Unless you decided to forgo all Internet use and media consumption over the last year, you’ve probably heard a lot about AI. Tools that leverage the latest artificial intelligence are making some big promises and bold claims in terms of business productivity. For example, some platforms claim you can design a website in minutes or generate content that rivals professional copywriters.
AI tools can be a huge benefit for a business, or they could be a huge waste of time and resources. Businesses have to take a strategic approach to AI integration if they want to operate more intelligently. And by “strategic approach” we mean taking small, baby steps that make AI manageable while keeping expectations realistic. Let’s take those first baby steps!
Don’t Go AI Crazy – Start Slow
It’s easy to get caught up in the AI insanity and start signing up for every trial that’s offered. Splitting your attention in a lot of different directions will likely lead to a frustrating situation where no AI tool really gets implemented in an effective way.
So, our recommendation is to start slow with just one or two AI tools. This concentrated effort lets you truly understand how these technologies work in your specific context.
Strategically Choose AI Tools That Apply to Your Needs
Here’s the thing – decision fatigue is real. Everybody has an AI tool these days. Wading through the options can feel overwhelming real quick.
And some AI tools seem so cool we want them even though we don’t really need them. They’re more of a distraction than a productivity booster. It may not be as entertaining or have as much wow-factor, but keeping focused on AI tools that apply to your business needs will typically yield the best real world results.
Are you looking to increase productivity in a department? Do you want more analytics and data insights? Is improving your conversion funnel the priority? Do you need in-depth customer research for a targeted social media campaign?
If you’re not sure where to start, you may want to make the strategic decision by focusing on AI tools that:
- Support your core business activities.
- Fill a known gap.
- Directly improve profitability.
- Directly lower costs.
- Help you understand your customer base better.
This piece of AI advice goes hand in hand with the previous point. The more you narrow your focus, the more you’ll likely get out of incorporating AI.
Don’t Overlook Ease of Implementation
As with any new piece of software, ease of implementation must be considered when you’re getting started with AI. The whole AI thing is intimidating enough as it is. And if it’s really intelligent, productivity boosting software it shouldn’t increase your workload.
The more seamlessly an AI tool integrates with your existing systems, the easier it should be to implement and the more use you’ll get out of it. The new Microsoft Copilot is a good example. If your organization already operates on the Microsoft platform Copilot should fit right in since it’s built for that platform.
Pro Tip:
Avoid tools that require extensive customization or expert-level machine learning knowledge unless your team is ready for that challenge. Look for solutions with user-friendly interfaces and comprehensive onboarding resources (often available as video tutorials or interactive guides).
Scalability is Key
Another takeaway from past tech revolutions is the importance of scalability, both up and down. AI tools that can expand with your business are the best bet. Having multiple plans to choose from is also something to consider. Most AI tools have a free version with the most basic functionality or limited capacity that you can start out with.
From there you can choose a paid plan if you like what you see with the free version. The plan you choose should be based on current needs and your ability to scale up based on your projections and goals.
Recommendation:
Before committing, evaluate whether the AI solution can expand to meet your future requirements without a major overhaul of your existing systems.
Dedicate Time to Learning the AI Tools You Choose
We get it. You want to jump right in and start using your new AI tools. We love the enthusiasm. However, first you may want to familiarize yourself with what you can do with artificial intelligence. It promises to be a whole new ballgame after all.
If the tool has videos that walk you through the features, that’s a great place to start. Usually these are screen captures so you’ll see things the way it will be when you’re at the wheel.
One way AI is being used by just about everybody is with chatbots that answer questions. Maybe start by using the tool chatbot to ask about a few features that pique your curiosity or tasks you want to perform. The experience may even make you want to add a chatbot to your own site to save your team time and add another layer of assistance for customers.
It may be a good idea to assign one person in-house with the task of becoming familiar with the AI tools. That person can then give the tools a test run and train other employees that will be using them.
A lot of tools are very intuitive and the marketing material can be quite informative, but taking the time to get a feel for the tool first will actually save you a lot of time overall. Understanding the full potential of the AI tool may even be the difference between seeing no improvements versus big gains.
The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council estimates that 83% of small businesses plan to invest in AI tools in the coming months and years, but how they use those tools remains to be seen.
At Bruce & Eddy we aren’t powered by artificial intelligence, but we are pretty smart people with experience building websites that build brands. And if there’s anything we’ve learned from playing around with A LOT of these AI tools it’s that you can’t replace creative, caring people. Who’s using the AI tools is that little something extra that makes a difference.
If you’re looking for that little something extra or need guidance on AI tools, get in touch with us!
