When OpenAI’s ChatGPT made headlines in late 2022,as a writer,I’ll admit,I was a bit apprehensive.The buzz was all about how AI was poised to replace human writers and that our jobs were at risk…the typical doomsday predictions.Naturally,I wasn’t too keen on incorporating AI into my small business.It took quite some time before I eventually gave it a try.While ChatGPT’s writing capabilities(or rather,content generation)still don’t blow me away,I’ve come to view it as a useful research assistant.
Fast forward to 2024,and I now rely on ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas for products,concepts,or topics I’m writing about.(You’ll see how I use it later in this article to research AI tools.)While I find it helpful,I always double-check the information with other sources to ensure accuracy.
Aside from ChatGPT,there’s a plethora of AI tools available that can benefit your small business.I tested 10 of them,and here’s what I discovered.
How AI Can Benefit Your Small Business
Let’s explore three key ways AI can enhance your small business.
Customer Support
AI enables small businesses to provide 24/7 customer support.According to our State of AI Report,the biggest advantage customer service professionals see is AI’s ability to offer round-the-clock assistance through chatbots and self-service platforms.
In addition to providing 24/7 support,84%of customer service agents find that AI helps them respond to support tickets more efficiently.One reason for this is AI’s ability to prioritize tickets and direct them to the appropriate human agents.
Appareify Co-Founder Nora Salama shared her experience with AI in customer service,specifically regarding ticket prioritization:
“We’ve recently started using generative AI tools to analyze customer support requests based on sentiment,intent,and language,allowing us to categorize tickets more effectively,”says Salama.This approach has helped Appareify prioritize requests,provide tailored responses,and assign them to the most qualified agent quickly and efficiently.
Marketing and Sales
Almost 90%of marketing professionals report that AI improves the quality of content,while 80%of bloggers say AI enhances user experience and boosts SEO efforts.
On the sales side,AI is widely used for prospect outreach,with 86%of sales professionals finding it helpful in crafting outreach messages.Additionally,72%believe AI allows them to build rapport with prospects more quickly.
However,there’s a caveat.Many of us have been on the receiving end of an AI-generated sales pitch—whether it’s an automated LinkedIn comment regurgitating your post or a random email promoting an irrelevant service.It’s annoying and ineffective.
So,if you’re using AI for sales prospecting,remember to personalize your outreach.Ensure the person you’re contacting could genuinely benefit from your offering,and don’t send robotic,impersonal messages that feel like a cold pitch.
Productivity
More than 60%of business leaders across various industries have invested in AI to boost employee productivity,and 72%have seen results.This makes sense,considering that 95%of professionals say AI saves them time on manual tasks,giving them more time for high-impact work.
One AI tool that’s boosted my productivity is Grammarly.It helps me check for spelling and grammar errors in my writing,refine client emails,and polish social media posts.This allows me to focus more on the creative side of writing while improving my overall efficiency.
That said,businesses must be aware of the limitations of AI.International SEO Consultant Aarne Salminen emphasizes the importance of understanding the terms when using any AI tool:
“In my opinion,businesses should be cautious about what data they share with AI tools.Does feeding data into these tools give the tool’s owner the right to use that data?This is something businesses should keep in mind.”
Looking for an all-in-one AI solution for your marketing,sales,and customer support needs?HubSpot AI might be the answer.
3 Best AI Tools for Small Businesses
I tested 3 affordable AI tools tailored for small businesses.Here’s what I discovered.
HubSpot
HubSpot is a CRM platform designed to streamline processes across sales,marketing,and customer support.It integrates AI features like content creation and list deduplication and offers an AI-powered assistant called ChatSpot.
HubSpot’s CRM is free,with paid plans starting at$50 a month,depending on your team size and subscription tier.It’s ideal for businesses looking to improve inbound marketing and operational efficiency.
Pros and Cons:
HubSpot is truly an all-in-one solution for marketing,sales,and customer support,making it hard to find a comparable alternative for businesses of all sizes.It even allows you to build your own website,which is great for businesses just getting started in the digital world.
However,HubSpot’s biggest strength can also be a drawback.If you’re not using HubSpot for all your business needs,it may not be worth the investment for smaller businesses.
Best for:Small businesses,especially those seeking a starter customer platform.
What I Like:
HubSpot’s email and workflow automation is impressive.For example,you can set up a workflow that sends an automated response when a customer submits a support form,eliminating the need for manual intervention.HubSpot even offers website form templates to make the process easier.
Buffer
Buffer is a social media toolkit that helps you plan,schedule,and publish social media content.I’ve used Buffer since I started digital marketing in 2017,and it’s been a go-to for managing blogs and social accounts for small businesses.
The free plan includes scheduling tools,a landing page builder,and Buffer’s AI assistant for up to three social media channels.
Pros and Cons
Buffer is affordable and user-friendly.The drag-and-drop feature saves time when posting content with images.However,the AI Assistant’s output isn’t always stellar,and the tool can be glitchy when posting to LinkedIn pages.
Best for:Small businesses,freelancers,and social media marketers.
What I Like:
Buffer’s affordability is a major plus,especially for small businesses.With the free plan,you can schedule 10 posts per channel,providing enough content for several weeks.
Grammarly
Grammarly offers spelling,grammar,and writing assistance.It’s been a key part of my toolkit since 2017,and the free plan was perfect for my needs when I was starting out.I now use Grammarly Premium for more advanced writing tasks,and it’s become indispensable.
Pros and Cons:
The free version of Grammarly includes basic grammar and spelling suggestions and can be integrated into various platforms like Google Docs and email.However,it can sometimes be buggy when editing large documents in Google Docs.
Best for:Small businesses,freelancers,and marketers.
What I Like:
Grammarly provides excellent suggestions for making writing more concise and readable.It’s one of the better AI-driven editing tools,although I still believe there’s no replacement for a human editor.
Adding AI to Your Workflow
Incorporating AI into your workflow can vary greatly depending on your business type,niche,and overall operations.For example,if you’re an Amazon seller,a tool like Helium 10 might seamlessly integrate into your daily processes.Meanwhile,if you’re working in data analysis,Secoda could be more suitable.More general AI tools like Trello and Notion,focused on project management and organization,can be useful across a wide range of businesses.
In my small business,my go-to AI tool is Grammarly for refining my writing.I’ve also historically relied on Buffer for social media management and continue to use Trello and Notion for project management tasks.
Although AI tools can boost areas like customer support,marketing,sales,and overall productivity,it’s essential to follow best practices when incorporating these tools into your workflow.Two important aspects to keep in mind are data usage and user agreements.Ensuring that your business data is handled securely and responsibly should always be a priority.