Artificial intelligence (AI) is certainly transforming business operations across the board, but one of its best applications has been in all stages of project management, from planning to execution. It has made task completion far more efficient for businesses — AI tools are faster, more cost-effective, and more accurate.
Below we’ll take a closer look at how AI is being used in project management in general day-to-day operations and in specific industries.
Customer Service and Experience
At the moment, one of AI’s best uses has been in managing customer service tasks and customer experiences. AI chatbots, for example, are able to quickly answer basic questions or resolve customers’ issues and concerns, which improves customer experience. They’re available 24/7 to assist customers, which is especially useful for all types of online businesses that can be accessed past normal business hours, like retail or financial sites. Still, AI is also useful for online and offline businesses that are open 24/7 but operate with reduced staff during the off-hours, such as hotels and casinos. In this case of these industries, AI is used in numerous ways.
First, there are AI bots, which can assist hotel or casino guests at any time, such as scheduling tasks like suit cleaning or room service.
Second, AI is used to improve hotel rooms, offering guests the ability to customize their hotel rooms according to their preferences via smart technology. In some cases, personal AI assistants are also offered to guests in addition to AI chatbots to help business guests have a more pleasant stay.
Third, in both the hotel and casino businesses, large amounts of data are collected on guests so that businesses can learn about customer behavior and how to improve customer experiences. AI is then used to quickly analyze that data.
In application, this data is extremely useful in improving products and services, and in supplying products and services that customers actually want. In the instance of the casino industry, this data can be used to learn which games customers are most interested in and how businesses can improve their offerings.
With online gaming, this data collection has helped to greatly expand the industry, where there are now hundreds of options available on every site, in all types of themes and styles. It’s also helped to improve engagement in the offline casino industry by offering more slots and other games in relevant themes like currently-trending movie and TV themes.
Additionally, for both industries, AI-analyzed data can offer better insight into the best time of year to hold a promotion and which types of promotions see the most engagement. Without AI, this type of insight would take much more time and effort to determine.
Supply Chain Management
AI has had a huge impact on supply chain management. With inventory, AI is used to monitor products end to end, allowing managers and employees to get real-time status updates on where products are in the supply chain. Not only can AI monitor more at once than an employee, but it can also be assigned to analyze the data it collects and learn (and improve) as it goes. And because it’s a machine, it’s more likely than an employee to give accurate results and reports on inventory.
Another major application has been in predictive analytical solutions. With extensive AI-enhanced software, AI can take data from customers’ behavior and purchases over time and combine it with supply chain management data to predict future supply and demand operations. It’s all in the data, right? This can help a company to make better decisions about inventory in regards to buyer behavior, and they’ll be able to better estimate the time, effort, and resources needed.
Besides using AI devices, or the Internet of Things (IoT) devices, to monitor all ends of the supply chain, AI-enhanced robots can also be used to keep track of inventory and physically complete tasks like moving or stocking items in a warehouse. The addition of AI can help them to assess the quality of a product and report damages or errors. But it can also be connected to other AI devices so that it can quickly make good decisions based on analyzed data, in addition to updating systems in real-time.
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Daily Office Operations
When it comes to the average 9-to-5 office job, AI can help employees to manage tasks big and small, from quickly analyzing past project data to sending an email. For workers, one of its best uses is in voice recognition for task completion.
With the help of an AI assistant on a phone, computer, or smart device, workers can quickly schedule meetings on their calendar, book flights, send emails, and even compose business plans or blog posts. All of this can be done in a fraction of the time it would take otherwise, and speaking to a smart assistant is far more seamless than having to manually complete the task.
AI wearables can also be a great tool for employees to take advantage of because it can help them to be more productive. Since a wearable will be on an employee’s wrist, it will help them to stay on task better than a phone or computer alarm because they’ll receive alerts directly to their wearable. Even if they step away from their other devices, they’ll still be in the loop to not miss a meeting or deadline. Additionally, AI wearables can remind employees to move or to take breaks, which can help them to improve their overall work performance.
In Conclusion
Artificial intelligence can be used at all stages of project management, from planning and execution to monitoring and assessing results. It is being used in a wide range of industries, and in all areas of the supply chain, to improve business operations. As we move into the coming decade, we’ll see the greater application of AI tools in project management areas and beyond.