Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology has come a long way over the past couple of years, and is now becoming somewhat of a buzzword in the business world, with over 35% of businesses having already implemented AI. Promising to streamline processes, improve customer experiences and handle administrative tasks, the prospect of implementing AI can be exciting but also daunting.
As the technology is so new, many small business owners may be hesitant to use AI, or may not know how to make use of its full potential. However, with the right approach, almost all small businesses can use AI in a way that benefits their operations. In this article, we explore three of the key areas in which small businesses could stand to benefit from AI assistance.
Chat support
When many people think of AI, one of the first things that comes to mind is likely AI chatbots. As a small business, you may not have the resources to hire someone dedicated to customer support – particularly at all hours of the day. Fortunately, AI chatbots are a much more affordable alternative to traditional customer service.
These chatbots can be trained specifically to your business and preferences, meaning they’ll be able to engage with customers, answer frequently asked questions and even solve some basic issues. In the case that they’re not able to help, they can record contact details so that you can follow up with the customer directly.
Marketing content generation
The reason that most people start a small business is typically because they’re passionate about their product or service, not because they’re business experts. This means the owners may lack experience in other areas of the corporate world, such as marketing and content generation.
Instead of spending excess time and money on creating professional marketing content in the early stages of your business, small business owners can take advantage of AI to create content on their behalf. AI algorithms are highly trained, and can even produce personalised content for different types of scenarios or customers. While the work will still need to be reviewed, the use of AI can make getting started a lot easier.
Analytical insights
Collecting and analysing data is essential for business success, allowing small business owners to make informed decisions that will benefit them in the long run. However, making sense of all of the data can be a daunting task. Fortunately, AI-powered tools can help to automate the data collection process and display it in a way that makes sense, such as via visual tools and short summaries. This can not only cut out a lot of time out of the learning process that comes with data analysis, but saves effort that would otherwise be spent on repetitive tasks.
Even those who are hesitant to embrace the technological world might find that they could benefit from some AI assistance. Whether it’s to save time on administrative tasks or create personalised content, there are so many possibilities that every small business owner is likely to find a solution that works for them.
