Pfizer Australia adopts AI-powered digital analyst tool for sales and marketing decision making

Pfizer Australia is rolling out artificial intelligence-based digital analyst tools from Complexica in a bid to improve the pharmaceutical company’s data-driven sales and marketing decision making.

Based on its digital analyst engine, dubbed Larry, Complexica’s What-if Simulator allows Pfizer to test and optimise a range of scenarios based on internal and external data sets. In a statement, the company said it plans to use the software to simulate the impact of sales and marketing strategies, investigate assumptions and hypothesis difficult to test in the real world, and compare the outcome of various what-if scenarios in order to understand what’s contributing to business results.

Pfizer said the software will also help to understand deterministic and non-deterministic factors presented in its business operations, as well as see how variables within different questions impact one another.

Pfizer brand manager, Andrew Endicott, said the group evaluated a number of predictive and optimisation offering before opting for Complexica.

“We have found that answering complex ‘what-if’ questions is a challenging and time consuming endeavour,” he said. “We believe that Complexica’s What-if Simulator can provide Pfizer Australia with a platform for scenario analysis that will improve our decision making in the future.”

Complexica chief scientist, Dr Zbigniew Michalewicz, said the deal with Pfizer was a significant one.

“Complexica is delighted to have been selected by one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies for the provision of software and services in this very important and challenging area,” he said.

Complexica pitches Larry as a form of Siri for business, using a combination of algorithms on big data sets to help with data-driven decision making.

The vendor has been steadily picking up customers in the local market, and most recently signed on with Detmold Group, a South-Australian manufacturer of paper and board-based packaging products, to use Larry to help sales and marketing staff better use big data from various sources for decision making around individualised messages and offers through to strategic decisions.

The group’s 20-strong client base also includes PFD Food Services, which has deployed Larry to undertake automated analytics across its in-field sales reps, telesales teams and website sales, as well as Liquor Marketing Group, which uses the software for centralising and automating analytical tasks across its 1400 retail stores.

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