Explore how genAI systems enhance growth opportunities for the chemical testing equipment industry.
In specialty chemicals, technical sales representatives wear many hats. They have to constantly acquire and manage new leads, stay up to date on the latest industry regulations, interact with customers, and quickly compare multiple complex products.
In addition to all of this expertise, technical sales reps must also provide accurate, timely solutions to complex customer queries during long and often complicated sales cycles.
Effective troubleshooting is not just a skill in technical sales — it's a crucial responsibility that significantly impacts customer satisfaction. Successful troubleshooting can land high-value clients; ineffective troubleshooting can lose important leads.
Because sales reps have to troubleshoot for customers at various stages of the sales cycle, teams must stay prepared to address challenging questions and complaints. To do this, many companies are using artificial intelligence (AI).
Keep reading to learn about AI for troubleshooting in chemicals and how it’s empowering sales teams to deliver exceptional service throughout the customer journey.
Effective troubleshooting spans the entire customer lifecycle, which puts a lot of pressure on already busy sales teams. Here are some of the main phases of troubleshooting and the challenges associated with each.
During initial sales calls, technical sales reps must diagnose customer needs and recommend suitable products. This requires balancing technical knowledge with consultative selling skills. However, challenges this stage of troubleshooting occurs when sales or services reps encounter obstacles such as:
Generative AI solutions address all of these obstacles, which we’ll see below.
Once a potential solution is identified in the sales cycle, technical sales teams work with procurement teams to support R&D professionals conducting product tests. Building trust with procurement and R&D teams becomes crucial at this stage.
The typical process involves:
The most experienced technical sales reps know there’s a better way built on earning their customer’s trust.
Here’s the ideal scenario. Sales teams work directly with R&D to ensure successful testing and application. Gaining this direct access requires reps to prove their deep technical knowledge and their ability to provide rapid, accurate responses to complex queries.
Accelerating this point of the sales cycle is critical. In the absence of deep technical expertise, Generative AI gives reps the fast, accurate information they need to do this successfully. Where sales reps often rely on back and forth with product experts to get the answers they need, GenAI helps experts and sales reps work faster together to get their customers the product insights they need at this critical evaluation point in the sales cycle.
After testing and the actual sale, the customer-sales relationship continues. Being able to provide swift, knowledgeable support during product application and any challenges that arise is essential for maintaining long-term partnerships and driving future growth — especially in crowded, competitive markets.
After purchase and the deal is closed, the ongoing support and service process involves:
At every stage of technical sales and services, reps need all the accurate answers they can get. They need to be their customer’s trusted product expert. This is where AI in sales and customer support comes in.
AI brings powerful solutions to technical sales teams’ troubleshooting challenges.
Wondering how generative AI could actually support a troubleshooting scenario? Consider these instances where AI makes a significant impact.
A customer reports an issue with a product's performance after making a formulation change. Using AI, technical services can quickly input the new specifications, compare them against previous applications, and suggest adjustments or alternative products that meet the new requirements.
During a visit to a high-priority customer, unexpected challenges are identified. With AI-powered tools, the technical service rep can instantly access relevant data, make comparisons, and provide insights in real time. AI enhances the quality of on-site conversations and potentially leads the service rep to a better solution for customers or new long-term upsell opportunities.
When selling a product into a new industry, AI provides rapid insights into how that specific product has been successfully applied in similar contexts. This helps sales reps tailor their approach and overcome industry-specific objections — no matter their experience level.
By analyzing historical data and usage patterns, AI helps technical services teams anticipate their customer’s potential issues before they occur, enabling proactive outreach and cementing customer relationships.
In an industry as competitive as chemicals, AI for troubleshooting is essential — especially for companies that want to stay ahead. The right chemical sales AI empowers your team to:
Additionally, AI tools become necessary to help sales and technical service teams align their positioning and communication strategies. AI also augments human expertise, enabling teams to focus on building relationships, solving complex problems, and driving innovation.
The Nesh Sales AI platform is specifically developed for the complexities of advanced manufacturing and sales of specialty chemicals. Nesh enhances troubleshooting capabilities with:
With Nesh, technical sales and services teams overcome common challenges, provide superior customer support, and drive growth through effective troubleshooting at every stage of the customer journey. From the initial sales cycle to post-purchase support, Nesh empowers reps to deliver high-value insights that strengthen customer relationships and drive success.
Ready to enhance your technical sales capabilities that involve troubleshooting? Reach out to Nesh for a demo and unlock your competitive advantage in technical sales.
Want to learn more about AI for the chemicals industry? Check out our Ultimate Guide to AI in Chemicals.