AI-Driven Quality Function Deployment for Product Service Systems: A Comparative Study in the Photovoltaic systems’ Sector

Nowadays, the adoption of integrated product-service solutions has become imperative for companies dealing with ever-increasing, sophisticated customer requests. Advanced informatics tools can support companies in collecting and interpreting a large amount of information to provide more customer-tailored solutions. However, few studies have investigated the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) for the development of integrated product-service offerings. Using a case study from the green energy sector, this study explores the integration of AI tools with Quality Function Deployment for Product-Service Systems (QFDforPSS) to refine customer-centric PSS development by leveraging data from customer care services and customer relationship management systems. Results obtained by AI tools were compared with those of experts. Research findings underscore AI’s capability to extract detailed insights from customer data, enabling a more holistic and concurrent development of PSS characteristics. This research introduces a novel data-driven framework for PSS design, demonstrating AI’s potential to transform customer service data into actionable specifications and providing a more thorough analysis of PSS features. The study not only suggests several implications that can assist management in improving business offerings in the photovoltaic industry but also augments knowledge on the capabilities of QFD powered by AI tools.