The Future of the Building Materials Industry: AI-Powered Digital Humans
Customer expectations are shifting fast. Designers, contractors, and homeowners expect quick responses, personalized recommendations, and a seamless experience across every touchpoint—but traditional customer support systems aren’t built for that. Slow response times, inconsistent answers, and high training costs leave sales teams stretched thin and customers frustrated.
That’s where digital humans come in. Unlike generic AI chatbots, digital humans can be trained to understand the unique needs of each building materials brand, integrating product catalogs, technical specifications, and company-specific knowledge. Whether it’s replacing outdated chatbots, streamlining internal training, or enhancing the customer sales experience, Haystack Technologies makes it easier for brands to get spec’d, seen, and sold.
How Digital Humans Solve Common Customer Service Challenges
Customer service in the building materials industry comes with unique challenges, from managing high inquiry volumes to navigating complex product specifications and lengthy sales cycles. Many brands struggle with inconsistent or outdated product knowledge, making it difficult for sales and customer service teams to provide accurate information. Limited capacity to address technical questions on specifications, performance, and compliance further slows decision-making, while delayed response times can lead to abandoned projects and lost sales. Haystack Technologies' AI digital humans are designed to solve these pain points, giving brands a scalable, reliable, and intelligent way to interact with customers through smarter chatbots, AI-powered training assistants, or digital sales associates.
A Smarter, More Engaging Alternative to Chatbots
Most chatbots operate on predefined scripts or essential keyword matching, which often leads to frustrating dead ends. They aren’t built to understand the complexities of building materials, specification processes, or evolving compliance requirements.
On the other hand, a digital human can be trained to engage in honest conversations, provide accurate responses, and pull from company-specific data to support customers in real time. By replacing traditional chatbots with an AI-powered digital human, brands can offer a more engaging, accurate, and helpful customer experience while freeing up their teams for higher-value work.
For example, a designer searching for high-traffic commercial carpet that meets fire ratings and sustainability certifications won’t just receive a list of SKUs. A digital human can be programmed to provide tailored recommendations, explain the differences between options, and supply supporting documentation instantly.
AI-Powered Sales Training That Scales
With thousands of SKUs and frequent product updates, sales teams in the building materials industry face an ongoing challenge: staying informed. Training new reps takes time; even experienced team members may struggle to keep up with new product lines and compliance changes.
A digital human can be trained as an internal sales training assistant, providing real-time, company-specific knowledge to help teams get up to speed faster. Instead of relying on static training manuals or waiting for a manager to confirm details, sales reps can get instant, accurate product insights from an AI-powered assistant.
For example, a new rep at a flooring company needs to know which adhesives are compatible with a specific LVT product. Instead of searching through PDFs or calling a product manager, they ask the digital human, which provides the correct answer immediately—reducing training time and improving accuracy in customer interactions. This approach allows brands to scale their training programs, reduce onboarding costs, and improve product knowledge across sales teams.
A Customer-Facing Sales Associate That Works 24/7
Specifying and ordering building materials can be complex. Customers need quick answers about stock availability, lead times, and performance specifications—but human sales teams can’t always respond immediately. A digital human can be trained as a virtual sales associate, providing real-time support and guiding customers through product selection and ordering. Whether helping a contractor verify whether a tile meets slip resistance standards or assisting a designer in placing a sample order, a digital human ensures customers always have access to expert-level guidance.
For example, a contractor working on a multifamily project must confirm that a product meets building code requirements and is in stock. Instead of waiting for a sales rep to follow up, they ask the digital human, who provides the correct information instantly and walks them through adding samples to their cart. This level of AI-powered support speeds up decision-making, reduces abandoned sample requests, and helps brands get specified more efficiently.
The Business Impact
Brands using digital humans see measurable improvements across key areas of their business. By automating routine inquiries and providing instant, accurate responses, digital humans enable companies to scale customer interactions without increasing headcount. They also streamline training, giving sales teams quick access to product knowledge so they can focus on high-value interactions instead of searching for answers. Most importantly, digital humans enhance the customer experience by delivering faster, more relevant support, which helps build trust and drive repeat business. See real-world examples of how brands are using digital humans.
Ready to Elevate Your Customer Service?
Haystack Technologies helps building materials brands deliver unique customer experiences, improve sales training, and accelerate product specifications. Whether you need a more intelligent chatbot, an AI-powered training assistant, or a digital sales associate, our digital humans can support your business needs.
Let’s talk about what this could look like for your company. Contact us today to learn more.
