Rethinking Communication: How AI Will Measurably Transform Inquiries, Stakeholders and PR in 2025
Results instead of hype: For communication, public affairs and service teams, 2025 is the year when AI transitions from experimentation to operation with clear ROI leverage, robust studies and concrete use cases from practice. Companies in Germany now assess Generative AI as business-critical and are significantly increasing budgets.
Your competitive advantage: Those who orchestrate the handling of inquiries, stakeholder intelligence and PR workflows with AI reduce processing times, increase first-resolution rates and improve reputation control under clear governance guidelines such as DRPR directive and EU AI Act.
Numbers & Facts 2025: Maturity increases, gaps remain
From nice-to-have to must-have: According to KPMG, 91% of surveyed German companies see Generative AI as important for business models and value creation, 82% want to increase investments in the next 12 months; 69% already have an AI strategy.
Communication in AI dilemma: In Germany's communication departments, 54% want to provide internal AI consulting; at the same time, more than half do not actively use AI, and only 30% consider their units AI-ready.
Missing guidelines: The PR trend monitor shows: While many have access to tools like ChatGPT, only 29% receive regular training and just 25% work with clear AI guidelines.
Hard productivity evidence: In a large-scale UK Government pilot with Microsoft 365 Copilot, 20,000 employees saved an average of 26 minutes per working day extrapolated to almost two weeks per year; 82% didn't want to work without it anymore.
Service metrics under pressure: Capgemini and Gartner see AI in customer service as a game changer with faster response times, higher first-resolution rates and significant cost effects up to 80 billion USD less agent labor costs worldwide by 2026 through Conversational AI.
Lab vs. line: The much-cited "Generative AI at Work" study proves 15% productivity gain per hour for support agents, especially for less experienced employees.
Use Cases That Work Immediately: Inquiries, Stakeholders, Public Relations
Clarify inquiries faster: AI assistance systems together with knowledge databases answer standard questions, triage concerns and provide agents with context-related suggestions. Studies show noticeable reduction in processing times, increasing first-resolution rates and satisfaction with demonstrable cost advantages.
Stakeholder management in real-time: Modern stakeholder intelligence connects media resonance, social signals and internal feedback and warns early of reputation risks while human judgment remains central. Public affairs teams use AI for monitoring, sentiment analysis and prioritized briefings.
Public Affairs with moderation: 63% of German PA managers expect AI to change their work; opportunities lie especially in more efficient information gathering and content support with high expectations for transparency and credibility.
Structure PR workflows: Professional field studies and specialist articles show: Many teams are still in experimentation mode and need enablement, clear guidelines and reliable processes to securely anchor AI in text creation, monitoring and crisis exercises.
Toolbox 2025: Proven AI Solutions for Business Teams
- Microsoft 365 Copilot: Time savings across Office workflows (email, documents, meetings); UK government study: 26 minutes saved daily; Forrester study: up to 353% projected ROI (SMB).
- ChatGPT-4o / OpenAI: Multimodal assists (text, image, audio) for research, drafts and ad-hoc analyses highlighted as top tool for collaboration and content in 2025 tests.
- Google Gemini & Vertex AI: Strong workspace integration and ML platform for own models; established positions in independent tool overviews and user ratings.
- IBM watsonx (Assistant/ai): Focus on governance, explainability, compliance relevant for regulated industries; represented as leading bot/GPAI solution in G2 lists.
- Salesforce Einstein (incl. Einstein GPT): AI layer in CRM for scoring, predictions and automated communication prominent in 2025 industry rankings and tool shortlists.
- Snowflake Intelligence: Conversational analytics with data agents rollout in productive security and governance context of existing Data Cloud stack.
- UiPath Business Automation: RPA plus AI for end-to-end processes, such as service backoffice and compliance.
- Meeting Assistants (e.g., Fireflies, Jamie): Transcription, summaries and to-dos leading in editorial tests 2025.
- Notion AI, DeepL, Microsoft Translator: Accelerate knowledge work, secure multilingual communication multiple award winners in user and editorial tests.
Munich in Focus: Local Champions and Dynamic Ecosystem
Hotspot for AI: Munich counts among Germany's leading AI locations in 2024/2025; the appliedAI landscape lists 687 German AI startups, Munich ranks 2nd behind Berlin with 136.
Strong local players: Examples range from HR software unicorn Personio (headquarters Munich) to iteratec (multiple award winner as IT service provider) to b.telligent (top-3 specialist Data & Analytics) and msg (corporate headquarters Ismaning near Munich).
Labor market quality: Kununu lists several IT and software houses among Munich's top employers in 2025, another indicator for talent density and location quality.
Concrete Business Case: Inquiry Response in Service & Communication
Starting situation: A team of 25 employees answers media and customer inquiries, creates Q&As, coordinates stakeholder feedback and prepares management briefings. Common activities: reviewing, summarizing, formulating, approving.
Approach: Combination of knowledge base, Copilot in M365 (for email, documents, meetings), conversational search (Data Cloud) and PR-specific guardrails (DRPR labeling requirements, prompt guidelines, review checklists).
Expected effect (experience values from studies): 26 minutes time gain per employee per day in Office workflows. Faster response times and higher first-resolution rates in service context. Additional effects through knowledge agents: faster research, consistent arguments.
ROI to Calculate: From Minutes to Euros
Calculation: 26 minutes per day × 220 working days = 5,720 minutes = 95.3 hours per year per person. Multiplied by average labor costs per hour in Germany (€43.40) results in €4,130 time value per employee per year. For 25 employees €103,250 p.a. (excl. license/introduction costs).
Classification: Depending on licensing model and change effort, significant net impact likely remains; Forrester (commissioned by Microsoft) projects up to 353% ROI over three years for M365 Copilot for SMBs.
Governance & Compliance: DRPR, EU AI Act, Enablement
Transparency is mandatory: The DRPR directive requires labeling, truthfulness and human final decision for AI content essential for PR and PA teams.
EU AI Act timeline: In force since August 1, 2024; first chapters apply from February 2, 2025, further obligations from August 2, 2025; comprehensive application largely from August 2, 2026 (some obligations 2027). Communication and PA teams should classify their AI use cases early and establish documentation/transparency.
Close skill gap: Studies show: Companies see considerable need to catch up in AI competencies enablement and clear role/process models decide on effectiveness.
Your 90-Day Roadmap: From Pilot to Scalable Operation
Phase 1 (0-30 days): Prioritize use cases (inquiries, stakeholder analyses, content drafts). Inventory data sources, define knowledge spaces, prepare security/compliance check (DRPR/EU AI Act). Choose pilot toolset (e.g., Copilot + conversational data query + meeting assistant).
Phase 2 (31-60 days): Establish prompt/review standards and labeling; "human-in-the-loop". Measure quick wins (time savings in email/docs/meetings, response times, first resolutions). Training: editorial rules for AI content, PA-specific monitoring/briefing.
Phase 3 (61-90 days): Scale automations (e.g., agents for Q&A, policy briefings, media recaps). Set up KPI dashboard (cycle times, FCR, CSAT/stakeholder sentiment, risks). Budget planning/ROI review: time values vs. license/enablement, scaling roadmap for 12 months.
What Does This Mean for Your Company?
The moment to act is now: The market is mature, the study situation is robust, the regulatory framework is defined. Those who restructure inquiries, stakeholders and PR with data and AI support gain speed, quality and trust and free up budget where it has strategic impact.
Call-to-Action: Speak with our experts for AI-supported communication. We develop a robust pilot with you within 10 working days including governance, measurement system and quick wins and accompany the scaling into regular operation.
