NUK Sustainability Report

2026-01-27

Customer churn rarely happens overnight—it is often reflected in subtle patterns of everyday behavior. Two master’s students from the Department of Information Management at National University of Kaohsiung (NUK), Tseng Chung-Ping and Ko Hsing-Yi, leveraged AI-driven behavioral data analysis to identify these early signals. Their work earned top recognition at a national competition hosted by the Administration for Digital Industries under Taiwan’s Ministry of Digital Affairs, where they received the highest distinction, the “Outstanding Team Award,” along with a total prize of NT$35,000.

Competing under the team name “Zhuang Ka Lai Eh,” Tseng and Ko were advised by Professor Lin Hsing-Tzu, Chair of the Department of Information Management. Professor Lin has long emphasized data science and design thinking in her teaching, encouraging students to utilize government open data and develop solutions addressing real-world social and industry challenges. In this competition, she guided the team using service design methodologies to clarify user needs and strengthen their practical implementation capabilities, enabling them to translate classroom learning into a competitive AI solution.

Professor Lin noted that in the AI era, the workforce increasingly requires individuals who can maintain independent critical thinking while collaborating with AI, understand ethical implications, and transform technology into solutions with tangible social and industrial value. NUK’s Department of Information Management and Innovation Academy have actively promoted interdisciplinary, AI-enabled, and practice-oriented curricula, allowing students to repeatedly engage with real-world problem-solving using AI. This award-winning project exemplifies how higher education can effectively respond to the challenges of the AI age.

Tseng explained that during the ideation phase, the team observed that changes in customer relationships are often embedded in a sequence of behavioral details. Relying solely on retrospective analysis can lead to missed opportunities for timely intervention. Therefore, instead of focusing on one-time predictions, their project emphasizes continuous data analysis to help businesses detect emerging trends early and support informed decision-making.

The team’s solution, titled “PharmaInsight: Customer Intelligence System,” is designed for the retail pharmacy sector, focusing on customer management and retention. The system analyzes purchasing behavior data using the RFM model (Recency, Frequency, Monetary) and a Customer Activity Index (CAI), combined with multiple analytical approaches to estimate Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) and assess churn risk. This enables businesses to better understand changes in customer status and respond proactively.

Ko added that the competition provided valuable hands-on experience, deepening her understanding of how AI technologies can be applied in real industry contexts, as well as how to design solutions that are both practical and commercially viable.

This competition marked the inaugural “AI Academic–Industry Problem-Solving Bootcamp” organized by the Administration for Digital Industries. The “Zhuang Ka Lai Eh” team first received a NT$30,000 award and subsequently stood out among 30 competing teams to win the highest-level recognition, the “Outstanding Team Award,” along with an additional NT$5,000 bonus.

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