#Japan #Tokyo #NTT DOCOMO #Knowledge Work #Sales AX

Strategic Partnership for Sales AX Expansion

On August 17, 2026, NTT Docomo Business Inc. (formerly NTT Communications) and Knowledge Work Inc. announced the initiation of a strategic partnership aimed at expanding Sales AX within domestic enterprises. NTT Docomo Business aims to first implement and validate Knowledge Work's AI solutions within its own sales organization through a process referred to as "Customer Zero." This initiative will allow them to gather insights that can be leveraged to offer and sell Sales AX broadly to various domestic companies.

Background and Objectives

In recent years, many companies have adopted Sales Force Automation (SFA) systems but are facing common challenges such as high data input burdens and a lack of visible sales processes. There is a growing expectation for AI-based solutions that enable businesses to collect and utilize high-quality data while reducing operational burdens. NTT Docomo Business has been optimizing collaboration across departments related to sales and marketing through their Revenue Operations (Rev.Ops) strategy. This involves building and operating sophisticated business systems and AI frameworks, which has allowed them to develop practical implementations of AI in business operations.

Conversely, Knowledge Work brings extensive experience in supporting major companies within the Sales Enablement sector by providing advanced AI solutions. Together, NTT Docomo and Knowledge Work aim to enhance sales productivity and realize data-driven sales reforms across domestic businesses.

Value Verification through Customer Zero

Knowledge Work aims to boost sales productivity through its three solutions: "Sales AX Consulting Series," "Sales AI Product Series," and "Sales AI Agent OS Series." As part of this partnership, NTT Docomo has proactively implemented Knowledge Work’s AI solutions—"Knowledge Work AI Meeting Records" and "Knowledge Work Internal Sharing"—within its sales organization. This approach not only allows them to validate the effectiveness of these tools but also establishes a system that balances reduced burdens on the sales team with strategic data accumulation, equipping them with the know-how to propose and deliver these solutions to customers.

Maximizing Sales Activity Time through Efficiency

By combining their expertise in operational efficiency with Knowledge Work’s "AI Meeting Records," NTT Docomo significantly reduces the time sales personnel spend inputting data into SFA systems. This time is then redirected to enhancing "sales activity time" or core customer interaction time, creating a practical model for engagement.

Strategic Integration of Meeting Context Data

The overarching goal is to seamlessly integrate high-quality "meeting context data"—information regarding the background and course of sales discussions—into the SFA system. This approach aims to not just visualize outcomes but also the processes of sales discussions themselves, thereby feeding back into strategic planning through a next-generation Rev.Ops circular model.

Roles of Each Company

- Leverage knowledge from Customer Zero for support
- Provide collaborative introduction and operational support
- Provide insights gained in Sales Enablement

Future Developments

The Rev.Ops operation know-how acquired by NTT Docomo through its Customer Zero initiative will be gradually packaged for broader use. They are also advancing proof of concepts (PoCs) for implementing "Sales AI Agent OS," which aims to accurately support sales personnel. This initiative includes features that present appropriate proposal materials and next steps based on customer attributes and meeting situations.

By combining these solutions with NTT Docomo's strengths in collaborative implementation and operational support, they plan to establish an effective Rev.Ops operational model that leads to tangible results for a wide range of domestic enterprises.

Through this partnership, both companies aim to support improvements in sales productivity and implement data-driven sales reforms, ultimately realizing Sales AX in the B2B domain.

Comments from the Companies

Masayoshi Tomatsu, Director of Integrated Marketing, NTT Docomo Business:

Many enterprises are progressing with AI implementation, but most initiatives are limited to internal efficiency improvements such as meeting minutes or summaries. The reality is they haven't yet been effective in driving business outcomes. We are confronting this issue directly with our own sales organization.

Efficiency is not the end goal; it is a starting point. Time freed up from inputting data will be redirected to engaging with customers, transforming first-party data into organizational assets. We are refining this process through practical sessions as Customer Zero, producing valuable Rev.Ops models.

Koji Asano, CEO, Knowledge Work:

I am thrilled to announce our strategic partnership with NTT Docomo Business. As a pioneer in sales enablement, they have engaged in various initiatives, including early adoption of our solutions. Looking ahead, we will progress with implementing AI agents based on our latest solutions to support better sales performance.

This partnership aims to combine our solutions with NTT Docomo's operational insights to benefit our mutual customers. We are committed to leveraging NTT Docomo's customer base and strengths alongside our AI-focused technology to realize efficient Sales AI Agents.