How can AI help your small business?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is used in many business processes such as behavioral advertising, customer service, and social networking. According to a study by research firm Gartner, leading organizations are expected to increase the number of their AI-based projects in 2021, with 40% of them planning to deploy AI solutions by the end of 2020.

But what does AI have in store for small businesses in the San Francisco and San Jose areas? Here are some of its benefits:

1. Improve sales and marketing

Customer relationship management applications are built to gather customer data across different platforms like email, telephone, and social media. The collected information is used to automate sales processes and eliminate the need to bring up relevant client information.

AI can improve sales and marketing strategies by analyzing customer feedback and automatically adjusting lead generation activities. For instance, if a company receives poor feedback in their product advertisements, AI can pinpoint elements they have to change to reach their audience better.

2. Automate customer communication

It wasn’t too long ago that customer service meant setting up a phone system programmed with complex menus. This also required hiring manpower to handle the high call volume.

With AI, automated programs called chatbots can make it easier for you to interact with customers. Chatbots can be programmed to answer frequently asked questions, easing workloads significantly. They can even function during off-hours, making it possible for you to attend to customers' queries even when your business is closed.

3. Streamline human resources (HR) tasks

One of the biggest business problems is hiring the right people. Once a business puts up a job listing, many people from various backgrounds may apply. Because of the high volume of applicants, companies may find it difficult to sift through all applications and make the right decision.

AI automates the recruitment process by quickly examining applications, finding those that closely match the qualifications, and rejecting those who do not. And once a candidate is hired, AI can serve as a knowledge base for any questions the new employee has.

AI not only saves time, but it also eliminates bias or discrimination in the hiring process, and increases the number of quality applicants.

4. Get information about the competition

As a business owner, you want to edge out the competition. You can manually gather information about their business, workforce, and partners, but this can take up a lot of time and bear inaccurate results.

AI-based analysis tools make it easy for businesses to monitor the activities of the competition, gather the data, and incorporate them into a report to deduce ideas from. For instance, analysis software monitors all of your competitors’ online behavior and customer service strategies. This allows you to respond more efficiently to industry changes and ensure that your company is not left out.

5. Improve backend organization

Backend tasks such as bookkeeping, basic accounting, and scheduling are inevitable. But because many of them are time-consuming and repetitive, they can prevent business owners from doing their main tasks.

Most small businesses have a limited number of employees, so AI can be crucial to get these tasks done faster. By automating PC maintenance for example, the need for additional IT personnel is eliminated, lowering operational costs.

AI can be a powerful technology to get rid of monotonous tasks and free employees and small-business owners to do more meaningful work. When implemented correctly, AI can complement the work of humans, and not take away their jobs as what most employees fear.

USWired offers the best managed IT and business computer support services in the San Francisco and San Jose areas. By partnering with us, your business will enjoy better productivity and efficiency while maximizing profitability. To learn more about managed IT services and how we can help you, download our FREE eBook today.