Assist Digital acquires DSaF and accelerates the AI-first transformation of Customer Management in Germany
A strategic step to extend Intelligent Operations, GenAI and Data-Driven Customer Experience services and solutions in a key market.
Milan, September 8, 2025 – Assist Digital, a European consulting and technology services company specialized in Customer Experience, Data & Artificial Intelligence, announces the acquisition of Dr. Schengber & Friends GmbH (DSaF), a German pioneer in Community Management & Digital Customer Management services.
The DSaF management team, led by Managing Director Ingo Wostbrock, will remain fully operational to ensure continuity in client relations and company development.
Founded in 1999 by Prof. Dr. Ralf Schengber – university professor of marketing at FH Münster, specialized in online consumer behavior and social media marketing – DSaF immediately focused on community management and consumer interaction through digital channels. Thanks to this specialization, DSaF became a pioneer in omnichannel and digital services, developing distinctive expertise in the German customer management market, including a wide range of proprietary AI-based solutions. Alongside its expertise in marketing and advanced technologies, e.g. as implementation partner for solutions such as Freshworks and Userlike, DSaF especially brings solid operational capabilities. With over 250 Friends based in Münster and Essen, the company supports organizations in delivering services and creating lasting value.
It is on the basis of this cultural and professional alignment that Assist Digital found the ideal partner to strengthen its service offering in Germany. Here, together with CRM solutions (Salesforce) and CCaaS solutions (Five9, Genesys, and Vocalcom) already acquired through previous M&A transactions, and supported by group capabilities, Assist Digital can now offer a unique value proposition: integrating enterprise solutions with artificial intelligence, agentic AI, and data solutions across every phase of the customer relationship – from marketing to sales, and after-sales service. In addition to its professional consulting, technology, and digital transformation capabilities, Assist Digital also brings service outsourcing management skills, from marketing automation to digital sales, from lead generation to customer service, with operational centers in various European countries offering nearshore services, including in the German language.
“This acquisition is fully aligned with our strategy and represents another step forward in becoming the European reference player in the AI-first transformation of Customer Experience. With DSaF, we share the vision of a hybrid operating model, where technology merges with human capabilities to generate tangible and scalable value,” said Francesca Gabrielli, CEO of Assist Digital.
With over 25 years of experience, DSaF provides digital Customer and Community Management services for leading international brands in Germany. Its model combines:
- strong operational expertise with over 250 CX consultants;
- advanced adoption of AI technologies for interaction management;
- a culture focused on value, efficiency, and continuous innovation.
“By joining Assist Digital, we accelerate our growth path, gaining access to new expertise in GenAI, Agentic AI, Data Strategy, and Intelligent Operations, and offering our clients increasingly advanced end-to-end solutions,” commented Prof. Dr. Ralf Schengber, founder of DSaF.
The merge with Assist Digital further enhances DSaF’s capabilities to:
- expand its portfolio with strategic consulting and AI-first design services;
- unlock the value of customer data with customized generative AI models;
- operate on omnichannel cloud platforms (Salesforce, Genesys, Zendesk, Five9, Vocalcom);
- contribute to the spread of an “Intelligent Operations-as-a-Service” model in the German market.
Assist Digital is already present in Germany with two other offices – Mannheim and Leipzig – where it offers consulting services in CRM, Marketing Automation, and CCaaS. With DSaF, Assist Digital not only increases its capabilities but also strengthens its local presence, execution capacity, and time-to-value demanded by medium and large enterprises in Germany.
Through this operation, Assist Digital consolidates its position as a strategic partner for companies aiming to transform their Customer Experience through data and artificial intelligence. By 2025, the Group, which counts over 800 business and tech consultants, aims to exceed €220 million in revenue, driven by a distinctive proposition in:
- AI applied to marketing, sales, and customer service;
- Data-driven consulting and solutions;
- End-to-end CX services, integrating consulting, technology solutions, and execution capabilities.
About Dr. Schengber & Friends
DSaF is a German company specialized in Community Management and Digital Customer Operation services. For over two decades, it has operated with a strong focus on quality, technology, and customer relations, serving clients in the sectors of Telco, Consumer goods, Media, and Retail.