Five Ways Small Business Owners Can Use A.I.

During B.O.S.S. Academy’s Phoenix Fridays Leadership Power Hour, how to use artificial intelligence effectively often is discussed. Many small business owners still have no idea how to use A.I. tools effectively. Here are five ways small business owners can incorporate A.I. tools into their businesses. Despite the benefits of using A.I. tools, small business owners should remain cautious on how much to use.

1. Customer Service – Chatbots and A.I.-powered help desks can answer routine questions, troubleshoot common issues and route complex problems to human staff members. These tasks would reduce response times and would allow your team to focus on higher-value conversations. However, many people are getting frustrated when they have to deal with A.I., so you might want to provide an option to speak to a human.
2. Marketing Content – A.I. tools can draft social media posts, e-mail marketing campaigns or drip campaigns, product descriptions and come up with topic ideas. The tools can analyze consumer data to allow you to personalize offers. These actions will allow you to reach the right people with the right message when you don’t have a large marketing team. Again, be careful when using A.I. to draft for your business. Edit the posts to make sure they sound more human and have the right emotions necessary of selling. You also want to be careful you aren’t using someone’s copyrighted work.
3. Scheduling – A.I. tools can forecast demand, optimize inventory levels and handle scheduling for appointments. These tasks would reduce waste and the manual back and forth that eats up an owner’s time. You might want to make sure your calendar links are working, though. Several times, calendars can double-book people.
4. Data Analysis – Instead of reading sales reports or spreadsheets, you can let the A.I. tool do it for you. A.I. also can proofread documents for spelling or grammar errors. A.I. tools can pick out trends, flag anomalies and answer questions about your business performance. This way, you can spot opportunities or problems earlier. You also could avoid issues later when dealing with them is too late. Data analysis options can allow you to see where the market is heading.
5. Back-Office Tasks – Bookkeeping, invoicing, contract review, meeting transcription and human resource tasks are more ways small business owners can incorporate A.I. tools into their businesses. A.I. can speed-read resumes, reducing time spent on paperwork. When companies spend less time with human resource tasks and back-office activities, they can focus on more important things and make more money.

Companies should start with picking one repetitive, time-consuming task and testing an A.I. tool on it before rolling out anything more ambitious. They should plan accordingly because without a plan, the A.I. tools will not work as effectively.