Many integrators take pride in the highly personal service they offer their clients, especially to affluent customers. But will the burgeoning use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your business degrade that personal interaction and potentially foster negative push back? Not according to multiple sources, including leading integrators, the National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA), and a new report from The Luxury Institute.
Indeed, the consensus is that AI will enhance your ability to provide both high-touch services and luxury products.
“AI is legit… it is like cellphones and computers. AI and machine learning are an exponential technologies and they are foundational,” asserts Brandon Conick, COO of St.Louis-based CTi, one of the largest privately held AV integration and IT providers in the U.S. Speaking as a panelist on the recent NSCA and Commercial Integrator State of the Industry webinar, Conick advised integrators to educate every member of their team on AI.
"AI is legit... it is like cellphones and computers. In 2025, the winners will be those who use AI to find new opportunities and capitalize on AI."
-- Brandon Conick, CTi
“In 2025, the winners will be those who use AI to find new opportunities and capitalize on AI,” he opined, adding that the technology also creates more opportunities for integration companies because it enables them to free up their team members to work on other tasks that might generate more revenue and profit.
Tom Leblanc, executive director of NSCA, agrees, noting, “AI will help dealers get access to their data and run their businesses better.
4 Ways to Use AI to Succeed with Luxury Customers
But is AI incompatible with the personal service that luxury clients expect, especially among users of D-Tools System Integrator (SI) that are often veteran companies with long-lasting client relationships?
In a white paper from The Luxury Institute, entitled “Priorities, Myths and Realities of AI in Luxury Goods and Services”, the organization says AI is not a novelty and it can play a critical role in helping luxury brands succeed in several ways:
- Business Intelligence – Integrators serving high-end clientele can use AI to make sense of the “vast amounts of unused data they have stuck in silos,” says the report. For example, the ability to quickly look at legacy equipment you have previously installed in past customers’ homes and businesses that might be ready to be upgraded. AI can even suggest the upgrade solutions based on your product suite.
- Customer Experience – AI can look at the behavioral trends of your customers and offer suggestions for you to provide personalized recommendations. Knowing the traits of your elite customers, you can then use AI to create an effective marketing outreach strategy./
- Operational Efficiency – As noted by Conick, AI can help “streamline internal processes, optimizing efficiency in areas such as supply chain, inventory management and customer service,” says the report. By taking on repetitive tasks in your organization, AI can improve resource utilization.
- Environmental Sustainability – AI can efficiently identify areas of waste, such as energy consumption. hat in general providers of luxury services adopt new innovations “on a timely basis, with a sharp, realistic eye, not with rose-colored glasses,” citing the adopt of CRM solutions in the 1980s, eCommerce in the late 1990s, and Programmatic Advertising in the 2010s as examples.
As with the adoption of any new technology, it does not guarantee success. Integrators must be aware of exaggerated claims, according to the report. Both Conick and Leblanc echoed that sentiment during the webinar.
“NSCA advises members to proceed with caution on anything, including AI,” said Leblanc.
Conick likewise said he believes there are “too many AI companies popping up… it feels like the dotcom world. Some will win and some will lose. If you pick the wrong AI company to partner with, it could be bad news,” he says.
