Deploying Artificial Intelligence for Your Small Business — On a Shoestring Budget

Like most successful small-business owners, you’re probably ambitious when it comes to implementing new ideas and strategies that promise to keep your business ahead of the curve. Emerging technology is no different. So, after taking time to explore a few use cases for artificial intelligence (AI), you’re ready to give it a go.

Of course, there will always be naysayers. “AI tech isn’t for everyone,” some will say. “Small companies lack the budget, resources, and capability to deploy AI-powered tools.” Sure, big name brands like Amazon, eBay, and UPS dominate the conversation around AI. With teams of data scientists working ‘round the clock to build machine learning models that increase efficiencies or find the best delivery routes, they’re constantly making news.

But AI tech isn’t just for companies with billion-dollar budgets. In fact, the small business community is cutting costs and delivering awesome customer experiences with AI-powered applications — and they’re competing with the big boys at scale.

Leveraging the power of AI isn’t nearly as complicated as you might think. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

One of the easiest ways to dip your feet into AI is to build a company chatbot and integrate it into your customer service process. A customized bot can boost customer satisfaction by providing 24-hour access to support, handling simple inquiries and answering questions in real time — a big win for impatient customers. Consumers have not just grown accustomed to them — they love them.

That’s a good thing, too, because experts predict that “more than 85 percent of customer interactions will be managed without a human by 2020.” A friendly, informative bot on your website makes your customers happy while freeing up time for your agents to handle more unique, challenging needs. The right bot is a smart way to boost employee workflow, too. Company bots can answer HR questions, drive onboarding, and provide details for busy workers who need answers on the fly.

Getting started with a chatbot is simple. And with a variety of free and paid solutions, building the bot and getting up and running couldn’t be any easier.

Even without a fancy data warehouse or the budget to conduct a major infrastructure overhaul, small companies can still leverage smart technologies and applications that use artificial intelligence.

Software-as-a-service providers offer AI-ready solutions at low or no cost, making state-of-the-art tools available, even on a budget. WorkFusion, for instance, helps businesses plug AI tools into existing workflows using their RPA Express — a free download that offers enterprise-scale automation and requires no coding. Literally, in just minutes, you can start to realize improved efficiency and reduced workflow.

To achieve digital marketing success, thousands of small businesses leverage AI through Facebook and Google’s advertising platforms. Another quick and dirty way to get into AI tech, their algorithms optimize ad campaigns by targeting and matching people with similar characteristics to create lookalike campaigns.

With a multichannel campaign in place, platforms like Acquisio can analyze and manage pay-per-click success, making smart recommendations for optimizing marketing spend.

Don’t be Afraid to Experiment — But Strategize First.

The key to success with AI for small business is to align promising applications with business goals. Think through and define the purpose of the technology and prioritize based on those initiatives.

For example, if you routinely use complicated data and backend workflow is complex, consider how automation can tighten the ship, improve efficiency, and enhance workflow. Automation that improves your business on the backend helps you focus more on delivering those award-winning experiences your customers crave.

When the goal of your marketing team is to optimize ad targeting, AI-powered predictive analytics might be a good starting point. The takeaway? It’s okay to experiment with AI capabilities once they’ve been deployed but going into it without a plan is madness.

With more options than ever before, small businesses are building powerful AI strategies without having to hire data scientists or costly marketing specialists. With easy access to third-party tools and user-friendly applications, AI-powered functionality is making workflow more efficient and customers’ happier, while providing business owners with the capability to meet the increasing challenges of this data-driven economy.

Whether you decide to deploy AI now or down the road, understanding your options is essential. Smart decisions now will benefit you later — and that’s a good first step on the AI journey.