Fuzzy techniques and user modeling in Sales Assistants

Uncertainty and fuzziness are ubiquitous in the field of computerized selling. Therefore the mastery of these domains might be a key factor for the success of electronic selling. In this paper the Sales Assistant is introduced. It employs user models in the problem solving and dialog control layers, and fuzzy techniques for the management of imprecision. Fuzzy Multiple Criteria Analysis has proven its usefulness in product evaluation if there are no severe interdependencies among the product attributes. The user model in the Sales Assistant is constructed unobtrusively on the basis of user behavior, and it uses short-term information. It increases the transparency and usability of a large hypertext-like information system.

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