#Japan #Yokohama #FANCL #Sapeet #SAPI Role-Play

FANCL Enhances Employee Training with SAPI AI Role-Playing Service

FANCL, a leading cosmetics and health food manufacturer based in Yokohama, Japan, has adopted an innovative AI-driven role-playing service called SAPI, developed by Sapeet, a Tokyo-based company. This integration marks a significant step in the evolution of employee training, particularly within FANCL University, the company's internal training institution.

Background of the Integration

Traditionally, FANCL’s training sessions relied heavily on one-on-one interactions between trainees and trainers. Trainers would take on the role of customers, providing personalized training to ensure effective learning. However, this approach presented challenges, such as extended time demands on trainers, limited practice opportunities for trainees, dependency on the individual instructor’s evaluation, and psychological burdens on trainees due to fear of failure.

In recent years, more companies have been exploring AI role-playing tools to enhance training efficiency in sales, education, and customer service sectors. As part of this shift, FANCL has introduced SAPI Role-Play to facilitate practice sessions that are location- and time-independent, enabling employees to engage in repeated drills while receiving objective feedback aimed at maximizing learning outcomes.

Key Features of SAPI Role-Play Implementation

1. Aligning AI with FANCL's Customer-Centric Approach
SAPI will not merely serve as an efficiency tool; instead, it will act as a learning partner that embodies FANCL's core value of customer-centered interactions. The evaluation criteria will reflect the persona of FANCL customers, their lifestyles, and emotional states, ensuring all communications resonate with the company’s intrinsic values.

2. Objective and Consistent Feedback
By visualizing interaction content based on pre-set assessment criteria, the program minimizes variability in evaluations, fostering more consistent training outcomes. Trainees can review their conversations, allowing them to identify areas for improvement and apply these lessons in future interactions.

3. Psychologically Safe Learning Environment
Utilizing AI to simulate customer interactions reduces the inherent tension and pressure that can arise in human interactions. This enables trainees to embrace challenges without the fear of failure, ultimately fostering a positive learning experience and quicker independence.

4. Balancing Efficiency with Human Involvement
The system allows multiple trainees to engage in role-playing simultaneously, thereby reducing training time and lightening the load on trainers. However, the final assessments and guidance remain the responsibility of human instructors, blending the strengths of AI and human oversight.

Commitment to Exceeding Customer Expectations

Through SAPI, FANCL aims not only to enhance training efficiency but also to reinforce its commitment to personalized customer engagement. The company’s goal is to deeply understand customer feelings and requests, ensuring that every interaction exceeds their expectations, leaving them thinking, “I'm glad I called; my concerns have been addressed, and I feel safe shopping.”

FANCL’s training evaluation metrics have been carefully established, reflecting the company’s philosophy of customer empathy, allowing for both heightened educational efficiency and quality interactions.

Process Flow of Utilizing SAPI Role-Play

1. Setting Customer Personas and Evaluation Criteria
Trainers develop customer personas and establish the evaluation standards required for role-playing practice.

2. Practicing with AI
Trainees engage in simulated interactions with the AI, practicing exchanges based on real-world scenarios.

3. Feedback Review
Immediate feedback from the AI helps participants identify areas for improvement.

Implementation Overview

- Initiation Date: January 2026
- Training Programs: Starting with new employee induction training, gradually expanding to other training regimens.
- Participants: Employees undergoing training at FANCL University, primarily focusing on customer service roles.
- Trainers: FANCL University trainers, with AI facilitating customer role play and human instructors providing final evaluations.
- Adopted System: SAPI Role-Play by Sapeet
- Goal: Through AI-driven role play, employees will practically hone their customer service skills in a flexible learning environment while receiving standardized feedback to maintain quality standards.

About FANCL

FANCL is committed to addressing the issues of beauty and health in society. By engaging with customers' individual concerns, FANCL strives to ensure the provision of safe and reliable products and services.

About Sapeet

Sapeet is a Tokyo University venture specializing in Expert AI services aimed at analyzing corporate expertise to enhance competitive advantages. The company offers user-friendly AI systems for communication and body analysis, supporting businesses in building collaborations between AI and humans.