Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and big data analytics can revolutionize your small business’s capabilities and solve problems cost-effectively. Better yet, these tools and technologies are now widely available, even to smaller organizations with limited budgets.
Here are 11 ways you can use AI to solve your small business’s problems without having to overhaul your operations.
AI-generated marketing materials and content
Problem: Your marketing budget is stretched thin and/or your marketing team is overworked.
Engaging your audience and staying relevant today requires a great deal of content such as blog posts, images for social media posts, or marketing emails.
Generating content takes time and money, but AI tools can help your marketing team save on both. That said, it’s important to preserve the human touch. Marketing success requires standing out, and you can’t do that if you rely completely on AI, as it often produces material in similar ways for everyone. Balance is key; let AI support your efforts, but let your creativity and authenticity lead the way. For example, using AI chat tools to brainstorm ideas that might be of interest to a specific audience is helpful, or creating a bullet point list of topics to cover. But don’t lose the human touch, most people can spot AI-generated content.
Customer feedback analysis
Problem: You don’t know what your customers are thinking and don’t have time to find out.
Sorting through your reviews, customer messages, emails, and survey responses to extract actionable insights is a slog for a human — but not for AI. Automated tools can efficiently analyze customer feedback to identify common concerns or praise, gauging customer sentiment which can then help you improve your services and better meet customer needs.
Customer service chatbots
Problem: You can’t afford a whole team of customer service reps to address every customer inquiry.
AI chatbots, while not as versatile and knowledgeable as human support representatives, are adept at answering simple inquiries and could potentially slash your customer service costs. They are also easy to implement on your website.
Market forecasting
Problem: You’re unsure where to focus your efforts or which products and services you should promote.
AI analytics tools can help you decide by analyzing past sales data and predicting future trends. This means better inventory planning, smarter staffing decisions, and less waste.
Process efficiency enhancement
Problem: Your costs are too high, and your operations take too long.
Leverage AI-powered products to streamline your processes, reduce expenses, and boost efficiency across the board. These tools can transform key areas of your operations, including:
- Supply chain optimization – Simplify logistics and improve delivery times.
- Document processing and archiving – Automate paperwork and securely store data with ease.
- Resource allocation – Optimize limited resources for maximum efficiency.
- Monitoring and maintenance – Proactively detect and resolve issues.
- Inventory management – Keep stock levels balanced and reduce waste.
Improved cybersecurity
Problem: You can’t keep up with advanced, automated cyberattacks.
Malware and other online attacks are software-based, so they happen as fast as a computer can think, which is quite a bit faster than a human. Fortunately, you can fight fire with fire and use AI-powered cybersecurity tools to monitor your system usage patterns, data access, and more to detect suspicious activity and stop attacks before they start.
Faster recruitment
Problem: You need new, qualified employees fast.
AI tools can analyze resumes, cover letters, and even video interviews to help swiftly narrow the field to the best candidates. However, while these tools are invaluable, they should complement human judgment rather than replace it. Relying solely on AI could mean overlooking exceptional talent that a machine might not fully recognize.
Task automation
Problem: Routine tasks such as data entry, customer reporting, and other repetitive processes are consuming too much of your team’s valuable time.
AI tools can automate these time-intensive tasks, freeing up your workforce for more strategic tasks. While implementing these tools may require a few different solutions and an experienced IT team to set them up, the long-term benefits are undeniable. Once in place, they can save your team hours every single day.
Faster coding and programming
Problem: Your software development team is stretched thin, and you can’t afford more coders.
Recent advancements have made AI-powered coding and programming possible. But of course, relying solely on these tools is a recipe for an AI coding disaster, so treat it like a tool instead of an employee.
Improve product recommendations on your website
Problem: Your online store is performing poorly.
AI can personalize product suggestions for each visitor based on browsing behavior or purchase history. AI-powered e-commerce tools can boost conversion rates by showing shoppers exactly what they’re likely to buy.
Better training and onboarding
Problem: You need detailed training materials, but they take too long to make.
AI can produce high-quality tutorials. This makes onboarding and training employees quick, efficient, and affordable.
Need guidance from specialists to implement AI-powered solutions? Contact Fidelis, and our consultants will provide tailored advice and help you set up AI tools across your organization.
