Although LightSPEC West 2024 in Anaheim is completed, preregistered attendees can access an exclusive online session, “Lighting Specification and Procurement in the Age of AI,” on the show's website.
Artificial intelligence shows great promise to streamline and transform how specification lighting is quoted. Forest Flager, CEO of Parspec, surveyed 40 of the top North American distributors and 40 lighting agents, including the majority of the top 10 in each segment, on how their teams spend time in the procurement process, from the presale and quoting process to the post-sale submittal and operations and maintenance (O&M) documentation.
The presentation explores the role AI will play in streamlining those workflows and ultimately changing the work that practitioners do on a daily basis. “The high amount of labor contributes significantly to a very high cost of sale of lighting products and also of construction products generally, since many product categories follow very similar processes,” Flager noted.
How will AI change the work of lighting agents and distributors? Flager asserts that more than three-quarters of the time spent on the procurement process can be automated with current AI technology. Yet, the net effect can be better efficiencies and insights.
“Being able to recommend better products to your customer and also improving the experience of the customer by being able to respond more quickly and more dynamically to customer request” are among the benefits Flager sees. “I believe that ultimately, this is sort of increasing the value of the work that the specifier or sales agent or distributor does enables them to provide a better service to their customer.”
This exclusive session is only being offered to LightSPEC West registered attendees. Preregistered LightSPEC West attendees who log in and attend the 45-minute presentation will earn 1.0 AIA credit.
