There are few, if any, certainties in this world. However, one exists in the corporate world—the fact that change is unceasing. Just five years ago, businesses around the globe operated differently than they do today. A year from today, the corporate world might be unrecognizable. No matter what, changes will take place.
What can you do to avoid being swept away by these often monumental changes? Accept the changes and see how you can incorporate them into your own workflow. As it stands now, AI is one of the more popular changes influencing many aspects of the corporate world—especially workflow.
Inventor and author Erik Brynjolfsson said about AI, “Harnessing machine learning can be transformational, but for it to be successful, enterprises need leadership from the top. This means understanding that when machine learning changes one part of the business.
How can AI help improve your company’s workflow? A few business leaders took the time to answer this question. You can find their ideas below.
No Break Required
First, let’s consider a basic but powerful element of AI—it doesn’t need a break. Human beings need time for themselves, which includes lunch hours, weekends, and time after hours. AI, on the other hand, can work at any time of day.
“AI is a ‘round the clock employee in the right spots,” says Max Schwartzapfel, CMO of Fighting For You. “Between data input or analytical work, there’s a ton of AI options for your company that will make each day a bit easier.”
These two examples only scratch the surface of what AI is capable of handling without interruption. Chances are, if you have a need, AI can meet it.
Sales Leads
The days of going door to door selling or advertising items for sale are a thing of the past. In fact, partaking in this antiquated practice could result in some less-than-ideal situations with people you hoped would become customers. Now, AI can do all the heavy lifting.
“AI has streamlined just about everything there is to streamline, including the process of identifying potential future customers,” says Andrew Chen, Chief Product Officer of Videeo. “It probably won’t nab you the biggest client in your history, but profit is profit.”
While there is a learning curve with this aspect of AI, it can be a game-changer in the long run. After all, who doesn’t love a system that does all the work for you?
Recruiting People
Much of a company’s budget can be wrapped up in the search for high-quality people. AI has a solution to this problem as well. Now, certain software allows you to see only the most desirable candidates.
“You can use AI solutions for recruiting in a way that really maximizes your time,” says Darren Carvalho, Co-Founder of MetaWealth. “Conceptually, it might sound overwhelming until you realize some of the biggest job search websites use AI as well.”
This is why it might be possible to find the most well-qualified candidate even if they haven’t applied—many of these AI recruiting tools have the option to search some of those big job websites.
A Live Chatbot
The live chatbot has been a hit just about everywhere it has been implemented. From shopping apps to banking websites, giving customers quick answers to their simple questions is a game changer. That’s why you might consider it for your own company.
“A live chatbot is a modern equivalent to the landline of a few decades ago,” says Andrew Meyer, CEO of Arbor. “You and your business have to have one for the sake of customer service. It makes this part of work a piece of cake.”
Of course, a live chatbot that features answers applicable to your company does not appear overnight. So you best get ahead of the ball and start shopping around.
An AI secretary
Paying someone to look after general emails, phone calls, appointments, and the like may not sit well with the person footing the bill. If that’s you, AI can help lift this weight off your shoulders in the form of AI digital assistants.
“AI in the corporate world is becoming increasingly intuitive by the week. This allows you to be more productive,” says Jae Pak, Founder of Jae Pak MD Medical. “You might never need to schedule an appointment again because AI software will do it all for you.”
Though, this is not an end-all-be-all replacement for an assistant of the human race. There are certain tasks that AI can’t do yet, such as picking up the morning coffee order.
Improvements to Your Website
How much time have you and your tech staff spent working out the kinks of your company’s website? Maybe you have struggled with the SEO side of things. Though, it could be the design side of things as well. Either way, AI can offer potential improvements.
“When you stop and think about AI helping to design websites, it only makes sense,” says Nick Allen, Founder and CEO of SportsLingo. “It is one computer system helping to design computer-based platforms. Once you see that, everything about the concept clicks.”
The gathering of leads via AI mentioned earlier factors into AI website design as well. When a company’s website is fully optimized, it has the potential to attract a true crowd.
Wiser Ad Purchases
Anyone in marketing will tell you that the most well-crafted graphic, piece of text, or video will be useless if it’s placed in an obscure place online. Once again, AI is here to save the day.
“A single misstep in the ad buying process could cost you far more than you can afford,” says Zach Goldstein, CEO of Public Rec. “To avoid this for your company, look at the AI options for risk evaluation on ad buys.”
Saving money is always a good thing, which means that if AI can ensure you’re placing ads in the most viable locations, it’s worth a shot.
Stronger Writing
Like everyone else, you have probably struggled to write a coherent sentence at some point, and you’ve likely gone a few rounds with writer’s block. All this can leave you drained at the end of the day. AI can be a help here too.
“From simple word suggestions in a word document to total remodels of paragraphs on your company site, AI writing help is nothing to laugh at,” says Lindsay Malu Kido, CEO of Empower Pleasure. “In fact, some universities have begun scanning student papers for AI writing. The stuff is that good.”
However, don’t get carried away with the potential of AI. Like the students mentioned above, more than a few companies have run into problems with AI—fact-checking, in particular, is of the utmost importance.
Overall Efficiency
AI is great at many, many things. But if there is one thing it is a master of, it is an analysis of time spent. Be it the production process of an item or how an employee accomplishes a task, AI can learn and forge new, faster ways of accomplishing the same tasks.
“Most of the time, doing the same task at a faster speed means a lower cost—at least from a business perspective,” says Ann McFerran, CEO of Glamnetic. “It almost goes without saying that you want fewer expenses for your company. Why not include AI in your plans, then?”
While this suggestion seems a bit more nebulous, that’s because AI really can be used in countless ways. It’s up to you to figure out how it will fit in with your company’s workflows and how it can save you both time and money. It may take a bit of trial and error, but it’s worth doing in the long run.
Personalized Content
Content geared towards individuals is more likely to yield results than its generic counterpart. However, personalized content is far and away more expensive than anything else … At least until AI came along.
“You can pass on any tedious and repetitive task to a computer system that is more than capable of handling this stuff,” says Michael Fischer, Founder of Elite HRT. “This includes addressing marketing emails for specific people.”
Because it is easy to create this kind of content with AI, sending it out by the digital truckload seems easy. But doing so may alienate customers (after all, no one wants to be spammed with content), so make sure you use a measured approach.
Even when looking at the business side of AI and nothing else, there’s a world of possibilities. Start taking the first steps towards learning just what AI can do for you sooner rather than later.
