First digital platform for technology distribution provides single point of contact for Avnet ecosystem; adds Engineer on Demand service
Avnet (NYSE: AVT),
a leading global technology distributor, today announced that its “Ask
Avnet” intelligent agent has moved into open beta, providing access to
anyone in the Americas who visits Avnet.com
to the diverse engineering knowledge base across the Avnet ecosystem,
including Avnet, Hackster.io
and element14.
The first platform of its kind in electronics distribution, Ask Avnet is
a tool that combines artificial intelligence (AI) and human expertise to
streamline the online customer experience. Customers ranging from
professional engineers to procurement specialists to makers can use Ask
Avnet to find the critical insights and information they need to bring
their technology solutions to market.
“Ask Avnet underscores our commitment to leveraging emerging
technologies, such as AI, to continuously improve the experience of our
customers,” said Kevin Yapp, senior vice president, digital
transformation, Avnet. “After months of closed beta testing, we’re
bringing the next phase of Ask Avnet to our customers to help them find
the products and insights they need to more efficiently move their
technology ideas forward. This platform is proven to shorten the amount
of time it takes for Avnet customers to access information, therefore
enabling them to deliver more projects faster.”
Ask Avnet encompasses a range of tools and services, including an
intelligent agent, customer service, technical support and a new
Engineer on Demand service. The automated assistant provides users with
24/7 support and a single point of entry for basic inquiries regarding
product search and order status, and seamlessly connects customers to
relevant content on Hackster.io and the element14 community. If a
question is more complex, Ask Avnet can leverage the information from
its interactions to connect the user to the appropriate support channel
-- customer service, technical support or an Engineer on Demand,
depending on the nature of the query. The Engineer on Demand service
also enables customers to request one-on-one virtual appointments with
application engineers.
Since it is built on AI technology, Ask Avnet is constantly learning to
improve the user experience. Through this continued open beta testing on
Avnet.com, interactions with customers and visitors will have the effect
of building further intelligence into the system. In addition to
responding to customer inquiries, Ask Avnet proactively engages visitors
to Avnet.com with helpful prompts and relevant information.
Closed beta testing of Ask Avnet began in July. Since then, customer
interactions have built greater intelligence into the system, enabling
it to better anticipate customer needs to improve the overall user
experience. In the coming months, Ask Avnet will be expanded to other
regions and additional Avnet communities will be added.
For more information on Ask Avnet or to use the platform, please visit Avnet.com.
Follow Avnet on Twitter: @Avnet
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All brands and trade names are trademarks or registered trademarks,
and are the properties of their respective owners. Avnet disclaims any
proprietary interest in marks other than its own.
About Avnet
From idea to design and from prototype to production, Avnet supports
customers at each stage of a product’s lifecycle. A comprehensive
portfolio of design and supply chain services makes Avnet the go-to
guide for innovators who set the pace for technological change. For
nearly a century, Avnet has helped its customers and suppliers around
the world realize the transformative possibilities of technology. Learn
more about Avnet at: www.avnet.com.
Avnet
Maureen O’Leary, 480-643-7499
Maureen.OLeary@avnet.com
or
Brodeur Partners, for Avnet
Jamie Ernst, 480-308-0286
jernst@brodeur.com