Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are outstanding tools that many digital marketers use as a way to boost their efficiency and optimize their marketing strategy. In fact, 80% of experts in the industry implement AI in their online marketing. It can feel like the world of AI is expanding by the second, especially with all of the ground-breaking technology emerging, which is why the AI market is expected to reach over $107.5 billion by 2028. However, as a franchise system, using this technology, even for what seems like small tasks, can make a significant difference in your online content. An example can be with the use of ChatGPT.

Location is paramount for businesses that operate physical locations, where it is key to be located close to your target market. This challenge is often the case for franchises that are expanding into new areas where it is important to understand the'fit' of a business in a new area. The aim of this article is to explore this idea in more detail, to evaluate the suitability of a new location for a franchise based on the characteristics of areas where existing franchises are located. To achieve this we will be taking data from OpenStreetMap of a popular coffee shop franchise in Seattle, to use information about the surrounding neighbourhood to identify new prospective locations that are similar. As this task is geospatial, using OpenStreetMap and packages like OSMNX and Geopandas will be useful.

This blog was adapted from our November 2017 webinar, Designing a Self-Service Strategy With Your Customers & Agents in Mind, where we identified the Intelligent Front Door as a great way to practically introduce AI to your contact center. "The process of determining what to automate can be a journey because there are so many places to start. I am going to show and discuss a small roadmap example that's universal to any type of business. A few real-world examples of where to start with AI are an intelligent front door, authentication, and payments and collections. These are typical opportunities for AI in your call center. You can start with any of those solutions, and they can all blend together. An intelligent front door is what you would think of as a traditional IVR replacement. An intelligent front door allows you to have the ease of conversational communication with your customers as a first touch, which is really important for easing into AI and helping the customer feel ...