Edward is the “child” of Tomasz Wesołowski and Bartłomiej Rozkruta. Previously, they both ran their own software development business and produced software on commission. Then they noticed that clients did not want complicated programs and difficult interfaces. Ideally, they should simply be able to talk to a computer. That is why Tomasz and Bartek are working on a solution in their latest company: ” This AI works fast, is pleasant and easy to use, and underneath they have algorithms that automate some of the most common tasks”.
Who is Edward?
Tomasz Wesołowski, CEO and co-founder Edward AI: Edward is a portable smart sales assistant. This is a mobile phone application, which during the day tells the retailer what to do next and also does some of the typical things for them which no salesman likes to do. Such as filling in data, filing reports, making notes, keeping an eye on the contact with the client. For example, after a meeting with a client, Edward will ask for a memo to be dictated to it, then record it in text form and extract key information from it.
What’s the matter with Edward?
People have less and less time to use traditional computers, and retailers are particularly affected. They are constantly on the road, at meetings with clients. Plenty of things are going on around them, so they may easily forget about something. The last thing they want to do at the end of the day is to open up their computer and type in all the things that happened. That’s why we make life easier for them with Edward. Our assistant tells them what to do, some of the things it does for them. Therefore, at the end of the day, the retailer will automatically have more time for their customers and for themselves.
What are you better at than the competition?
We operate in a narrow market segment. Around the world, we have identified around 10 other smart sales assistants. What distinguishes us is that we are not dependent on one language. At this point, Edward “speaks” Polish and English, but we could easily have it be translated into other languages.
And furthermore, Edward is flexible. This is not a program that works the same way within every organization. Yet we can quickly personalize it depending on the specific requirements of any given company. For example, in some companies there is a requirement that after each conversation with a customer, the retailer should mark the categories of products they have discussed and make a note. Edward does that. In other companies, there may be no requirement to submit reports after each conversation, but salespeople may have to focus on meetings and fill in a special questionnaire during meetings. Then, for example, the questionnaire can be filled in by dictating it to Edward.
What are the biggest obstacles you are facing?
Educating the marketplace remains the biggest obstacle. Creating an innovative solution must also create a market for it. Therefore, our work with customers often consists of having to explain to the customer what artificial intelligence in sales means, what are its possibilities, what value it will bring for them, why they should be interested in it at all. It’s like working at the core of a client’s needs. For us, this is the biggest barrier, because before it gets to the point of sale, we have to work very hard on educating people.
When did you feel proud of your achievements?
The feedback that we receive from our customers tells us that what we do makes sense. From time to time, Edward asks its users how they like working with it. That is why we know that more and more customers see value in this product. We’re very happy about that.
What are your plans for this year?
First of all, we want to increase the number of customers. For the time being, we focus mainly on the Polish and Indian markets. Maybe we’ll go into Britain. We are talking to a prospective representative right at this moment.
There is a lot of interest in Edward, especially among large clients such as banks and insurance companies. We are here to serve them.
What is your goal in the next five years?
We want our platform to become the standard when it comes to retailer’s work. We want to have a strong presence in Poland, because it is our main market, and to be present in markets such as Australia, Great Britain and the United States.
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