AI for Sales Man­age­ment

Course content

Artificial intelligence (AI), manifested by machines that mimic certain aspects of human intelligence (HI), is increasingly utilized in sales and service and considered the most impactful source of change. For instance, robots for have automated many parts of our lives, virtual bots turn customer service into self-service, big data AI applications are used to replace portfolio managers, and social robots such as Pepper are used to replace human greeters to welcome customers in customer-facing services. These developments clearly show that we are in the fourth industrial revolution in which technology is blurring the boundary between the physical, digital, and biological spheres.

Although AI affects multiple business areas, its biggest impact pertains to marketing and sales. Following this, the goal of this course is to equip students with relevant knowledge for contributing to the academic discourse on AI and how it affects the sales organization and sales employees, but also its business partners and customers.

The course provides the basis for development of knowledge and understanding of how AI is developed and utilized in sales settings and also the challenges and opportunities that go hand in hand with the application of AI in sales settings.

In its broadest terms, the objective of this course is to develop a managerial perspective regarding AI in sales settings. The emphasis is on the decision-making processes pertaining to engagement in and later implementation of AI in sales organizations. The course will prepare students for a challenging career in digitally enabled business environments.

More specifically, the course is designed to:

• Connect the state of the art of AI in general with sales management in particular and by doing so enable you to contemplate on the future developments and applications of AI in the sales management context in a more informed way.
• Enhance your understanding of the role AI has for sales management.
• Enhance your understanding of the broader impact AI has on the organization's internal and external environment (e.g. employees, customers).
• Connect the current insights, approaches, and developments in the area of AI and sales management and ground them in academic traditions.
• Showcase the challenges and opportunities presented by different mindsets about and approaches to AI in sales organizations.
• Provide you with tool-box of theories and methods to understand the real importance of AI for your sales organization and develop AI solutions accordingly.