner of Quantarium supporting their solution vision for Data and AI in the Real Estate industry.