Howdens is developing digital tools to support their customers to conveniently access the information they need to increase efficiency.
Howdens deployed the Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service with other Azure tools to create a tool that can be queried using natural language in a chat interface.
With more customers self-serving, Howdens has been able to increase productivity due to reduced customer queries, as well as customers being more efficient on-site.
We see Chip as a very exciting start to an exciting journey. Adoption will continue to grow, as will the power of these modelsāenabling us to go and solve our customers biggest problems.
David Sturdee, Chief Customer Officer, Howdens
Howdens is the UKās number one trade kitchen supplier*, with more than 850 depots across the UK. Founded in 1995 with just 14 depots, Howdens offers a vast product range from local stock, with experts found at every depot. The British manufacturer now employs 12,000 people, operates five manufacturing sites in England, and sells only to trade customers. *Source: Mintel, September 2023, UK Kitchens and Kitchen Furniture: Inc Impact of Covid-19.
āLast year has really allowed us to hone in on our business model,ā says David Sturdee, Chief Customer Officer at Howdens. āThis has allowed us, in turn, to become the tradeās first choice when it comes to kitchens.ā
He explains, āA key part of our support to the trade is making sure weāre supporting them when they are working on site. Thatās when they are making money, so any distraction creates a challenge.ā
āTo bring our strategy alive, we needed to choose the right partnersāand Microsoft was an obvious choice for us,ā David Sturdee continues. āMicrosoft technology really is an enabler for us to do more around how we use technology as a multiplier.ā
To improve the support that Howdens offers their trade customers, they developed a new digital tool which uses generative AI so that supporting information, āhow toā videos, and technical specifications can be found and accessed easily using natural language queries.
āItās our job to make sure that our products are easy to fit and that we give them the right information when they need it,ā explains David Sturdee. āChip, our generative AI tool, is perfect for that. It can be with them, in their pocket, and it can give them access to any informationāfitting guides and videos; anything they may need to become more effective on site.ā
Howdens worked with Microsoft, building on Microsoft AzureĀ technologies, including Azure OpenAI Service, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure AI Search, and Azure AI Services, to create Chip.
āWorking with the Microsoft Azure OpenAI Framework, weāre able to leverage these tools and services very easily,ā explains Roland Ellingworth, Executive Director at PPT Group. āThe OpenAI and Microsoft Azure framework enables us to bring to market a way to interact with the technology through natural language and get relevant information and technical documentation back through a chat interface. Thatās really an efficiency driver.ā
Chip is available to trade account customers through the Howdens Trade App.
Customers can be more efficient on-site
Howdens chose to build on Azure because of the strength of the entire Microsoft value chain, including the support services, best practice and guidance when it comes to the responsible use of AI.
David Sturdee explains, āItās the entire value that they add, not only with these new models, but also the ecosystem that goes around it. Such as how to deploy the system in a safe way and how to manage it going forward, that is what sets Microsoft apart.ā
This is just the start of Howdens exploration of how Microsoft AI tools can help the business to drive efficiencies and identify areas for growth, as well as support its customers to grow their own businesses.
David Sturdee adds, āWe see Chip as a very exciting start to an exciting journey. Adoption will continue to grow, as will the power of these modelsāenabling us to go and solve our customers biggest problems.ā
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