Edison Awards Finalists

THE 2026 EDISON AWARDS ARE UNDERWAY IN DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS, RECOGNIZING THE VERY BEST IN THE INNOVATIONS AND INNOVATORS. ONE OF THE COMPANIES BEING RECOGNIZED FOR ITS SOFTWARE SOLUTION IS THE NAPLES BASED MARKETING AGENCY. DIGITAL SHORT CUTS WGCUS EMMA RODRIGUEZ LEARNED HOW THEY'RE INCORPORATING AI TO ENHANCE BUSINESS. >> HELPING SMALL SERVICE-BASED BUSINESSES IS THE MAIN GOAL OF DIGITAL SHORT CUTS. THE COMPANY USES AI AND OTHER ELECTRONIC SOLUTIONS TO AUTOMATE THE CLAIM INTAKE PROCESS AND ELIMINATE THE BIGGEST KILLER OF BUSINESS RESPONSE TIME COMPANY FOUNDER KARIN HALL SAYS IT'S ALL ABOUT WHICH COMPANY CAN HOOK A POTENTIAL CLIENT. FIRST, WHENEVER YOU GO GOING FOR SOMETHING, YOU ARE THERE SPECIFIC. >> AND YOU'RE LOOKING FOR ONE THING IN PARTICULAR, WHETHER WE WANT TO FIND A RESTAURANT OR WHETHER WE WANT GET HER HVAC SYSTEM OR WITH THE KING FOR HAIRDRESSER WERE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING AND A PERSON WANTS IS THE PHONE FIRST. PUTTING A TWIST? >> THAT'S FOR THE CONVERSION VELOCITY ENGINE. THE AGENCY'S EDISON AWARD-NOMINATED PRODUCT COMES IN THE SOFTWARE USES AI AGENTS TO AUTOMATE THE BOOKING AND QUOTE, CREATION PROCESS VIA PHONE. >> I'M ON A KISS FROM DIGITAL STRIKE. HENCE MY KIDDING. >> HERE'S HALL INTERACTING WITH MONICA DIGITAL SHORT CUTS. AS DEMO AGENT. >> NO PROBLEM. WE CAN START SIMPLE. DO YOU HAVE A WEB SITE ALREADY? IF YES, WHAT'S THE DOMAIN? >> THOSE PHONE CONVERSATIONS ALLOWED BUSINESSES TO FOLLOW UP WITH CLIENTS WHENEVER THEY'RE AVAILABLE, ELIMINATING THE OBSTACLE OF INITIAL RESPONSE TIME. THE AI AGENTS ARE CUSTOMIZABLE BY GENDER AND AGE, GIVING BUSINESSES AN OPPORTUNITY TO SELECT ONE THAT BEST SUITS WHO THEIR AVERAGE CUSTOMER WITH BEST RESPOND TO. THE DIGITAL SHORTCUTS TEAM HOPES THE CONVERSION VELOCITY EDGE AND WINS THE EDISON AWARD. BUT THROUGHOUT THE COMPANY'S JOURNEY HALL HASN'T LOST SIGHT OF HER ORIGIN POINT THE WORLD HAVE MARATHON RUNNING. >> PEOPLE WHO RUN. IF YOU WANT TO GET TO A CERTAIN FINISH TIME, YOU ACTUALLY STOP WITH THAT. AND THEN YOU WORK BACKWARDS AND SAY, WHAT DO I NEED TO DO PER MILE IN ORDER TO FINISH AT THAT POINT. AND THAT'S THE SAME THING I DID USING THAT PHILOSOPHY. >> FOR WGCU NEWS, I'M EMMA RODRIGUEZ.