Enabling the last mile with AI generated insights

Time of India

6 hours ago

In a country like India, enabling effective
last-mile customer experiences
is crucial. When a customer walks into a retail outlet, they must have a positive interaction, one that ultimately leads to conversion. The question is, how can AI help drive better last-mile conversions?
To explore this, ETBrandEquity.com, in association with Sharpsell.ai, has released an episode of 'Enabling
Phygital Experiences
: Empowering the Last Mile with AI-Generated Insights', featuring industry leaders from the marketing world.
This episode delves into how AI can transform last-mile delivery by equipping
sales representatives
with real-time insights, simulating
customer interactions
, and improving pitch precision. Featuring voices from
Harman India
, Signify, and Sharpsell.ai, it highlights AI's role as a value multiplier when applied thoughtfully across sales, marketing, and customer support.
The episode features Akhil Sethi, head of digital marketing, Harman India, Anmol Reen Jaloota, head of the digital enabling function, Signify Greater India, and Arun Subramaniam, co-founder, Sharpsell.ai.
Jaloota observed, 'At the ground level, sales representatives need to be able to sell better. They need to understand the unique selling points of a product or project and how to effectively pitch it to the customer. AI helps answer the fundamental question: What do I sell to this customer?
By analysing past purchases, financial background, affluence, and even geographic preferences, AI helps identify customer needs, whether someone would want a fan or not, for instance.'
He added that AI is already playing a significant role across various functions at Signify, saying, 'We've been using AI in lighting design. Imagine large offices or open spaces where someone is selling lighting solutions but doesn't know the best placement. We've introduced an agentic AI lighting designer that suggests optimal lighting layouts.'
AI is not just a tool, it is a powerful mechanism that helps sales representatives better understand their customers, gain deeper insights into products, and ultimately sell more effectively. That is the real value AI brings to the table.
Elaborating further, Sethi said, 'What we've observed is that AI is advancing at a very rapid pace across every department. In customer support and marketing, we use AI to track conversations happening both in the social media space and offline, using various tools at our disposal.
We conduct sentiment analysis to understand how different products are performing, looking at ratings, reviews, and customer feedback. On the marketing front, AI not only helps us target specific cohorts more effectively from an engagement perspective but also plays a crucial role in driving conversions and sell-through.'
One of the biggest challenges in last-mile engagement is that every conversation is unique, no two are ever the same. Unlike marketing, where you often have access to rich data or assumptions about the customer, sales often operates with far less information.
Counterintuitive as it may seem, a salesperson typically knows less about a customer walking in than a marketer does, even at an aggregate level. Equipping sales reps with relevant data the moment a customer enters is easier said than done.
Subramaniam noted, 'Need analysis is what most customers ask for, yet it is often underused. Why? Because sellers on the field typically lack the confidence to ask personal questions like "How many people are in your family?" or "What's your salary bracket?" Budget-related queries are easier, but deeper profiling becomes uncomfortable. So, how can we support sellers with AI without demanding too much input from them?
We see AI helping in two ways. First, by giving sellers a tool, like a ChatGPT-style assistant, they can use it to get quick answers. While possible, it may not be well received during live customer interactions. Second, and more effectively, AI can simulate real-world sales scenarios. We use AI to conduct role plays, sending virtual customers with different personalities, needs, and behaviours to train the seller. Some may be polite, others more difficult. This helps salespeople prepare and adapt, improving performance without direct pressure during a live pitch.'
This episode explored how AI can enhance last-mile delivery, highlighting both practical use cases and potential pitfalls. When applied in the right context, AI serves as a powerful value multiplier, capable of simulating diverse customer interactions and helping sales representatives better prepare, personalise, and perform.