On Saturday, June 6, we mark ten years since the start of SEPA payment transactions in the Republic of Croatia. This moment represented a significant step forward in modernizing the payment system by establishing key infrastructure solutions.

“This anniversary holds special meaning for us at TIS GRUPA d.o.o., as over the past ten years we have had the opportunity not only to observe, but also to actively participate in one of the key transformations of the financial sector in Croatia. It has been a period in which standards, technologies, and user expectations have changed significantly, and such changes required reliable partners and a clear shared vision,” emphasized our Director, Dženan Lojo.

At that time, the National Clearing System (NKS), aligned with the SEPA scheme and operating in accordance with the HRK SCT scheme (SEPA-like), began operations. It enabled the clearing of payment transactions in kuna until the introduction of the euro. At the same time, EuroNKS was launched—a system for clearing payment transactions in euros that remains in operation today. Both systems brought a technological leap forward, enabling the processing of payment transactions in the new, standardized ISO 20022 XML format, in line with the rules of the HRK SCT SEPA scheme. This achieved one of the key goals of the national SEPA migration project.

The introduction of SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area) in the Republic of Croatia represented one of the most significant changes in domestic payment operations since the introduction of IBAN. In this process, Fina played a key operational and infrastructural role, leading the adaptation of national payment systems to new European standards and being one of the main participants in the national SEPA project.

Fina’s particular contribution was the development and adaptation of key infrastructure for clearing payment transactions, enabling Croatia to gain a unified technological platform for processing both national and cross-border SEPA payments.

This transformation enabled Croatian banks, companies, and citizens to use unified European payment standards and represented an important step in preparing the Croatian financial system for the later introduction of the euro as the official currency.

“In every business, it is important to have a partner you can always rely on, which is especially true for large and significant projects such as the establishment of payment systems whose operation must be secure and stable. In cooperation with TIS, we built a new National Clearing System (NKS) compliant with the European payment scheme, as well as EuroNKS for clearing euro transactions. TIS also provides us with reliable, expert support for our day-to-day operations, allowing us to focus on future plans with confidence. We believe our cooperation will continue for many years to come,” said Gordana Soldo, Advisor to the Management Board of Fina.

“The combination of our technological expertise and experience gained from SEPA implementation projects in the region, together with Fina’s strategic role as system owner and operator, proved crucial for success. Together, we laid the foundations of a system that today enables secure and efficient domestic and cross-border payment traffic,” concluded Dženan.

The Wheel of Digital Change

The goal of the SEPA initiative was—and remains—to establish a unified payment system in which consumers, businesses, and public authorities can make and receive payments in euros under the same basic conditions, rights, and obligations, regardless of their location.

However, SEPA has never been just a regulatory obligation. It represents a key driver that enabled the full digital transformation of payment operations in the country, bringing the Croatian market closer to high European standards of speed, security, and efficiency.

Today, SEPA includes 41 countries—five more than when Croatia joined the system: all European Union member states, as well as the United Kingdom, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Monaco, San Marino, Andorra, the Vatican, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Moldova, and Serbia.

For this reason, we continue to focus on innovation, reliability, and long-term partnerships. “We are ready for the challenges brought by further digitalization, the development of fintech solutions, and new generations of services that will further transform the way we manage finances,” announced Vjekoslav Martinčić.

The post A DATE THAT CHANGED HISTORY: 10 YEARS OF SEPA PAYMENT TRANSACTIONS IN CROATIA appeared first on TIS Grupa.

What is a Digital Wallet?

Let’s start by defining the terminology. A digital wallet is not a place where you store money. Although “Digital Wallet” is the common translation, a more accurate term might be “Digital Pouch.” Other terms have also been considered, such as “Personal Data Store,” “Identity Container,” or “Digital Pouch.”

A digital wallet represents you in the digital world. First and foremost, it guarantees your identity. Even that first step is significant. What follows goes much further: all your digital assets, achievements, certifications—everything—will either be stored in the wallet or accessible through it.

A New Foundation of Personal Digital Identity

What does it mean to be represented digitally? A useful comparison is a national ID number in the physical world. Similarly, every citizen will be assigned a unique identifier called PID (“Personal Identification Data”), issued by a government or authorized agency. In Croatia, this is handled by FINA.

The PID record contains basic personal data: name, date and place of birth, nationality, gender, and a unique identifier. In addition to a master identifier, multiple purpose-specific identifiers will exist. For example, opening a bank account generates a unique identifier for that purpose, while healthcare services use a different one. These identifiers can only be linked within the digital wallet system.

This prevents unauthorized data access—for instance, a bank cannot access your medical records, and a dentist cannot see your bank balance. At the same time, the wallet owner can grant access when needed, such as for KYC procedures. All other data remains private unless explicitly shared.

The user retains full control over privacy, granting access only to the data necessary for a specific purpose, while all other certified attributes remain protected.

How Does the System Work?

All data—referred to as “attributes”—must be verified and certified. Only such data can represent the wallet owner.

For example, in Croatia, a driver’s license is issued by the Ministry of the Interior (MUP), which acts as a qualified attribute attestor within the system. The wallet owner can request real-time validation of their license. Any status change—expiration or revocation—is immediately reflected, preventing misuse.

When Is the Digital Wallet Coming?

The EU has defined a clear rollout timeline:

• By the end of 2026, all EU member states must provide at least one official EUDI wallet to citizens
• During 2027, the following sectors must accept EUDI wallets:
  • Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs), such as Google, Meta (Facebook), Amazon, Apple, and TikTok, under the Digital Services Act (DSA)
  • Critical private sectors requiring strong authentication (SCA) or identity verification (KYC), including:
    • Banking and financial institutions
    • Telecommunications
    • Energy and transport (e.g., airlines, railways)
    • Healthcare and education

How to Take the First Steps

As a citizen:

• Explore demo wallet applications already available online
• Download and start using the official EUDI Wallet once released

As a business:

• Upgrade systems to support digital wallet integration—many gateway solutions already exist and require minimal backend changes
• Consider issuing your own digital wallet to strengthen your brand as an innovative player (optional, but strategically beneficial)

Digital Wallet for Businesses – Corporate Digital Identity

While most discussions focus on individuals, business digital wallets represent a major shift for companies. Organizations will store and present verified attributes such as registry extracts, certifications, and financial credibility data.

Why Does This Matter for Your Business?

The business digital wallet brings three key advantages:

• Real-time B2B trust: Immediate exchange of verified company data when forming partnerships
• Automated procurement: No more collecting paper documents—everything is available as certified digital attributes
• Simplified cross-border operations: Recognized credentials across the EU reduce bureaucracy and accelerate international collaboration

Additional benefits include:

• Advanced e-seals and digital signatures: Ensuring document authenticity and integrity
• “Know your agent” capability: Centralized control over AI agents acting on behalf of the company, including permissions, audit trails, and compliance verification

Integration into Existing Processes

The digital wallet is not just another app—it is infrastructure. It integrates with ERP and CRM systems, enabling:

• KYC verification within seconds
• Secure delegation of authority within the company (e.g., assigning signing rights or account access)

For more information, feel free to reach out.

Author: Dubravko Šimag

The post EUDI Wallet: The Digital Identity Revolution – Are You Ready for 2027? appeared first on TIS Grupa.

In December, we shared the good news that TIS TIDE—a project we are developing in collaboration with scientists from the Faculty of Organization and Informatics in Varaždin—has secured seven-figure non-repayable funding through the IRI3 program. Last week, the official kick-off took place in Varaždin.

The core team gathered on-site. If you’ve ever battled an endless sea of forms, templates, documents, and other nerve-wracking add-ons—biting your nails in the hope that you won’t be the one facing that nightmare of a single, BUT crucial document lost somewhere in the labyrinth of a project as demanding as IRI3—then you know that every opportunity to come together and celebrate a hard-won victory is more than welcome.

Especially when it marks the beginning of a three-year research and development project valued at €2.16 million. Enough to set the chessboard and once again position TIS as one of the leading innovators in the domestic IT sandbox? Hell yeah.

Vjekoslav Majsec, one of our department heads and the captain of the project ship whose launch we are witnessing, introduces the story:

This project represents an important collaboration between a scientific institution and its research community, and a recognized company developing innovative solutions for digital transformation, based on machine learning and AI.

In other words, our AIs are already hard at work—fingers on the starting line, brains fully engaged—ready to prove their superiority in the field once again.

We are entering the project from a well-researched and informed premise: slow decision-making remains a key challenge for today’s companies. As many as 86% of managers feel overwhelmed by data, and only 20% of companies believe they make decisions quickly and efficiently.

And this is where TIS TIDE steps in.

Further details are provided by the project lead and official coordinator of our partner institution, Dr. Nina Begicevic Ređep, Project Manager for the Faculty of Organization and Informatics:

The main goal of the project is to develop a cognitive and distributed digital platform for multimodal and integrated strategic collection, analysis, visualization, and environmentally sustainable optimization of business-critical information.

Behind this complex name lies an advanced technological architecture designed to solve a modern-day problem: how to extract valuable insights from vast amounts of unstructured data—insights that are essential for high-quality decision-making—while minimizing energy consumption.

It is an AI platform that will not only collect data but, as envisioned, use processed information to support management in making better, more informed decisions—commonly referred to as informed decision-making, aimed at improving organizational agility.

The post TIS TIDE: Can we, overwhelmed by the digital tide, make better decisions faster? appeared first on TIS Grupa.

Nostalgia. If nothing else, a great marketing tool. This trend proves it—and clearly, we’ve fallen for it too. While we’d like to claim this is a serious analysis, the story started—much to the surprise of those still staring like a deer in headlights—with reheated tricks from beauty influencers. Back then, they were at the peak of milking their golden digital geese.

Et voilà. The algorithms went wild, and suddenly, the whole world is remembering where we were, what we were doing, and what we were dreaming about in 2016. One thing’s certain: not Trump.

In our small company, for example, we were dreading the consequences of Brexit. The referendum was just around the corner, and we happened to have a lot of work in the UK at the time. Fear of having to change power plugs tipped the scales, Britain gave Europe the boot, and yet—contrary to expectations—we still delivered solid results.

On the home front, we were bracing ourselves for the uncertainty of double elections.

Back then, we watched the price of a barrel of oil closely. Not out of curiosity, but because it was a litmus test of global health: would the economy accelerate or stall? Were stock markets rising? What was happening with GDP? And did it make sense to invest in new projects? Today, we don’t watch oil exchanges—we watch gas and electricity meters. Along with central bank interest rates, of course. Constants matter. Only the instruments of anxiety have become more sophisticated.

SEPA. Our most important constant, shaping our business trajectory for more than a decade. While China celebrated the Year of the Fire Monkey in 2016, for us it was a year of fire baptisms.

After a period of intensive development and testing, in 2016, SEPA stopped being a theory in domestic payment systems and became a production reality.
SEPA moved out of PowerPoint decks and into real payment traffic.
It was the year of Credit Transfer, with zero room for missteps given the fixed implementation deadlines.
We helped set up the new payment infrastructure in Croatia—through HRK and EUR NKS—and ensured that SEPA didn’t remain a regulatory footnote in banks but became an operational daily routine.

Fun fact: 20 years ago, we launched our payment application in Slovenia; 10 years later, we continued the mission at home; and in 2025, we were implementing SEPA infrastructure in Montenegro. An even better fun fact: our banking industry partners have remained loyal, which is why we continue to support our clients with SEPA. Plus, Montenegro and the rest of the region will establish new partnerships this year.

The post 2016 vs 2026: Where We Were, What We Dreamed Of, and What Stayed the Same appeared first on TIS Grupa.

Digital business requires fast, secure, and reliable data exchange between organizations, business partners, and internal systems.

TIS Connect is an integration solution that enables centralized management of file transfers, automates B2B communication, and enables the secure exchange of business-critical data. The platform connects different business systems, applications, and partners into a single communication channel through which data can be exchanged quickly, reliably, and with full process control.

A unified platform for managing data exchange

TIS Connect consolidates all data exchange processes within a single platform. The solution enables secure file exchange between organizations, integration of business systems and applications, and automation of B2B and EDI communication with partners. The system also provides centralized monitoring of all transfers and full control over business integrations.

The platform supports multiple communication protocols and integration scenarios, enabling connections between systems that use different technologies, architectures, and data formats.

Key platform functionalities

Secure file transfer

TIS Connect enables reliable and controlled file transfers between systems and business partners. The system is optimized for transferring large volumes of data and large files, ensuring the stable delivery of business-critical information.

The solution supports automated data exchange between systems, synchronization of data between remote locations, and the transfer of large business documents, catalogues or archival records.

B2B and EDI integration

The platform enables integration of B2B communication processes through a central integration point. The system allows organizations to connect with business partners and institutions, exchange business documents, and transform and map data across different formats.

By automating integration processes, organizations can simplify the exchange of business information and reduce the complexity of managing integrations across multiple systems.

Central gateway for data exchange

TIS Connect consolidates all inbound and outbound file transfers through a central gateway. The system enables intelligent routing of files to appropriate systems, data processing and transformation, and management of high volumes of files.

Such an architecture reduces operational complexity in managing integrations and enables more efficient communication between systems and business partners.

Centralized monitoring and management

The platform provides full visibility into all file transfers and integration processes within the organization. Operational teams can track transfer status in real time, monitor system performance, and manage the configuration of integration components.

Centralized monitoring allows faster detection and resolution of issues while ensuring the stable operation of business-critical integrations.

Secure communication with partners

TIS Connect protects an organization’s internal infrastructure by preventing direct communication between external partners and internal systems. Communication takes place through a security layer that ensures controlled access to systems and data.

Security features include user and system authentication, encrypted communication, access control, and network perimeter protection. This approach ensures secure data exchange between organizations and their partners.

Partner management and onboarding

TIS Connect enables centralized management of business partners and their integration into the system. The platform simplifies configuring communication channels and reduces manual effort during onboarding new partners.

By automating the onboarding process, the risk of operational errors is reduced and the time required to connect new partners is significantly shortened.

Benefits of the TIS Connect solution

Security and compliance

The solution protects sensitive business data through encrypted communication, access control, and system authentication. It enables activity monitoring and audit trails while supporting compliance with regulatory and security standards.

Scalability and reliability

The platform is optimized for processing large volumes of data and file transfers. The system is designed for high availability and can be deployed in on-premises, cloud, or hybrid environments, depending on organizational requirements.

Centralization and control

By using a single platform, organizations gain full control over file exchange and integration processes. Centralized management provides better visibility into data transfers, simpler partner management, and more efficient administration of integration systems.

The post TIS Connect: Secure and Reliable Business Data Exchange appeared first on TIS Grupa.

Anyone who has ever applied for IRI S3 calls knows how long it takes for how many people in radio silence, while administrative storms rage beneath the surface. That’s exactly why it’s so rewarding to finally see the results and find your own project among those awarded seven-figure, non-refundable grants. As of last Friday, officially, TIS TIDE is one of them.

TIS TIDE starts from a simple fact: today’s organizations have too much data and too few clear decisions made on time. Instead of yet another tool, an AI platform is being developed that connects information in real time, turns it into actionable insights, and accelerates decision-making, process automation, and embedded ESG logic. For users, this means faster decisions, adaptable processes, and more efficient IT systems. For TIS, TIDE is a strategic leap toward another proprietary product—one that doesn’t just support business operations, but changes the way decisions are made.

But TIS TIDE is much more than that. For our small company, this project is a unique opportunity to further expand and deepen cooperation with the academic community—specifically with the Faculty of Organization and Informatics (FOI).

FOI emerged as the natural choice as a scientific partner because it brings together exactly what this project requires: a deep understanding of decision-making, business processes, and digital transformation, combined with significant experience in research, development, and EU-funded projects. Their research teams and laboratories focus on real problems of agile planning, analytics, and process optimization—not theory for theory’s sake. Combined with TIS GRUPA’s development, AI, and production capacities, this creates a team that knows how to turn scientific models into solutions that work in practice and withstand real business conditions.

The collaboration is structured clearly and functionally: TIS leads platform development and the implementation of advanced AI solutions, while FOI – led by Prof. Dr. Sc. Nina Begicevic Ređep – provides scientific validation, a methodological framework, and measurement systems that give the entire project depth and credibility. A joint team of more than 20 experts and scientists is entering this adventure through an interconnected structure of sub-teams, with clear leadership and continuous coordination. FOI takes the lead in defining decision-making metrics, evaluating effectiveness, and disseminating results, while our AI unit will set in motion all the smart gears needed to turn theory into what we hope will be another revolutionary AI solution on the horizon of the domestic high-tech sandbox.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the colleagues who patiently spent months in the trenches, quietly and meticulously knitting this monumental project together. Bravo – and now, on to new victories!

The official confirmation of this joint success was accepted on Friday by Dzenan Lojo on behalf of the project team. We would also like to congratulate all the other applicants who successfully secured their funding.

The post TIS TIDE: A New Chapter Powered by Non-Refundable IRI S3 Funding appeared first on TIS Grupa.

If you’re part of the local IT sandbox and even mildly flirt with posting on business networks, you know who Dragan Petric is. Well, this week the undisputed ruler of the Croatian LinkedIn ether held his long-awaited masterclass, where he showed a packed room of information-hungry attendees how to ride LN algorithms more successfully in the coming year.

Some things have changed; others haven’t. For security reasons, we won’t go into the details of his analysis – the sensei will share what he wants, when and to what extent -but what we can say is that the guidelines he gave the audience are worth paying attention to.

The second reason we’re celebrating—because good data and knowing what to do with it always come first – is that TIS’s approach to networks has officially been named one of the best IT practices in Croatia for “LinkedIn-ing.” In a ring where unicorns rule and Goliath usually swallows David whole, authentic propaganda still, fortunately, has a place.

Now. How we caught his eye is perhaps even more interesting.

TIS is one of the oldest Croatian IT companies. We remember the Croatian Silicon Valley back when it was still thriving in Dugave. We built the infrastructure that carries the entire domestic payment traffic. We contributed to a range of products used daily by millions of people. We introduced the euro in two countries. We implemented instant payments for the largest domestic banks and, most recently, some in neighbouring markets. Financial institutions across the region recognize us as the go-to partner for digital identity. We’ve just wrapped up a massive project for Generali Investments. NDAs usually prevent us from bragging about the work we do for governments (yes, more than one), but you’ll have to take our word for it that we’ve been a reliable partner to several international public institutions for a long time.

Things are picking up speed. We’ve been playing with AI technologies since the late ’90s. We’ve been developing toys in (proto)cloud just as long. We invest continuously in research and don’t blindly chase trends. We know every boomerang eventually comes back.

SENDD is one of them. Our AI for detecting neurodevelopmental deviations in infants—developed with our partners at Poliklinika Sabol (the service is available in their offering) – caught Petric’s attention before it became commercially available. Before it swept the top innovation awards. Nearly three years later, it’s still the post that generated the highest traffic.

The post When David beats Goliath: Petric says we have the best business LN appeared first on TIS Grupa.

AI buzz may have taken over the algorithms, but from time to time, it’s necessary to reset the story to factory settings. Our biggest strength has always been—and remains—the financial industry, and the crown jewel of TIS’s regionally recognized expertise is SEPA. Montenegro is now entering the SEPA payments area through the front door.

While keyboards are overheating and sore fingertips are being carefully tended to, momentum isn’t slowing down. Quite the opposite. These days, we’re simultaneously supporting the launch of several colossal SEPA projects—both in our own backyard and in new sandboxes.

Since the past few weeks have been particularly intense on the payments front, we grabbed the alpha and omega of our SEPA unit, who is coming on air with some solid news.

Vjekoslav Martinčić.

• As of October 9, 2025, all Croatian banks enable SEPA instant payments. TIS teams contributed significantly to this effort, supporting our clients in the successful implementation of instant payments alongside parallel changes to the SEPA rulebook for regular payments.
• TIS experts have experience in developing national clearing systems for regular and instant payments and actively support domestic banks through project leadership and consulting, business analysis and specification, development and implementation, as well as testing of regular and instant payments using our own tools (TIS Payments Modules and Test Creators, enhanced by AI4Payments).
• We are particularly pleased to report that, together with our partners in Montenegro, we have just completed a project implementing cross-border SEPA credit transfers for one of the largest regional banking groups.
• New regional opportunities in the SEPA domain are already on the horizon, and our payments experts are more than ready for them—so we hope to interrupt the regular news program more often with breaking updates like this.

We celebrated these successes with our partners mid-month on their home turf, brought together by the INFINTECH conference.

Dženan Lojo personally led the delegation.

• The conference brought together the very top of the regional financial industry. Opportunities to see such a dense concentration of decision-makers in one place are rare, which made this a perfect moment to present ourselves in the best possible light.
• Kudos to the organizers for a flawless job, an excellent program, and a top-tier networking environment. It would be unfair not to single out a special content highlight: the contribution of Suzanne Williams, who cut through important—but familiar—banking topics with her years of experience freeing hostages from the brink of certain death. Our industry may not be that literal, but it has a far-reaching impact on many more people. Like Susan, we don’t know the exact number of lives we’ve made easier with our solutions—but we remember damn well every moment when things got tight. Fortunately, those moments were fewer than the fingers on one hand.

The post Back to the roots: October marked by SEPA appeared first on TIS Grupa.

Berlin, Germany – 01.09.2025. – Embedded finance innovator AAZZUR has officially partnered with TIS GRUPA, a leading systems integrator with deep expertise in AI, banking, EU regulations, and digital transformation in the financial sector, to support its operational growth and expanding client project pipeline.

As AAZZUR scales up to meet increasing demand, the collaboration with TIS GRUPA will enhance delivery capacity across multiple phases of the client journey – from initial configuration to full integration and operation. The partnership will play a key role in streamlining complex fintech implementations across Europe.

TIS GRUPA brings over 120 experts, including highly skilled and certified AI specialists, IT developers, analysts, and project managers, with proven experience across South East Europe, the UK, and beyond. Their client portfolio includes leading European banking groups in these regions. With a tech stack spanning legacy systems  to modern platforms and AI-powered solutions, TIS GRUPA is a natural fit to support AAZZUR’s smart finance integrations.

“As we grow from startup to scale-up, we need delivery partners who are not just technically capable but understand the complexities of regulated financial ecosystems. TIS GRUPA ticks every box, from compliance expertise to integration experience. We are excited to move forward together”, said Philipp Buschmann, CEO of AAZZUR.

Solving Integration Complexity Together

AAZZUR and TIS GRUPA will collaborate on:

• Orchestrating multi-vendor deployments, including BaaS platforms, KYC providers and core banking systems
• Leading client SQA processes and ensuring high quality standards
• Smart Block Integration of AAZZUR’s modular smart finance infrastructure
• Supporting clients in tailoring and operationalising embedded finance services

“We’re excited to support AAZZUR’s mission of making embedded finance smarter and easier to implement,” said Dženan Lojo, CEO of TIS Grupa. “Our experience across regulatory-driven financial services makes this a powerful collaboration.”

What’s Next?

Both companies are currently working on realising the partnership’s opportunities and building joint visibility — so catch us at fintech conferences across Southeast Europe and the UK. This marks a key milestone in AAZZUR’s an TIS GRUPA’s scale-up journey as they continue to grow their reputation as trusted fintech partners, enabling banks, brands, and platforms to unlock embedded finance at speed.

About TIS GRUPA

Founded in 1989, TIS GRUPA is a trusted provider of IT solutions and systems integration services for the financial, public, and enterprise sectors. Headquartered in Zagreb with operations across Southeast Europe and the UK, the company specialises in complex integration projects, custom development, banking platform migration, AI solutions and banking regulatory compliance. TIS GRUPA’s 120+ professionals support clients with project management, business analysis, QA, software engineering, and implementation of banking technologies — from legacy systems to modern technology stacks.

More: https://tis-grupa.com/en

About AAZZUR

AAZZUR is a fast-growing fintech company specialising in smart embedded finance. Based in Berlin and London, AAZZUR enables banks, brands, and platforms to seamlessly integrate financial services into their customer journeys using modular “smart finance blocks.” Their award-winning platform offers speed, flexibility and compliance support, helping clients unlock new revenue streams and improve customer experience in the digital finance space.

More: https://aazzur.com

For press enquiries, contact:

Leila Dastyar

Senior PR Account Manager

leial@adiapr.co.uk

07720180748

The post AZZUR Partners with TIS GRUPA to Accelerate Smart Finance Integrations Across Europe appeared first on TIS Grupa.

The Evolution of Technical Manuals

Technical manuals have undergone a significant transformation since their inception. Once bulky and hard to navigate, they are now digitalized, often in PDF format with advanced search functions and rich visual content. This digital shift has allowed for greater accessibility and ease of use, enabling users to find the information they need more quickly.

Current Challenges of Technical Manuals

Despite these advancements, technical manuals still face several challenges that can reduce their effectiveness:

• Lack of Connected Information – Useful information is often scattered across different documents and not interconnected. This makes it difficult for users to understand the full context and can result in missed or skipped important steps.

• Redundant Content – Manuals often contain repetitive information spread across multiple documents, leading to confusion and inefficiency. Users can easily find themselves unsure which version or piece of information is the most recent or accurate.

• Language and Terminology – Differences in terms between documents or even within the same manual can complicate understanding. A user searching for documentation might encounter different terms for the same component or action, complicating searches and slowing down the process of locating the correct information.

• Time-Consuming Search – Finding the correct information in traditional manuals often requires sifting through multiple sections, chapters, and paragraphs, which can be frustrating and inefficient, especially when a quick answer is essential.

How Can AI Transform the Use of Technical or Any Documentation?

AI has the potential to significantly improve how we use technical manuals by addressing the challenges mentioned above:

• Bridging Language Barriers – A smart manual with an AI component can understand and adapt to variations in terminology. Whether a user refers to a part as a “screw” or “bolt” or uses terms like “set up” or “configure,” the AI component can recognize the context and ensure access to relevant information. This functionality greatly enhances data accessibility and accuracy.

• Interactive Assistance – Imagine a manual that answers you in real-time, asks follow-up questions to clarify your needs, and offers guidance aligned with the context you are discussing. The AI component can enable such dynamic interaction, greatly enhancing the user experience, making information retrieval intuitive and efficient.

The Potential Impact of Smart AI Manuals

A smart AI manual could completely change the way customer support technicians use the documentation available to them, offering several benefits:

• Top-Tier Technical Support for Your Customers – A smart AI manual can act like a top-tier technical expert with photographic memory, instantly finding relevant information from multiple sources and eliminating the need for manual document searches.

• Comprehensive and Accurate Information – For support professionals, the ability to quickly access detailed and accurate information is critical. AI-driven solutions can streamline workflows, reduce errors, and improve overall efficiency by providing precise answers and guidance in real-time.

• Direct Sourcing of Information – A smart AI manual can already show users accurate references and links to relevant chapters or sections of documents, enabling quick verification and further exploration of the content.

image by freepic

Where Can Smart AI Manuals Be Used?

1. Diagnostics, Troubleshooting, and Maintenance – Customer support technicians can quickly search technical instructions to resolve issues, reducing the time needed to fix reported problems and increasing operational efficiency.
2. Enhanced Customer Support – A smart AI manual allows for faster and more accurate responses to customer inquiries, improving the overall customer experience.
3. Faster Training and Onboarding – New employees can more easily access the information they need, shortening the time required for training and onboarding.
4. Improved Compliance and Security – A smart AI manual could provide IT professionals with up-to-date security protocols and procedures, reducing the risk of non-compliance and improving overall security.

Use AI to Support Your Tasks, But Don’t Let It Take Over

While tools utilizing AI components are already incredibly useful, it’s crucial to understand their limitations and ensure the necessary human oversight:

1. Data Governance is Key – If you don’t know where your relevant documents and data are located or if you lack clearly defined data governance processes, smart AI manuals will be of limited help. As the old saying goes, “Garbage in, garbage out.” Without well-organized document repositories, manuals, and clearly defined internal guidelines, any tools—whether powered by AI or not—won’t be effective.
2. Validation of Initial AI Responses – The initial answers generated by AI need human verification and confirmation. This won’t happen automatically. It’s crucial that subject matter experts (SMEs) review and confirm initial outputs to ensure that future answers are accurate and reliable.
3. Detailed Questions Lead to Better Answers – The more precise your question is, the more accurate the AI answer will be. Like with young children or teenagers, if you don’t provide precise context or the necessary details, you can’t expect perfect answers immediately.
4. AI Doesn’t Replace Human Expertise – I was recently asked whether an AI tool could review all our documentation, create a business glossary, and list key performance indicators (KPIs). While AI tools can assist in locating and organizing data (if the data is properly organized according to your data governance procedures), they do not replace the need for human expertise. If you use an AI tool to assist in creating a business glossary or KPI list, remember that the responsibility for the final versions of those documents and their approval lies with you, the expert in the relevant field. Use AI tools as support in your work, but don’t delegate your responsibilities to them.

AI-driven tools can be powerful assistants in optimizing technical support and navigating various forms of documentation, but they should be used as auxiliary assistants, not as complete substitutes for human knowledge and expertise.

By: Josip Kustić

The post Marvel’s New Superhero: A Customer Support Technician with Photographic Memory. Fairy Tale or Reality? appeared first on TIS Grupa.