Get More Out of Your Chemical Technical Data Sheet With GenAI

In the chemical industry, technical data sheets (TDS) are crucial resources for communicating product information to consumers. These documents provide necessary details about a chemical product's properties, applications, performance benchmarks, and usage guidelines. 

For chemical companies, however, extensive volumes of product data contained in TDSs are difficult to keep up with. Extracting insights from TDS and putting them into action can become challenging—especially for technical sales teams that are required to quickly communicate such information to customers. This is where generative AI (GenAI) comes in. Let’s look at how GenAI can streamline your technical data sheet and sales processes.

Miss the first part of this series? Learn how GenAI can help you better leverage your safety data sheets here.

What are Technical Data Sheets?

Technical data sheets are essential documents that provide detailed information about a specific product. The data contained in a TDS typically includes:

• Comprehensive Product Information: The physical and chemical properties, raw materials, toxicity specifications, performance characteristics, and other technical details that define the product.
• Application Guidance: Instructions for proper usage, compatibility with other materials, and any limitations or precautions.
• Troubleshooting & Support: Common issues that may arise when handling a product and how to address them, along with contact information for further assistance.

While a product TDS is not always mandatory in chemical manufacturing and sales, it can be extremely useful. This is especially true when used to support safety data sheets — which are required by law — for technical teams that serve customers who have specific questions every day.

Why are TDS Important to Chemical Sales and Services?

Technical data sheets play a significant role in many aspects of chemical businesses. As a powerful sales, marketing, and service tool, TDSs provide a foundation for communicating product benefits and capabilities to new or existing customers. They serve as a sales enablement resource that equips representatives with the technical knowledge they need to effectively promote products and address customer requests.

TDSs are also instrumental in product positioning and messaging, highlighting the top selling points that differentiate products from competitors. Customers rely on these documents for application support, gaining guidance on how to properly use products in their specific contexts. Well-crafted technical data sheets demonstrate a company's deep knowledge of its products and industry, establishing expertise in the field.

Additionally, accurate and comprehensive technical data sheets help build credibility and trust with chemical customers and partners, fostering stronger business relationships in the industry.

Building a Corpus for GenAI Applications With Technical Data Sheets

To leverage generative AI for technical data sheets, it's crucial for companies to first have a robust, up-to-date corpus of product data. This involves:

• Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG): By incorporating TDS into a RAG knowledge base, GenAI systems can provide more accurate and contextually relevant responses.
• Data Extraction and Integration: Ensuring that critical information from TDS is properly extracted and integrated into AI systems for optimal use.
• Holistic Data Approach: Combining TDS with other data sources (e.g., safety data sheets, application notes, AI agents, etc.) to create a more comprehensive knowledge base.

By building an accurate corpus of technical data sheets and company product information, chemical organizations unlock the full potential of generative AI, resulting in improved product data management and customer engagement.

How GenAI Helps Sales Reps Leverage Product Data Better

Generative AI platforms like Nesh make it possible for sales representatives to make better use of the wealth of information contained in technical data sheets. Most notably, customer service and sales training become more efficient and tailored to the company.

1. Enhanced Customer Conversations

GenAI can quickly analyze TDS and provide sales reps with key talking points, allowing for more informed and productive discussions with customers. This enables reps to speak confidently about product features and benefits, even for complex chemical formulations. 

2. Improved Product Positioning

By analyzing TDS across a product portfolio, GenAI platforms can identify unique selling propositions and help sales reps position products more effectively against competitors. Marketing teams can rest assured that sales reps are using the most up-to-date messaging and positioning as well.

3. Efficient Information Retrieval

Instead of manually searching through lengthy TDS, sales reps can use GenAI-powered tools to quickly find specific information, saving time and improving responsiveness to customer inquiries. According to a McKinsey survey on scaling with GenAI, automating multiple processes can save time by 80-90%, giving sales reps the information they need to answer questions quickly and maintain customer satisfaction.

4. Dynamic Data Utilization 

One of the most helpful applications of GenAI in chemicals is its ability to transform data from one format to another. This is particularly useful when dealing with TDS from different manufacturers that may use varying formats and terminology. For example:

• Standardize TDS formats across multiple suppliers, allowing for easier comparison analysis of similar products.
• Extract key data points and present them in customized formats based on specific customer requirements.
• Generate simplified summaries of complex TDS, highlighting the most relevant information for different audiences.

5. Training & Onboarding

GenAI can enhance the training process for new sales representatives by accelerating onboarding time. New hires can use GenAI queries to quickly get up to speed on product information and their applications, reducing the time it takes to become effective in their roles.

Using generative AI tools can also create interactive learning experiences based on TDS content, ensuring that sales reps develop a deeper understanding of the products they're selling.

6. Regulatory Compliance

Remaining compliance with ever-increasing regulatory standards is a crucial aspect of the chemical industry. GenAI can assist by analyzing technical data sheets and comparing them against regulatory databases, instantly flagging potential compliance issues for the company to address. It can generate regional product documentation based on TDS information to meet local requirements. GenAI-supported TDSs also alert sales reps to any regulatory considerations when recommending products for specific applications.

Get More Out of Your Technical Data Sheets With GenAI

Technical data sheets are invaluable resources in the chemical industry. However, their full potential often remains untapped due to the sheer volume and complexity of information they contain. 

Generative AI presents innovative solutions to chemical commercial teams that handle large catalogs of technical data sheets, enabling sales representatives and stakeholders to extract maximum value from TDS. By leveraging GenAI, chemical companies can transform their approach to product data, leading to more effective sales processes, improved customer support, and a stronger competitive position in the market. From enhancing customer conversations to streamlining regulatory compliance, the applications of GenAI in conjunction with TDS are vast and transformative.

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Don't forget to check out the first part of this series: Get More Out of Your Chemical Safety Data Sheets With GenAI

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Ready to learn the full capabilities of GenAI in the chemical industry? Get our Ultimate Guide to AI in Chemicals.