EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

DATASEC information factory GmbH is the leading document management outsourcing company for the German real estate market. They offer a holistic approach – so far not heavily relying on artificial intelligence (AI) – to document management where everything from the arrival of a document at a customer’s firm to its scanning, processing, and uploading on a cloud platform is handled by DATASEC. The company also provides consulting services and allows customers to customize the product through different service modules.

DATASEC identified the rise of AI-based document management start-ups as a key threat to its long-term success. The company therefore wants to leverage its internal AI capabilities to best address the needs of its consumer base, which has very diverse attitudes regarding openness to new technologies, without cannibalizing its existing non-AI solutions that deliver a higher accuracy in document management. 

Goal

The goal of the project is to develop strategic recommendations that allow DATASEC to service both their more price sensitive and hungry-for-innovation as well as their rather conservative customers in the German real estate market.

Methodology

Results for the project were produced by interviews with customers, potential customers, and experts as well as secondary research. To assess the market and its competitors, databases like Orbit were scoured with a python script. The relevant competitors were then evaluated on multiple criteria and compared to DATASEC. Additionally, trend research was conducted to provide a general market overview and outline possible future developments. The findings were then summarized and visualized through a SWOT analysis and a perceptual map.

Insights from interviews with customers and potential customers were used to segment the market based on an evaluation of the parametersquality and price. Additionally, different product and firm characteristics were asked to adequately assess customers’ wants and needs as well as possible areas of improvement for DATASEC.

Results

The insights gathered from the different sources of information then led to the identification of three distinct customer segments – the price centric (early AI adopters) and the quality centric (rather AI-sceptic mass market) groups and an undecided intersection group. At the same time, DATASECs modernity was perceived positively by its customers and the firm was labeled as well-established and trustworthy. Furthermore, the major importance of word of mouth within the real estate landscape and the transparency of a possible AI product for real estate companies were identified. 

The outcome of the project were different strategies addressing thesegments and market situation. To fulfill the needs of the quality centric customers, an emphasis on customer service was suggested, including implementation consulting for new technologies and the introduction of a customer education program. In order to leverage AI for the future and as a first step for a long-term solution for price-centric customers, an AI-pilot program was recommended. It aims to provide a use case for prospective customers and to serve as a proof of concept. The undecided intersectiongroup requires education to either shift them to the price-centric group and become AI-only clients or an increase of consulting services to turn them into quality centric customers – the decision must be madedepending on DATASEC’s available resources and capacities.

The results can now be used by DATASEC as a guideline on how to protect their market position and to match their service offerings to the needs of their customers.

Cooperation Partner

• PORR AG
  Absberggasse 47, 1100 Wien
  www.porr-group.com 

Contact Person

• Jörg Schirnhofer - joerg.schirnhofer@porr.at

• Elisa Rauscher - elisa.rauscher@porr.at

Student Team

• Anna Yefymenko

• Julia Khabbaz

• Michael Knotz

• Richard Molnar

Project Manager

• Caroline Fabian

• Melina Mazzucato

DATASEC information factory GmbH
Welterstraße 57
57072 Siegen
Germany
datasec.de

Contact Person

Sebastian Weber
s.weber@datasec.de
Tobias Wilsmann
t.wilsmann@datasec.de

Student Team

Bauer, Laurent
Eder, Daniel
Edlinger, Ferdinand
Holzer, Alexander
König, David

Project Manager

Mazzucato, Melina

Monelyon, Tina Marie