The ODP Personal Assistant—an internally developed AI application that leverages the same technology as ChatGPT and maintains all data within ODP’s secure environment—launched in February 2023 to thousands of associates across all business units.
The ODP Corporation, a provider of products and services through an integrated business-to-business (B2B) distribution platform and omnichannel presence, announced the implementation of GenAI technology across its nationwide network of Office Depot and OfficeMax stores.
The ODP Personal Assistant—an internally developed AI application that leverages the same technology as ChatGPT and maintains all data within ODP’s secure environment—launched in February 2023 to thousands of associates across all business units.
Based on early successes realised after its launch, the decision was made to integrate comprehensive knowledge bases into the application, to help associates obtain quick answers to common questions to enhance the service provided to customers.
To further enhance customer service in the company’s store locations, a retail knowledge base was developed and has been accessible since December 2023 on store computers and handheld devices used by store associates.
“We are thrilled about the potential of GenAI to revolutionise our customers’ experience,” said Gerry Smith, Chief Executive Officer of The ODP Corporation.
“This approach highlights our dedication to technological advancement and enhances our ability to streamline activities and tasks within our stores. We’re committed to further exploring transformative AI applications across our entire organisation.”
Key enhancements and benefits of the knowledge base integration in retail stores include:
- Immediate Access to Information: Associates can seamlessly interact with the ODP Personal Assistant application using natural English-language queries to receive prompt answers. This replaces traditional methods of consulting other associates or searching company portals, thus vastly improving efficiency.
- Comprehensive Knowledge Bases: Associates can leverage GenAI technology by accessing relevant internal information ingested into GenAI knowledge bases via the ODP Personal Assistant application. Associates can use natural language and receive immediate responses, complete with citations for the information used.
This enhances associates’ abilities to assist customers. Approximately 900 stores and 12,000 associates are empowered with this state-of-the-art AI integration. - Enhanced Customer Experience: With quick access to essential data, associates can dedicate more time to customer engagement, providing faster and more accurate responses. This allows associates to continue to provide world-class customer service.
This initiative has helped modernise ODP’s retail environments since the end of 2023, enriching the customer experience and paving the way for future applications of AI-related technologies.
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