IBM to implement artificial intelligence-based CRM solution for WildCraft

Travel apparel and outdoor gear manufacturer Wildcraft India has signed on technology company IBM to develop a customer relationship management (CRM)-as-a-service platform for the Bengaluru based firm. 

The artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)-powered solution will analyse customer interactions with Wildcraft India at multiple touchpoints to improve shopper experience, a statement said. 

It is tied into Wildcraft’s customer engagement programme, called The Circle, which provides customers information about the brands, products and services available on a single platform, the statement said.

The solution includes a virtual chatbot, which will be available in English and eight regional languages on the company’s website and on WhatsApp. The chatbot will handle inquiries -- from FAQs to questions about products, policies and procedures, as well as customer complaints. It will also authenticate users and facilitate user-specific information and transactions. 

In addition to understanding the intent of customer conversation through natural language processing (NLP), the chatbot will analyse the sentiment of customer responses and transfer the conversation to a live agent, if necessary, the statement added. 

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The partnership allows WildCraft access to a technology-driven platform to help understand its customers better to customise and improve its products, WildCraft India co-founders Gaurav Dublish and Siddharth Sood, said in a statement.

“In the past couple of months, we have been able to reach out to some of the remotest areas in the country to enable everyone to be safe and be ready. A lot of these consumers are first time users of Wildcraft and it was necessary to create a mechanism to reach out to them effectively,” they said.

“IBM’s CRM-as-a-service platform has equipped Wildcraft with a 360-degree view to map their customers’ journey -- from prospect, to customer, to brand advocate. Every customer will be nurtured at each stage to harness the real power of CRM, in today’s challenging times of the Covid-19 pandemic,” Kamal Singhani, managing partner for global business services for IBM India and South Asia, said.