genAI at Intero - company-wide introduction of an AI Assistant

In the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence (AI), it is essential for companies to implement innovative solutions to remain competitive. A well-founded AI strategy lays the groundwork for a holistic and successful approach to the implementation of AI solutions. For Intero Consulting, an AI strategy has been developed to optimally leverage the benefits of AI for both internal operations and customer interactions. A key component of this strategy is the implementation of AI assistants in the everyday work of consultants.

The implementation of this strategic measure began with a testing phase of Microsoft Copilot as a quick solution in the established Microsoft environment. Despite high expectations, the tool did not meet the specific requirements. Therefore, the approach had to be restructured and transformed into an internal project aimed at selecting a suitable AI assistant for Intero Consulting. The following phases were deemed critical for the implementation of the AI assistant:

 

1. Use Case Definition: Surveying requirements through a company-wide member survey.
2. Market Research: Systematic research and analysis of available AI assistants.
3. Evaluation and Preselection of Suitable Tools: Tool evaluation and selection based on overarching criteria.
4. Testing Phase: Thorough testing with an interdisciplinary expert group.
5. Tool Decision: Selection of the most suitable tool based on test results and overarching factors.
6. Implementation: Contract signing with the tool provider and integration of the tool into the existing infrastructure.
7. Change Management: Active support of the tool introduction with promoting measures.

Well-founded establishment of evaluation criteria

Thorough pre-evaluation allows for early exclusion of unsuitable tools, thereby making the selection process efficient and targeted. The following evaluation criteria were established for Intero Consulting:

• Data Protection in compliance with GDPR: The tool provider must demonstrate comprehensive compliance measures and provide binding contractual assurances.
• Licensing Costs: These must be reasonably proportionate to the expected benefits. For example, ChatGPT was excluded from preselection due to high costs.
• Integration with Internal Knowledge Databases: This allows for efficient and comprehensive internal knowledge utilization through AI-based knowledge management.
• Customization Options: Through versatile customization options, such as personas, response guidelines, etc., an AI assistant can be tailored to individual users.

The differing focus of the tools requires a unique evaluation for each company, as requirements can vary significantly. Depending on the weighting of the evaluation criteria, differing preferences may arise. ChatGPT currently shows weaknesses in integration into the Microsoft environment. In usability and GDPR-compliant networking of different solutions, it cannot compete with specialized tools and platforms. At Intero Consulting, we can support you in establishing suitable criteria for an AI tool based on a practical use case collection.

 

Change Management

One of the most important steps in the implementation of company-wide AI tools is change management. Simply providing an AI tool is not enough to ensure broad acceptance and integration into daily work; this is essential to achieve a positive productivity effect from the tool implementation.

One way to generate acceptance is already in the definition of requirements. In our own company, we placed great importance on capturing use cases from all different areas in the requirements list. This ensured that every area knew its requirements were being considered. These requirements ranged from standard cases (e.g., research text formulation) to those of knowledge management in the analysis of existing information and materials.

Both during the introduction for our own employees and in client projects, we utilized our years of experience in change management. Through weekly "AI nuggets," we further increased awareness of the AI solution. A key success factor was the consistent alignment of management toward optimizing daily work processes. Additionally, we employ various formats with our clients, the success of which depends on the respective company culture and time flexibility.