A Technology Collaboration To Develop An AI-Powered Application

About Shapiro+Raj

Shapiro+Raj, one of the largest independent insights and inspiration companies in the U.S., is dedicated to helping Fortune 500 clients shape the future of their business and brands with Future-Forward Insights. Recognized as a Top 25 Innovative Research Company and the #1 Strategic Insights Consultancy, Shapiro+Raj is a Nationally Certified Minority Business Enterprise. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, with offices in New York and Pune, India.

The Vision

Shapiro+Raj recognized an opportunity to revolutionize market research and deliver more value to their Fortune 500 clients using artificial intelligence. The platform they envisioned would transform how data is collected, analyzed, and leveraged to deliver predictive insights in real time.

Strategic Objectives

Shapiro+Raj set out to build a platform that would accomplish the following:

1. Create a platform that could move beyond traditional data analysis to provide predictive advanced insights using AI.
2. Provide a top-tier client experience by offering clients a simple, intuitive way to interact with complex data.
3. Build a scalable solution designed to handle both increasing data volume and complex AI-driven analysis
4. Prioritize robust security protocols while also providing clients with easy access to their data

Partnership with Xcelacore

To bring this vision to life, Shapiro+Raj partnered with Xcelacore, a technology consulting firm that helps businesses capitalize on the latest technology to drive results. Together, the teams got to work developing “Stella,” an AI-powered platform designed to transform Shapiro+Raj’s service delivery model. The teams implemented the following collaborative approach:

1. Discovery & Requirements
   With the collective goal of changing how they delivered value to clients in mind, Xcelacore worked to gain a deep understanding of Shapiro+Raj’s unique business needs by examining how they collected data, what types of analysis they wanted to perform, and what kind of experience their clients were looking for.
2. Data Integration & Architecture
   Turning to Shapiro+Raj’s robust backend infrastructure, the two teams improved its ability to collect, process, and integrate data from multiple sources. Xcelacore used a combination of cloud-based data pipelines and machine learning algorithms to ensure the data—from sources like survey responses and social media—was clean, accurate, and ready for analysis.
3. AI-Powered Insights
   Shapiro+Raj and Xcelacore’s teams built AI models that could perform sentiment analysis, natural language processing, and predictive modeling. Enabling the analysis of both structured and unstructured data allowed Shapiro+Raj to deliver actionable insights for their clients.
4. User-Centered Design
   The end-user remained top of mind throughout the process. Stella had to be simple enough for non-technical users to interact with but powerful enough to deliver complex insights. After several workshops with Shapiro+Raj’s team, Xcelacore created a user interface that was both intuitive and visually impactful.
5. Scalability & Performance
   Looking to the future, Xcelacore focused on scalability to allow for Shapiro+Raj’s growth as well as an increase in data. It was imperative to ensure that the system could handle increasing volumes of data and new use cases without compromising performance.

Stella’s Impact

The partnership between Shapiro+Raj and Xcelacore led to the successful launch of Stella. From driving efficiency to increasing client satisfaction, the impact of this AI-powered platform can be felt across their business.

1. Accelerated Insights & Increased Efficiency: By automating much of the manual data cleaning and analysis, Stella enabled Shapiro+Raj to cut down the time it takes to generate actionable insights from weeks to days.
2. Predictive Power: Shapiro+Raj can now provide predictive insights to their clients, helping them make more informed business decisions.
3. Enhanced Client Experience: Stella’s user interface has received rave reviews from Shapiro+Raj’s clients. The platform offers a simple, intuitive way to interact with data, getting clients the answers they need quickly.
4. Scalability for the Future: The platform is built on a scalable, cloud-based architecture, meaning it will grow alongside Shapiro+Raj as their needs evolve.
5. New Business Opportunities: By offering Stella as a value-added service, Shapiro+Raj stand out in the market research space and unlock new revenue opportunities.

Conclusion

Through strategic vision and technological partnership, Shapiro+Raj transformed their service delivery model while Xcelacore delivered tech solutions that made a real impact. The teams didn’t just build an AI platform; they achieved their goal of unlocking a new way of doing business. This collaborative project serves as an excellent case study of what successful tech partnerships look like.