Summarizing Questions
Computer systems are making significant impacts on group work and collaboration of teams. The system can bring together teams that are scattered, and facilitate the access of multiple formats of information. Computers make support both traditional and virtual meetings and optimize the chances for losses.
Question 1: Most modern organizations are using communication and collaboration tools that are based on computers. These tools facilitate teams in working together. Examples of the tools include e-mails, Short Messages Services, and mobile phones. Others include the conferencing technologies used in support of virtual meetings.
Question 2: Group support system (GSS) is a group of technologies that are used for appropriate and effective communication. The Internet and its derivatives, including the extranets, intranets, and the Internet of Things, are the infrastructures used in collaboration communication. The Web facilitates inter and intra-organizational collaborative decision making. GSS can be any combination of software and hardware that is used to facilitate group work.
Question 3: The time and space framework is defined by different times and the same place, where people work in roles. The same time/same place involves face-to-face meetings in an equipped decision room. The element of different time/different place brings together participants in different places and times. The other element is the same time/different place where participants communicate instantly from different times.
Question 4: Brainstorming facilitates decision making. Collaboration optimizes productivity and boosts the organizational performance of people. Groups collaborate in various ways to make decisions. An example is the identification of problems and the generation of solutions. The group can use many technological tools, such as the ones that ease visual collaborative solutions.
Lessons Learned
One lesson that I have learned from the section is that technology offers a wide range of tools for facilitating decision making. I have also learned that working in a group is better than working individually because there are many opportunities for minimizing errors.
Section 2
Question 1: The bot searches for information from the resources of the company, such as images and videos, and recommends relevant content depending on customers’ preferences. The tool engages customers in a deep dialog and introduces them to new products. Another critical role of the bot is to allow customers to reschedule and book appointments in the company.
Question 2: Bots improve customer service by facilitating them to acquire help when understanding their tastes and preferences. It helps the customers explore new products and ease the process of locating the products that suit their needs, such as skin color and lips.
Question 3: The chats were integrated with Messenger as Reservation Assistants. The tools allow customers to book and plan appointments with the company. The integration also improved the quality of interactions with customers. The Shade-Matching helps customers to match photos with lips color that the customers upload and propose to them the most preferred match. The Sephora Virtual Artists redirects customers to the company’s website from Messenger to present to them the available products.
Question 4: Sephora should build brand loyalty to prevent the intensity of competition. This strategy can ensure that the company retains its market share even in the midst of stiff competition. The company can also invest in the continuous development of the chatbot to become the market leader in customer service as a competitive advantage.
Vignette and Topic
The vignette revolves around the subject of robots that is sufficiently covered in the topic. A chatbot is a form of a robot and AI technology that is in use today to improve the performance of businesses. It is expected that more business will follow the Sephora’s approach to build on their competitive advantages.
Lessons from the Vignette
I learn that technology, such as robots and AI, are infiltrating in modern businesses to reduce cost and optimize efficiency in industries. I also learn that businesses can improve customer experiences by using chatbots that are readily available today.