Project description
Improving customer service quality through easy-to-use high-tech innovation
Non-efficient customer service is a major cause of revenue loss in the private sector. Customer dissatisfaction is mainly a result of the businesses’ understaffing, lack of insight and in-store inconsistencies. Aiming to boost customer service quality and sales, the EU-funded BOTSANDUS project is introducing Bo, an innovative easy-to-use tool that combines social sciences, human-centred design and cutting-edge engineering. The Bo robot is able to autonomously approach customers, engage in conversation and react to emotions, with the best human–robot interaction features. The four key business sectors on which the project is focussing are retail, hospitality, airports and real estate.
Objective
Bad customer service leads to losses of over £37Bn for companies in the UK and $87Bn in the US alone each year. The companies from retail, hospitality, airports and real estate-buildings, which are our four key business verticals, are facing issues of understaffing, lack of insights and in-store inconsistencies, leading to a high degree of customer unsatisfaction. Therefore, there is an urgent need of introducing new technologies to boost customer service quality and sales. BotsAndUs created Bo, a robot easy-to-use, able to autonomously approach and engage in conversation, reacting to emotions, with the best Human-Robot-Interaction features. This innovative breakthrough technology combines social sciences, human-centred design and cutting-edge engineering. The robot is unique, complex and superior to all other product on the market, leading to a cut of 70% of losses caused by bad customer service, yet at an affordable price. Bo was tested and presented to various international events and companies and there is currently a demand of over 1,000 units to be deployed immediately. Bo has been proven to work in prototype trials (TRL6), raising high interest from customers, receiving orders of about €300K. Our potential clients are from Europe, Middle East and USA. The technology is highly scalable and can be deployed easily within existing distribution systems. During Phase 2, BotsAndUs will develop a fully working demonstrator (WP2), install a production infrastructure (WP3), carry out full-scale trials with pilot partners (WP4) and prepare the business plan and commercialization strategy (WP5). BotsAndUs targets the global serviceable market currently worth about €5Bn annually, which thanks to technological advances is likely to explode. The goal is to reach a turnover of over €144Mil. in 5 years after Phase 2 implementation, creating multiple jobs within EU, while leading to a wealth of follow-on applications in the service robotics and autonomous technology industry.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2Coordinator
SL8 5JE BOURNE END
United Kingdom
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.