ALKITRONIC

An AI agent uncovers hidden knowledge

Valuable knowledge from past customer cases is not always readily accessible to the Customer Support team at Alkitronic, a manufacturer of high-torque tools for industrial applications. The AI agent developed by Gofore makes insights from previous customer cases easy to find and use in day-to-day operations.

THE CHALLENGE

More knowledge, less time spent searching

Whether in steel construction, truck engine and tyre assembly, pipeline construction or mining, Alkitronic’s high-torque tools are used wherever bolted joints are exposed to heavy loads. Every bolting application is unique and depends on factors such as the size, length, material and condition of the bolts.

Every customer case contains valuable insights. Yet much of this knowledge remains difficult to access because it is spread across various repair information, service notes, PDF records and other internal documents. Over time, this information can become buried in the ever-growing volume of available data.

This raises the question: how can the Customer Support team access insights from previous cases – even when they date back a long time? To address this, Gofore developed a custom-made AI solution that provides relevant, context-specific answers from a range of data sources.

AI offers many ways to make information more accessible and organise it intelligently. When used effectively, it can help unlock large bodies of knowledge, identify relevant content and provide the right information according to the principle of “as much as necessary, as little as possible”.

OUR APPROACH

Accessing knowledge in a targeted way

After evaluating various options, the decision was made to develop a custom-made solution. The AI agent was designed to access multiple data sources containing relevant documents, including internal documentation, service records and support communications.

The solution was intended not only to support Customer Support, but also to establish a scalable infrastructure within Alkitronic’s existing IT environment. This means it can be expanded over the long term to other areas, such as Sales or Procurement, and adapted to additional use cases. Customer Support was the first use case; in future, the ticketing system or repair management system could also be integrated.

From the outset, the focus was on a clearly defined access-control framework. Access to the AI agent is granted exclusively to employees who work with customer cases and are able to assess and verify the content and its sources from a subject-matter perspective.

Gofore fits well with our company culture. From the beginning, the team advised us on the possibilities offered by AI and helped us find the solution that made the most sense for us.

Andreas Breu, Director Customer Service, Alkitronic

THE RESULT

Effective customer support for every bolting application

When faced with a specific question, the Customer Support team can quickly check whether a comparable case has occurred before and what solution was found at the time – for example, when dealing with technical challenges involving bolted joints, user errors or error messages, such as those indicating a defective Bluetooth module.

The AI agent developed by Gofore combines a chat function with the ability to identify outdated information, read PDF files containing tables or images from operating manuals, analyse their contents, make textual descriptions searchable and even incorporate data from ERP system fields. This brings greater structure to Alkitronic’s customer support, speeds up problem analysis and helps the team make targeted use of previously hidden knowledge. Resources can be used more efficiently, and recurring questions can be resolved more quickly.

The strict authorisation concept also creates a secure environment for using AI. Within its own network, the Customer Support team can test the solution and define rules that serve as quality gates, helping to structure the search for answers in the future. Alkitronic’s own information is also protected by using AI models within its own infrastructure.

About the Project

Insights and experience from the past

Alkitronic and Gofore have been working together for many years. The development of the AI agent therefore built on an existing partnership, complemented by Gofore’s extensive AI expertise. This helped accelerate implementation.

For Alkitronic, the AI agent represents an investment in the future. The project structure and approach were deliberately designed to allow the solution to be expanded flexibly and applied to additional use cases. The project is continuously evolving, with the aim of organising knowledge effectively, making it centrally available and placing it in the right context.

Alongside the AI agent, Gofore is also developing an app for Alkitronic’s high-torque tools.