Is AI Right for Your Small Business? Navigating the Opportunities and Challenges

AI is everywhere. In a relatively short amount of time, artificial intelligence has exploded from being a fringe feature to becoming standard kit in many—some may argue most—applications and devices, particularly those intended for business use.

The truth is that it’s hard to tell whether AI could bring a business a ton of benefits or if it ultimately generates (pun intended) more problems than its worth… at least, without a concerted effort to make those determinations. Let’s see what we can do to make sure it is beneficial.

First Off, How Can AI Help a Business?

When used properly, AI can provide organizations with several considerable benefits, such as…

Heightened Efficiency through Automation

Various business tasks consume a significant amount of time, despite offering relatively little value to the organization as a whole. Unfortunately, many of these tasks are still necessary for a business to complete.

For instance, while it may ultimately lead to better opportunities down the road, fielding questions from prospects can consume a significant amount of time before any benefits are realized. Using AI can help address these questions without requiring a team member to be pulled away from another task, all the while directing the person making the query to the proper resources.

Improved Marketing Efforts

From social media posts to product descriptions and everything in between, AI can help you get ideas out of your head and convert them into legitimate marketing efforts. Let’s face it, not everyone is the best writer, so if AI can provide something passable and effectively convincing to your audience (and more quickly, to boot), it is something to consider using.

Enhanced Analytics

If there’s one thing that every business has, it’s data. With the help of AI, this data can be used more effectively than ever to improve a business’ operations. By crunching the numbers, artificially intelligent systems can help you identify recurring patterns and trends in your operations, enabling you to capitalize on opportunities while avoiding obstacles more effectively.

Cost Savings

While the technology itself can run a premium, depending on the option you choose, the operational advantages that AI can bring often mean it can help you save money over time, either through a reduction in your operational costs or pushing your existing resources that much further.

However, AI Does Have Its Drawbacks

In order to make an informed decision about your business’ strategy, you also need to consider the downsides that can be involved with any AI implementation.

For instance…

Cost of Ownership

There’s no denying that artificial intelligence is an expensive technology to adopt, which means it needs to deliver on its promises to be worthwhile to an SMB… something many feel it still hasn’t done.

Integration Complexity

Integrating AI into your existing technology setup can be challenging, especially without the assistance of an expert. This is even more the case when legacy systems are in play.

You Get What You Give

The efficacy of any AI you incorporate into your business is entirely dependent on the quality of the data it references. Any skewed data can significantly shift results towards that bias, inherently making AI less effective.

A Lack of a Human Touch

You also want to be careful not to lean too hard into AI, as it can be easy to cross the line into overreliance and impersonality towards your clientele. People still want a personal connection to some degree, so don’t let a business tool accidentally hold your business back.

How to Make the Most of Modern AI Tools

Some practices help ensure that you’re putting yourself in the best position to succeed:

Start with Small, Specific Goals

Rather than immediately incorporating AI into every nook and cranny of your business’ operations, pick a key need your business has and focus your efforts there. This will allow you to maximize the efficacy of your implementation of AI.

Keep Your Data Clean

As we’ve established, bad data leads to bad outcomes, so you need to be sure you keep your data accurate and relevant to your goals. Rely exclusively on data you can verify to ensure your conclusions aren’t thrown off track.

Keep an Eye on Things

As tempting as it may be to simply set up AI and let it go, it is important that you keep an eye on it and have your team members check its work. While AI is remarkably capable, it still falls short of human capabilities, so there are usually some improvements that can be made.

The Critical Thing to Remember: AI is Just a Tool

To see any value from something you implement in your business, it needs to be used strategically. Artificial intelligence is no exception, but then, neither is any of your other technology.

We’re here to help businesses in Seattle get the greatest use out of all the IT available to them, including the new frontier AI has opened to us all. To find out what we can do for you, reach out to us at 855-GET-FUSE (438-3873).