It Is Not a Question that AI will Change Relocation, the Question is How?

With that let’s peek into the future. When you think about it, relocation is managing information so with that there is not a hell of a lot AI can’t do in a relocation, other than move the furniture. Hug a Mover and enjoy the read.

Mary is a senior manager with a manufacturing operation, although it is basically run by robotics the organization wants her on the ground in Hong Kong. She has used hologram imaging to manage the team to this point but there seems to be some nuances that are screwing with the numbers. She has been asked several times to relocate and with guidance from Frank she negotiated a very hansom relocation enticement bonus. The firm is also picking up all the costs of the relocation as well as adjusting her salary to reflect the cost of living. Numbers that Frank audited and agreed to.

Mary accepted the position yesterday and asked her personal virtual assistant Frank to manage the entire relocation. (She loves old jazz and Frank’s voice is a perfect imitation of Frank Sinatra). Frank will organize everything for her and track and pay all expenses from the company account. Although Frank has never done this before, it took him about two seconds to digest all the global data on relocating. Mary is selling her home in Toronto and renting in Hong Kong for three years. Frank has already viewed several living options based on location and Mary’s lifestyle. Frank knows everything there is to know about Mary and she relies on him to make logical decisions. Frank has used the internal security cameras to take some very flattering videos of Mary’s home and listed the property on an open-source listing service. The home had already had 30 virtual shows, from other AI assistants and Frank was negotiating with two of them already.

Frank has a asking number based on all the comparable properties he has already viewed, as well as his information on the local economy, migration statistics and desirability of Mary’s location. He has also accessed the recent building permits and knows there is a very nice recreation hub scheduled to be built in the area, that will increase the value of the neighborhood. Frank has all the upkeep numbers on the home and the home AI and security cameras have given all utilities and structure an A ranking. The home is sound, the area is growing, and the price is the price. Negotiations are based on cold hard numbers not emotions so both Frank and the buyer’s assistant are basically chatting about timelines for move in and out reasons.

Given that, Frank has already narrowed down three flats in Hong Kong and viewed them online. He has checked the crime rate, the walkability, coffee shops, restaurants, jazz clubs, as well as pet care, doctors’, yoga studios and maid services in the local area. Mary likes to learn new things and immerse herself in local culture, so the locations are wide open. Mary is not overly concerned about the culture or language. Frank has traveled extensively with Mary and easily and instantly translates for her in whatever language she needs. In Hong Kong Frank is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Standard Mandarin, Yue Chinese, and Hong Kong Sign Language. He also keeps her on point regarding local customs and culture in real time as well as monitors areas for her safety. Frank has already booked flights, reserved a great hotel, ordered the proper robes and slippers and very importantly, checked the weather forecast. Weather is the big variable out of Frank’s control.

Frank has scanned all the furniture Mary wants to take, converted it to exact cubic dimensions including all the dishes, bedding etc. Divided it out into both her air shipment, mainly clothing and personal items, and has calculated the exact dimensions of a 20-foot container including the packing material and the loading directions. Noted all the non-admissible items and took photos of all the goods Mary did not want and already posted them for sale. Frank has reached out to three movers and used their customer service rankings, history, and legitimacy online. Frank searched and viewed their building, both at origin and destination, checked their FIDI and IAM ranking, as well as searched client reviews and legal history.

Frank provided the Movers with the exact dimensions and services needed and Frank again made a logical decision on one of the Movers. Like the weather, the movers are a little out of Frank’s control, due to the demand for their services. He decides on one mover based on their service levels, availability, and sustainability rating. Due to the physical nature of the move and capacity of the industry Frank had to work around the Movers availability a little but it all worked out. The move part was really the only gray area. Although skeleton hydraulics helped with the workload, the nature of the manual work and various locations of homes and sizes of items etc. had not lent itself to being fully automated. Making the actual mover the most important aspect of the relocation.

Frank made sure all crews had up to date background checked certified badges, that allowed them past the security system in Mary’s home on move day. Given all the information Frank scheduled a pack and pick up date with the mover. Frank pays the Mover an upfront reservation fee to ensure the timelines are hit. Frank knows the shipping timelines and is in the process of timing everything for a clean delivery, the weather is always variable, but he will deal with that if it happens. Weather delays were covered in Mary’s package.

A price came in on Mary’s home based on the data it sold for asking. Frank zeroed in on one location after letting Mary look at all the data in Hong Kong. Frank did a background check on the renter, established the legitimacy of the rental group, and secured the new flat with a direct down payment. Frank will track all out-of-pocket expenses for Mary and the company and come tax time make sure everything is in order and compliant with the location and company policies.

Frank has also checked that Mary’s visa is in order and has already initiated gathering the data for her taxes. All vendors are paid directly with no lag time from the corporate account once Frank verifies all the services have been delivered as contracted. The only people Mary will see are the Movers and the folks at the hotel. Everything else is basically information management, something Frank can do in seconds. That’s it, Mary will take a virtual walk around her new apartment and the new neighborhood later tonight. She recorded a hologram for her Hong Kong team and in perfect Cantonese told them all that she will see them in 2 weeks. Now she will have a cup of tea and get some work done. Frank had an interesting day. He instantly learned everything there is to know about all aspects of relocating and organized the entire thing. Home sold, apartment rented, mover booked, just a few little to-dos that Frank will take care of when Mary is asleep. Thanks Frank, play me some soft jazz and feel free to sing along … You got it kid, how about a little, My Way?