Artificial intelligence is growing in leaps and bounds, with new uses being discovered all the time, particularly in the world of business.
The technology has become so common that many people don’t even realize when they’re using it – it’s there every time you use the map feature on your smartphone, scroll through Facebook, or spot an unusually well-targeted advertisement on social media.
Here’s how you can harness this evolving and powerful technology for your business.
MARKETING
Of all the forms of internet marketing, email campaigns typically have the highest return-on-investment, and the level of investment can be minimized with the help of AI.
While you’ll still need to devote some time to crafting the copy for your chain of emails, a platform like MailChimp can help with measuring click-through rates and respond to certain triggers, such as a prospect opening an email.
This, combined with the option to segment your email lists into specific consumer groups, can help you reach your followers at the right moments, while also gaining more insight into campaign success rates.
COUNSELING EMPLOYEES
The value of physical and mental wellness cannot be understated, especially amongst your staff, but few small businesses can afford to hire an on-site counselor. This is where AI might come in handy – if you know of any staff members going through a tough time, the option of virtual help might be a great resource.
This relatively new initiative could enable your staff to access counseling on their lunch break or in transit, and leave them mentally prepared to take on their to-do lists.
Just keep in mind that virtual counseling may not be for everyone – for example, many people are still hesitant to adopt the technology, often due to privacy concerns or preferences for human interaction.
DATA ENTRY AND ANALYTICS
More than a basic back-end job, effective data entry can mean the difference between building customer relationships that fail, and building ones that translate into sales. If you’re diligent about collecting and recording data, you can learn plenty about your customers and their spending relationship with your business.
The trouble is, between all the other tasks involved in running a business, manual data entry can be a huge drain on your available time and energy.
Fortunately, the latest accounting software makes it possible to replace all of the hand-written notes and invoices with photographs, and even receive a reminder when each one is due.
When all the data has been accounted for, AI technology can even analyze it and deliver reports on the findings – it is so efficient, it might even leave you with some free time.
TRAINING
Not only is AI and the complex algorithms behind it extremely helpful in the realm of recruiting, but it can also help you train up your new staff.
Virtual training programs tend to be quite commonplace in large companies, and for good reason. The ability to deliver training in an online format could save time for managers on every level of your business, and with the help of AI, online training can be made more interactive and immersive than ever before.
You can set your incoming staff up for success with interactive quizzes, simulations, or even AI-enabled chatbots to work with them one-on-one.
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
When you’re able to correct pain points on your website and lead more customers all the way to the checkout or sign-up page, incorporating extra touches of AI into your website, like churn predictors and real-time personalization, will seem like a no-brainer.
The technology can tell you how long customers spend on each page of your site, detect interactional trends like click-through rates, and even recognize when customers might be struggling with a particular product or feature.
With this information at hand, working out the kinks in your online presence will be as simple as following directions, and the changes you make will have a real impact on your sales or interactions.
Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic fever dream – the movement is already happening, with more updates in the works every day – but it isn’t anything to fear either.
As AI moves further beyond dealing with tedious background work, businesses will have the opportunity to meet customers’ needs in a range of new ways, ultimately creating happier customers and better business practices.
Featured image credit: https://techdaily.ca
