Day: March 9, 2023

Categories
Technology

Artificial intelligence in digitalization and document management

In the digitization process of 77,153 documents required by the National Federation of Coffee Growers, Cadena incorporated artificial intelligence techniques to make it much more efficient in terms of time, physical and technological resources, making it accurate and meeting customer expectations.

The “Support for the renewal of coffee plantations” program is one of the most important of the National Federation of Coffee Growers because it allows coffee growers in the country to access public resources to carry out special treatment or renovation activities in their coffee plantations, because while they grow they reduce their productivity, which is why it is essential to keep them young to guarantee good productivity and quality. And this is what the program allows, which emerged in 1998 and after a pause between 2012 and 2015,  resumed in 2016 and since then the Federation has the need to digitize, every year, the documents of the beneficiaries.

“Because it is a program that works with public resources, we must respond to different entities, which is why it is key for us to have all the documents of the people who participate in the program digitized, so we avoid loss and can keep them more easily,” explains Sandra. Milena Mojica Sanabria, Technical Management of the Federation.

Cadena also developed a web platform for storing, consulting and viewing digitized documents (captured images and data).

In the 2018 edition, 77,153 coffee growers from 16 cities of the country participated. For the digitization process of the documentary supports, which were a total of 555,000 pages, the Federation contracted Cadena, which carried out three specific activities in information management: image capture, data capture (registration format  , verification format and farm visit format) and loading and feeding of an online platform for consultation of interested parties.

That was the process

As there were many pages that had to be digitized, including data capture and structured storage for the files,  Cadena decided to automate part of the process by incorporating artificial intelligence techniques, which made it possible to identify the different types of formats and classify them accordingly. automatic , that is, after capturing the images of the documents of the participating coffee growers, the system determined what type of format it was and, additionally, identified the corresponding fields from which the data required by the Federation should be extracted.

The artificial intelligence techniques used were two:  artificial vision and natural language processing , which in other words, allow the computer to identify and interpret what is contained in one or another document. Likewise, two types of training and learning were used for the system:  supervised , in which part of the human team taught the system and audited the captured data, which really corresponded to what was registered; and  unsupervised , in which the system did it autonomously.

Additionally, as Juan Camilo Sánchez, one of those responsible for executing the project, explains, “ we had to identify each of the folders, know the name of each one and the documents that we had to store in them, we did this with artificial intelligence. From Cadena we set out to do this project in the shortest time and make a much more efficient use of technological resources”.

For Juan Camilo, the most challenging part of the digitization and management of these documents was having the data of the coffee growers written manually because the calligraphy varied, “it was not easy to get the computer to properly identify and interpret the different letters and characters, but we did it and in the end, the result was satisfactory both for us and for the client”, he affirms and emphasizes that  the application of these artificial intelligence techniques in document management is recommended so that the process is much more practical and efficient in terms of time, resources, personnel and even physical spaces.

Categories
Technology

Use of artificial intelligence in Agrosavia

Soil analysis is one of the most important activities for crop production in the country. For more than a year, the Colombian Agricultural Research Corporation, Agrosavia, has implemented artificial intelligence in this process to make it more efficient and provide more precise recommendations.

Through soil analysis, an agronomist can know the physical characteristics and chemical properties that it has and, based on the results, recommend to the farmer, according to what his crop needs, supplements and nutrients that allow him to achieve his production objectives. .

Agrosavia has provided this service to the country’s producers since 2007, but it has gained greater relevance and scope since 2015 thanks to the “Before sowing, the soil must be analyzed” program, which in agreement with the courier company Servientrega allows farmers to of more than 900 municipalities in Colombia to access the analysis of their soils so that they have planned production processes and better results.

The prediction made by the AI ​​model is of the nutrients required by the analyzed soil.

In order to contribute more and more to the development and strengthening of this sector, and given the success of the program, in 2018 Agrosavia joined forces with the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies, Mintic, to implement artificial intelligence in this process and acquire a system  that facilitate the management of information in the laboratory.

According to Rafael Pedraza Rute, Laboratory Information Management Coordinator, for this program they acquired a LIMS system that has allowed them to improve management and communication with farmers who request the study of their soils.

And the implementation of artificial intelligence was possible because they had a large amount of historical data from the results of soil analysis and the fertilization recommendations that agronomists make.  With IBM Watson they developed the algorithm and the AI ​​model that would allow them to make predictions about the nutrients that the soil needs, for this they used nearly 10,000 fertilization recommendations.

How does your AI model work?

  • The LIMS system sends the data that is valued in the laboratory, for example, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, iron, magnesium, calcium, among others, to the AI ​​model, which based on these and historical information makes a prediction amount of nutrients that a farmer should apply to his soil to improve its characteristics.
  • The agronomist in charge checks if this prediction is correct or if an adjustment needs to be made. If it needs to be done, he does so and the AI ​​model saves it and learns from this new information.
  • With the correction and validation of the agronomist, the model delivers a PDF file that will be uploaded to a portal so that the farmer can see the results of the study of his soil and the respective recommendations.

Main achievements

Initially, the AI ​​model they developed was trained on information from 200 types of crops. Today the best predictions that it makes are those for which there is more data: coffee, citrus, avocado, blackberry, grass … of the others, for example, custard apple or other fruits, more information is required so that you are increasingly more expert in these and make fewer mistakes.

From the implementation of this technology, Rafael highlights that  they have been able to speed up and be more efficient in predictions and recommendations. Before the team made 18 recommendations a day, now they make 36.  “We have increased our capacity for action, but we know that it will get better every time because the system continues to learn, we must reduce the errors that the agronomist must correct.”

Likewise, he says that they have improved the response time to farmers and the presentation with the recommendations that they deliver to them.

Without a doubt, “it is a technology that has served us a lot and we want to continue advancing in its implementation in other processes to be increasingly efficient and precise with what we do and recommend,” concludes Rafael.

Categories
Innovation

artiE-commerce intelligence, a solution for companies in times of crisis in digitalization and document management

Through the integration of a logistics network and technology, The Restaurant Market emerged as an innovative solution for consumers.

Although e-commerce was having a good share of the market before the pandemic began and preventive distancing measures were implemented, it was during this time that there was an exponential increase in the purchase of products online, as there was a physical barrier between consumers and brands; this, without a doubt, made digitality a necessity for companies to maintain their operation.

Since its inauguration in April, The Restaurant Market platform has presented a monthly growth of 100% and has achieved that 50% of sales come from recurring customers.

In this context  , The Restaurant Market was born , a platform ( marketplace ) that allows people to buy pre-made products from a wide selection of restaurants in the cities of Medellín, Bogotá and Cali. With their value proposition “we do it for you” they seek to make life at home easier for people so that they can eat better, faster and at very good prices.

The idea arose in the mind of Santiago Ángel, who is part of the Hacienda restaurant chain. And it was precisely when he saw the situation that the business was going through and the changes in consumer behavior that he thought of creating a solution that would allow different brands in the gastronomy sector to continue in the market. He joined his brother Pablo de él and in April of this year they presented and enabled the platform.

The Restaurant Market shows the way in which the physical is integrated with the digital under a clear intention and without excluding itself; since it is understood as a logistics business that is supported on a technological platform.

What makes The Restaurant Market an e-commerce success story?

  • The restaurant curatorship . Their commitment is to make life easier for people by offering them different options. For this reason, one of the requirements to receive a company on the platform is that it offers products that are different from those that are already in the portfolio, in addition, before including it, they carry out a detailed study of the proposal.
  • Your deliveries are consolidated. The platform integrates a logistics network with allies that already have a delivery infrastructure in factors such as storage, cooling and distribution in different cities to ensure that users can buy various products in one place and in less time.
  • A purchase between cities. The logistic structure that they have established allows a person from Medellín, for example, to also buy products from a restaurant in Cali or Bogotá.
  • Permanent listening to the client. They understand that the opportunities for improvement arise from the consumer himself, which is why they are constantly restructuring, in fact, up to now they have four versions of the platform. One of his latest changes was to include the accessories in his portfolio, which allows, for example, that a person who buys some ribs from a restaurant also has the option of purchasing their favorite craft beer to accompany them.
  • They take advantage of digital tools  to have a backup of information, keep track of orders placed, keep inventory updated and track deliveries.

What to take into account to start an e-commerce business?

Santiago Ángel, founding partner of The Restaurant Market, recommends:

1

Begin.  Once you have the idea, it is important to test it in the real field to see if the business is viable.

2

Put aside the idea of ​​perfection.  The advantage of technological tools is that improvements can be made to the process and if something goes wrong it can always be corrected.

3

Listen to the customer.  To identify business opportunities, it is important to take consumer opinions into account, either through  big data analysis  or through direct contact with people.

4

Hold on to a purpose and not a plan.  It is important to be clear about what you want to do, keeping in mind that how can vary. The process should be seen as a blank sheet that is being completed and not as a predefined static route.

The key to the success of an  e-commerce  is to understand digitality as a means and not as an end. It is not being online for the sake of being online, it is being clear about the purpose and how technology is going to be used in your favor.

Categories
Technology

Making the move to e-commerce in the midst of a pandemic

Muma, a Colombian company dedicated to the manufacture and sale of furniture, very quickly activated its e-commerce to take advantage of the market opportunities generated by the current situation.

Before the pandemic,  the website of Muma , a company that is mainly dedicated to furniture for business and corporate spaces, was oriented towards sharing the products of its portfolio and the experience with them, not so much towards transactionality because most of its customers were businesses (B2B) and not the final consumer (B2C). For this reason, the e-commerce channel, although it was in the company’s plans, was not seen as a priority.

However, due to the global situation caused by the coronavirus, they immediately focused on this business model, even without being fully prepared; They understood that it was the way to respond to the new needs of users and to continue generating value .

Álvaro José Diaz, manager of Muma, explains that they worked on what they already had and  did so under a model of iteration and continuous learning : “we look for the fastest way to iterate, sell and validate the market premises, we change the way of communicate, also the pricing model for that channel and we adapt the structure of internal support and logistics”.

“The transactions on our website were very small, now it has become a very important business unit. We have sales expectations, technological developments and strengthening processes in this channel”,  Álvaro José Diaz, manager of Muma.

What Muma did, a company with almost 70 years of experience and with a presence in the main Colombian cities and in several Latin American countries, was to quickly activate the processes and tools of the virtual sales channel and, in order to offer a good experience to the end user,  assigned advisors with knowledge of the different products in the portfolio to provide personalized attention to customers , also improved the information on each of these on the website.

Muma’s delivery promise is 48 hours, which is why it was also key to quickly find the best logistics partners to meet this deadline and satisfy the customer’s needs. One of the important decisions they made in this process was to have inventory ready in Bogotá, in addition to their main headquarters in La Estrella, in order to dispatch and greatly improve times both in the capital and in nearby cities.

Technology in your e-commerce

As Álvaro José says,  iteration has been a constant in the operation of his electronic commerce channel , proof of this is that one of the first actions was to adapt a new payment button with more specific functionality, currently they are in the third version of this and although some aspects are missing to be included, it works correctly.

Added to this, he says that they have made some developments to improve the experience and navigation in this channel, for example,  they incorporated the 360º virtual Campus , a space in which, through a graphic representation of a real context, customers can see the different furniture in the portfolio and learn basic information about each one of them.

They also included filters that allow customers to see how a table, chair, or other product would look in their home or office. And they have incorporated other  technological tools to have a detailed control of the  leads  and clients that arrive through the website and platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp ; The latter has become the most widely used because, as they are products that generally need specialized attention, many prefer to receive advice and carry out the purchase process there.

What’s next for Mummy?

Throughout this process, Muma’s manager thinks that the most challenging thing has been “having the right energy to activate a new channel in a traditional company, being willing to learn, iterate, validate hypotheses, correct and change the communication style; of being able to release it, let it work and give it what it needs to have differentiated processes”.

He is aware that they are still in a first stage, that they have some very big internal challenges to continue giving life and greater consistency to this business model. One of these challenges is to continue learning from the final consumer, from their realities, in order to strengthen the virtual channel.

Another challenge is  finding the right mix between the physical and the digital, how to achieve the best integration to give the customer the experience they expect.  “We are apprentices in this world of electronic commerce, we know that daring, experimenting and constantly changing is key,” says Álvaro José.

Muma is an example of how a traditional company, focused on developing products for businesses above all, opted for the sustainability of the brand by transforming and activating its e-commerce channel, which has great potential for the future.

Categories
Technology

“There is no single formula in e-commerce”

José Ignacio Soto, Maaji’s manager, believes that in order to be successful with the e-commerce channel, you have to constantly test, experiment and make adjustments. This is how they continue to do it in Maaji, it is something that does not end.

This Colombian brand, created 17 years ago by Manuela Sierra, an administrative engineer with great talent for fashion design, has managed to conquer both the national and international markets with its portfolio of swimwear and beachwear, where it currently has a presence. in countries such as the United States, Spain, France, Portugal, the Netherlands, Italy, among others.

In 2017  Maaji , which also has sportswear, accessories, men’s swim shorts and more recently protective clothing and pajamas in its portfolio, was acquired by the private equity fund L Catterton Asia, which among its partners includes the manufacturer of Louis Vuitton (LVMH). Since then it has had significant growth and was what, to a large extent, led its managers to bet heavily on the virtual sales channel.

For the proper functioning of the electronic commerce channel, it is essential to have allies who are experts in logistics, digital standards and in the technological platform as such.

During this year, according to their manager José Ignacio Soto,  they are gathering the results of the work carried out in this channel, which each time leaves them with more learning.

The e-commerce project began when José Ignacio was technology director. His commitment was to understand the final consumer much better in order to reach them in a more direct and effective way, as well as control the experience they have with the brand, whether in the physical store. or in the virtual channel.

For him, the e-commerce channel has many advantages, among these he highlights:  availability all the time, the possibility of adjusting the supply chain according to the demand that is had, being able to test new products more easily, having a centralized inventory , include different means of payment, have control of the relationship with the client … for this reason, he assures, “we wanted to play everything for everything, to be relevant players in this channel, without neglecting the others, guaranteeing the necessary resources for it to grow the way we wanted to grow it.”

rehearse, err, rehearse

If Maaji has learned anything since they opened their e-commerce, a little over two years ago, it is that there  is no exact formula that says what works. To get there, it is necessary to experiment over and over again , in fact, thanks to the tests, to look at what gives results, to do A/B testing, to take into account the analytics, is that they found and understood what it is that converts, what makes the user when entering your site click on a category, select a product, add it to the shopping cart and pay for it.

“The user journey is a theme that we constantly iterate on, we believe that the model of success that works is to test over and over again to see where the user encounters friction and by identifying it, being able to break it.”

In addition to this, José Ignacio considers that it is very important to have news on the page, generate content of interest about the products and the history of the brand, have publications in different media that help generate traffic to the page and once they capture it , do experiments all the time.

The pandemic, a challenge for e-commerce

Although during the pandemic Maaji multiplied the sales of its virtual channel, which reached a participation of 35%, its manager acknowledges that operating at this time was very challenging because the chain did not depend only on them and they faced different difficulties, in some cases, for example, they failed to fulfill their promise of service and delivery. “It was the biggest challenge we have ever had, we suffered a lot, especially in the first month and a half, but fortunately we were able to overcome the situation to be able to satisfy the purchasing needs of our customers.”

Por otro lado, a pesar de las restricciones que tienen por estar en zona franca (en Rionegro, Antioquia) garantizan que la experiencia de usuario sea lo más transparente y agradable posible al darle mucha importancia al servicio cliente, en la preventa y en la posventa, que sea ágil y de calidad, así el cliente puede comprar por el sitio web y, si es el caso, hacer el cambio en una tienda física, asegurándose previamente de que el producto que necesita sí está disponible en la tienda.

En resumen

José Ignacio comparte algunos consejos para aquellas pymes y emprendedores que están pensando habilitar un canal de venta virtual:

1

Choosing the e-commerce platform according to the size and needs of the business , you should not stay with the one that others have, but with the one that works for you.

2

Having a good ally in digital advertising  is key to ensuring that the traffic generated to the site is of quality, that is, it generates conversions.

3

Ensuring that logistics works correctly, in addition to focusing on the  front  (everything the customer sees), it is essential to guarantee everything that happens after the customer makes the purchase ( back ). If you fail a client just once, the chances are that that person will not come back.

4

Not only focus on the transaction, but also on  how it generates value for the user through the content.  Keep in mind that in addition to having an attractive product, you have to tell a story and engage the customer.

5

Try, make mistakes, try again and if something works, try to improve it more and more.

Categories
Technology

Electronic commerce: constant management of the user experience

At Thermos, a Colombian brand specializing in clothing and products for protection from the cold, they are clear that technology and the mentality of the team are key to offering an omnichannel experience.

To guarantee a good user experience for customers and visitors who enter their site  www.thm.com.co , Thermos monitors, manages, and permanently improves through technological tools, for example, they have a robot that records every session, builds heat maps and centralizes all requests, complaints and claims (PQR) in a cloud software that allows them to understand everything that happens on the site from the moment a person enters, browses, chooses their product, until they receives.

According to Juan Camilo Viana, General Manager, the company began its technological transformation two years ago and decided to bet on an omnichannel strategy. In this task, he assures, two aspects are fundamental:

  1. Technology.
  2. The company’s mentality to constantly manage the user experience , not only in the navigability of the page, but, above all, in relation to the service they provide in it, that is, speed, security and compliance.

Integration of the physical and the virtual

One of the great lessons learned by Thermos with its e-commerce channel is that it  cannot be seen as an isolated channel, no, for it to be successful it must be very well integrated with the physical world , in other words, it is essential to connect the ERP with the e-commerce.

When they are integrated, the inventory of products, in this case garments and accessories for handling cold, works like an infinite aisle, that is, it does not matter in which of the brand’s stores the product is, it is also available in the website and once someone buys it through this means, what integration allows is to block it at the physical point so that it is not sold there. In addition, it integrates with the last-mile provider so that when there is a virtual purchase, it receives the order to pick it up at the store on its platform.

“Connecting the physical world with the virtual one allows us to optimize inventory and improve delivery and service times ,” says Juan Camilo.

All of this has been key to having an online sales channel that meets user expectations. In fact, during the pandemic, sales through this medium represent 65% (in December 2019 they were 8%). In order to meet this demand, they made some adjustments, for example, including  plugins  to the site to improve key conversion indicators, residence time, units per ticket (invoice), among others.

However, he says,  the most significant change was transforming the company’s logistics area:  the distribution center, located in Medellín, was transformed into a logistics center with the capacity to carry out more than 1,500 order dispatches in a single day.

“E-commerce is a very logistical business, the logistical dimension is as important as the commercial one, it includes everything from timely replenishment to handling a large number of references at the same time and dispatching to many different destinations on the same day. Having poor logistics can impact reputation, loyalty and repurchase, in addition, the pattern on social networks  because if users have service problems and rate you poorly, the algorithms punish you”, explains Juan Camilo.

For this reason, he recommends working hand in hand with allies, both in logistics issues and in the development of codes to improve the efficiency of the online sales channel, since this way it is possible to focus on what they know how to do best.

experiment all the time

At Thermos they understand that e-commerce goes at a different pace than traditional channels, which is why they are constantly working on  new strategies to generate traffic and conversion . One way to do it is through hypotheses and brand experiments, which do work. , optimize them. These experiments are unlimited and can be for traffic issues, user experience, permanence on the site, conversion.

Once again, permanent monitoring and knowing what is happening in the online channel is essential to provide a good user experience and meet their expectations.

Three recommendations to have an e-commerce

Based on his experience, Juan Camilo recommends the following to brands or entrepreneurs who want to have their sales channel online:

1

Be clear about the focus and value proposition of the brand.

2

Study and understand very well which are the e-commerce platforms and which is the best according to the type of project. If possible, talk to others who have already done it, listen to their experiences.

3

The e-commerce business is much more than having a digital sales channel, it is developing traffic generation and conversion formulas that are sustainable over time.

Technology is fundamental in omnichannel strategies, thanks to it the physical world can be effectively integrated with the virtual one, but it also requires a mentality and organizational culture that works around this.

And once you have your e-commerce ready, go through experimenting, measuring experiments and optimizing all the time to achieve the results you want.

Categories
Technology

digital transformation to streamline personnel selection

With the use of new technologies and an ATS system ( applicant tracking system),  Magneto 365 allows companies to automate their human talent attraction and selection processes so that they are much more optimal, fast and strategic.

The areas of human resources or talent are key to the attraction, development and retention of personnel, and currently, in the midst of the transformation and automation of processes that companies are experiencing, they are no strangers to this reality. One of its challenges is to find the best candidates and carry out increasingly optimal and efficient processes.

Magneto 365  is a company whose purpose is to unite companies and talents in the shortest possible time. To do so, it has designed  technological tools leveraged on artificial intelligence,  chatbots , attraction channels and others, which it brings together in an ATS ( applicant tracking system )  to automate the processes of attracting and selecting human talent.

The digital transformation in Magneto 365 is to put technology at the service of companies to improve their productivity, and they do it from the following focuses:

  • Integration with the means frequently used  by candidates to publish job offers, for example with Facebook, Google and WhatsApp.
  • Artificial intelligence. It allows to store the information of the applicants and measure the affinity that their profiles have with the specific position that a company requires.
  • Video interviews  to get to know the profiles in depth and refine the number of applicants, taking into account aspects such as diction, body expression and personal presentation.
  • Omnichannel communication system  to contact the candidate, depending on the phase of the process, through phone calls, text messages or scheduled emails.
  • Scheduling systems  that allow interviews to be scheduled automatically according to the applicant’s availability.

Internal mobilizations  for the management of internal processes, since one of the attributes that applicants take into account the most when deciding where to work is the possibilities that the position offers them, in the long term, for their professional growth.

Magneto 365 offers small and medium-sized companies a free advice model from self-management, with which they can register from their website, create their account and publish their job offers in real time.

What to take into account to transform the attraction and selection of talent?

Julia González, Magneto 365 Business Leader, and Isabel Arango, Marketing Leader, recommend:

1

Make accounts.  Although it is thought that starting a digital transformation can be expensive and require more efforts, the truth is that optimizing through technology is more cost-efficient for organizations.

2

Have an open mind.  It is important to attract and select people with a   different mindset (mental programming). Understand that it is a process in which technology will not replace people within organizations, but will be at their service.

3

Begin.  The process should not be postponed for fear of the “complicated”, you have to take the step and trust the technological tools, which do 90% of the work, in addition, expertise in artificial intelligence issues is not required.

4

get updated.  Yes, it is key to be informed of everything that happens in terms of transformation and constantly learn to generate greater value and optimization.

A more successful process

In one of the largest  retail companies  in Colombia, Magneto 365 implemented a digital model for attracting and selecting human talent that allowed this company to increase the effectiveness of the process to 72% of the total number of people who interviewed in person. This meant that, after doing all the digital validations,  they were able to cover face-to-face activities in a single day and thus ensured effective recruitment . This process used to take two months and today they do it within two weeks.

Additionally, the company reduced the costs of the selection processes. Among the things that they automated are: the summons of the candidates, the review of video interviews, the scheduling of medical exams, the security studies and the psychotechnical tests.

Categories
Technology

Technology to manage knowledge

The training and training of employees is a constant need in organizations. Today, through virtual education, technology and different learning methodologies, this process can be much more effective and experiential.

Using technology to train employees is also a way to transform and generate value. Yes, giving them the chance to close knowledge gaps, to develop and strengthen their skills, abilities and aptitudes through virtual education allows for more aligned teams  . and connected with the strategy and objectives of the organization.

And virtual education or  e-learning  is not giving them access to a lot of information in pdfs, no. It is to generate a whole learning experience that will help increase the productivity and efficiency of collaborators , to empower them more with the purpose and to comply with the key indicators (KPI’s) of the company.

At Koideas, “the success of virtual training lies in finding the specific needs, the appropriate expert, and evaluating the process.”

Koideas  is a company that for five years, based on technology and different methodologies, transforms the knowledge of organizations into learning, that is, it  develops effective, flexible, entertaining, interactive and repeatable training strategies  that adjust to the needs of each company. Jose Manuel Soto, commercial manager, explains that in any virtual education project four variables must be taken into account:

1

Strategy:  what you want to achieve with the project, for example, train collaborators in a new methodology or in the use of a new tool. It can also be to explain useful things to customers about a product or service and sell more.

2

Contents:  keep in mind the theme and the methodology to be implemented. At Koideas they create courses and content that generate learning, to do so they know very well the target audience that will receive the training, for this reason they  apply andragogy, which is pedagogy focused on adults  and based on the characteristics of each audience they define the language , the type of navigation, the design to be implemented, the usability and the user experience.

Regarding the methodology, there are many: telling stories to train, games or challenges in which they face a situation and learn,  microlearning  or short and precise courses on a topic (they last 10, 15 or 20 minutes maximum), 10 /70/20 in which 10% is theory, 70% is experience and practice and 20% is interaction and sharing with others. It is thanks to the chosen methodology (it can be one or a combination of several) that the interest, motivation and commitment of those who take the courses is achieved.

3

Platforms to host the contents:  they are known as LMS, Learning Management System, in addition to hosting the courses,  they allow synchronizing the progress of each student, potentiating learning and receiving feedback from users. Moodle and Blackboard Learn are some of these, however, today the trend is  to use more  open source platforms  and software  as a service  that are intuitive and very easy to use and manage to make the learning experience more effective.

4

Administration and monitoring:  it is key for the training plan to work, it is checked that it is aligned with the objectives of the organization, that the different teams are motivated, that each action is really strategic to maintain interest.

In addition to these variables, which must be very well aligned for the entire virtual learning experience to work correctly, Jose Manuel points out that they are constantly searching for and referencing good practices, trends, technologies and methodologies applied to e-learning, “that’s how we  are always updated and we develop experiences that are effective,” he says.

Virtual education or e-learning allows optimizing time and money in knowledge management strategies within organizations.

Mobile learning, mobile apps, social learning, learning analytics, microlearning and virtual reality and  machine learning  to anticipate behaviors are some of the trends applied in the training courses  created by Koideas, in which each of its elements (text, design, etc.) , images, videos, music, games) is protected by copyrights.

Satisfactory experiences

Organizations such as Grupo Nutresa, Sura, Argos, Colmena Seguros, Incolmotos Yamaha, Taller A, Naf Naf and many more have co-created  courses and learning experiences with Koideas to democratize knowledge with their different interest groups.

For Incolomotos Yamaha, for example,  they took a motorcycle electricity course to virtuality  with which the participants learned about the components of a motorcycle, their characteristics, how to make a good connection and had the challenge of starting a motorcycle from a game in which they were connecting the elements, if they did it correctly it would turn on, if not, it could burn.

Having this type of virtual training for employees  represents savings in time, costs and greater efficiencies in the processes because all the staff will have the same knowledge and can better perform their duties.  “When we have a highly trained and trained team, together we can achieve the company’s strategic objectives,” says Jose Manuel.

With appropriate technology and methodologies, it is possible to transform the training and training processes of personnel so that employees, through discovery, challenges and the acquisition of new skills, really retain the information that is delivered to them to increase their performance.

Categories
Innovation

Artificial intelligence to make better decisions

With the implementation of this technology, companies can identify risks and opportunities in their operations, be more efficient and make more accurate and strategic decisions.

Artificial vision, natural language processing and machine reinforcement learning are  three areas of artificial intelligence that allow generating efficiencies, cost savings and significant improvements in different business processes.

Santiago Gutiérrez, CEO of  Tulipán 1637 , a company that uses technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence to convert information into knowledge, explains what each of these three areas consist of:

1
Computer vision:  ability given to a computer to detect features in images and videos that we want it to see to make decisions, for example, IBM’s Watson was trained with breast cancer images to help doctors detect faster and efficiently this cancer in patients and provide treatment options based on what has worked.
2

Natural language processing:  it is giving the computer the ability to read and understand texts like humans to make decisions much faster. A French newspaper, for example, works with an artificial intelligence algorithm that reads newspapers such as the Washington Post, New York Time, BBC, Bloomberg and many more to generate its own articles on what is happening in the world with its tone and voice; Of course, before being published each article is reviewed by an editor to adjust or correct where necessary.

Another application of this type of artificial intelligence is in judicial processes, where the computer helps speed up investigations by reading a large number of databases, statements, hearings and testimonies so that those responsible for sanctioning an act do so faster.

3

Reinforcement learning of machines:  from a series of characteristics and restrictions, the optimum is sought that should solve a specific problem.

In addition,  an artificial intelligence agent learns from the operation of the business  and is the one who says how to act and why to do so, for example, in a courier and merchandise shipping company, it can decide how to dispatch the trucks so that they are more effective, or in an egg incubator it can give information about the production of the hens, in which city the eggs may be most in demand, at what price to sell them, how to dispatch them, among other information.

One of the great advantages of this agent is that it constantly learns things that are exogenous to the problem to help business administrators make the right decisions in the different processes. It becomes  an assistant that has the ability to show them the best path, it can even predict the results if one path or another is taken  , and it also helps to avoid actions that could affect the company.

Making use of all this information makes companies  data driven, that is, they use data efficiently  to execute their processes and make decisions with which they achieve an optimum that, among other things,  helps them reduce costs, increase profits and ebitda because they are much more efficient.

Although the initial investment in artificial intelligence can be large, it is a technology that will always serve and generate efficiencies for companies because the algorithm is not static, it is learning more from the company all the time to decide better.

Make the right use of the data

According to Santiago, protocols, algorithms and artificial intelligence strategies can be applied to the processes of any company, but to do so it  is essential to have very well organized data with the information that is in order to accelerate decision making  and optimize up to 100% or more.

He believes that  data is the gold that will allow companies to transform, become more efficient and have an artificial intelligence agent in their processes  that can calculate different options and choose the best one to obtain greater productivity and yields, which is why it is essential to make a nice collection of these.

And with respect to the jobs that are replaced by this agent, he proposes training these people to be in charge of training and auditing the actions taken by the computer, “we must give them the opportunity to remain active and learn to use tools that serve them in the present and future”, he concludes.

Ultimately,  artificial intelligence should be seen as a great business ally . Having this technology is also an opportunity to transform various roles, making them less operational and more strategic.

Categories
Innovation

3D printing: time and cost optimization

Historically, 3D printing has enabled design, engineering, architecture, and manufacturing companies to transform to become more efficient and strategic. Today this development has many other applications.

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a path towards innovation and efficiency in different production and industrial processes. This technology makes it possible to create objects by adding, layer by layer, materials such as plastic, metal alloys, concrete, and even living tissue. Its difference compared to other technological or manual processes is that, thanks to its precision, it creates unique and complex shapes.

What are its uses and what advantages does it offer for industries?

  • Manufacture of prototypes.  Since its inception, in the 80s of the last century, it has been used to  develop fast, economical and accurate prototypes.  Its added value is that it converts any design, created in computer software or scanned from a reference object, into an identical piece, up to 15 times faster than manual processes, with lower production costs and greater precision.
  • Custom pieces.  It allows taking the most disruptive and complex ideas to tangible objects. It can be applied for building tools, auto parts, architecture models, sketches, scale ideas, and even clothing and footwear. For example, the sports equipment company  Under Armor has used 3D printing  to manufacture shoes that adapt, like a second skin, to the anatomy and needs of athletes.
Visit  www.thingiverse.com , a website with many references and successful cases of 3D printing, it can inspire you to include this technology in your company.
  • geometric objects.  Although 3D printers can manufacture any type of structure, geometric parts, which require precision, detail, multiple shapes and a minimum margin of error, are one of the great successes of this technology. The results are amazing, everything from gold rings and decorative pieces to drones have been manufactured.
  • Cost optimization.  Over the years, 3D printing technology has become more popular, which has allowed the costs of software, printers, and training for employees to be lower. From this change, which happened in the early years of the 21st century, companies began to perceive this as a viable option because it  compensates the initial investment with the reduction of resources assigned to manual processes . This popularization happened at the same time that new manufacturers appeared, precision was improved and new materials were incorporated.

3D printing and medicine: two great allies

One of the industries that has most taken advantage of 3D printing is medical. In fact, due to its valuable contributions, some scientists see the future of medicine in it.

Currently, when the world is facing the spread of Covid-19, his contribution to science and society has been invaluable. With this technology,  protection elements have been manufactured for health personnel and citizens in general, such as masks, glasses and protection screens.

And although today it is more visible than ever, its contribution is not recent. For more than two decades, scientists and doctors have developed, in the company of industrial designers and other experts in 3D printing, miniature kidneys, body prostheses, blood vessels, and biomodels. to perform surgical interventions. This technology has improved the quality of life for patients with anatomical alterations in their skull, face or maxillofacial area, with the advantage that it creates personalized pieces that fit perfectly.

3D printing is no longer an exclusive tool for creative processes,  today companies that base their operations on the generation of supplies for any link in the production chain can include it in their processes  to differentiate themselves from the competition, offer added values, be more innovative and contribute to social development.

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