Everyday AI: 10 Ways to Use Artificial Intelligence to Improve Business Productivity

Artificial Intelligence image showing a robot hand and a human hand meeting at a brain in the centre

Globally, AI adoption has dramatically increased. The latest McKinsey Global Survey on AI reveals that 65% of organisations regularly use generative AI. Generative AI, a machine learning model, examines data patterns to generate new content, including text, images, and audio.

While some businesses approach this technology with caution, those who responsibly and effectively adapt to using it can experience increased productivity and profit.

The AI landscape is constantly evolving, and if you are still determining how it can benefit your business, you are not alone.

Where to start with AI in your business?

First, suitability, cost, internal capabilities, and data security should be top priorities for all decision-makers when choosing AI technology.

Once you have done your due diligence, the great news is that there’s now an abundance of tools available. Many offer free trials or affordable plans, and it’s likely to be included in software you’re already familiar with.

To help, we have listed ten ways businesses use artificial intelligence to become more efficient (with examples you may want to check out).

10 Ways to Increase Business Productivity with AI

Improve Customer Experience
Automate Administrative Tasks
Manage Time Effectively
Optimise Sales and Relationship Management
Refine Business Messaging
Boost Idea and Content Generation
Enhance Marketing Activity
Streamline Accounting
Elevate Team Chat
Transform Project Management
Things to Consider Before Using AI for Business
How Dr Logic Can Help You Achieve Success with AI Solutions

1. Improve Customer Experience

Many website chatbots are now powered by AI, offering increasingly personalised experiences. And with 73% of businesses favouring this as their top way to use artificial intelligence to better customer service, it’s a great place to start.

Before you make any changes to your customer journey, it’s essential to understand your customer’s preferences. For instance, they may prefer chatbots for quick questions but human interaction for more complex queries. Recognising this will ensure you get the most from your AI solution.

Benefits of AI chatbots for customer service:

Lower operational costs via automation of basic enquiries
Increased scalability with 24/7 customer support
Customer service teams are free to focus on higher-value interactions

Examples you may like to try: Zendesk, Ada, Tidio, Zoho Desk

2. Automate Administrative Tasks

Adding an AI-powered meeting assistant to your productivity toolkit could save you hours of administrative work. These efficient digital teammates integrate with the most popular meeting and conference platforms and can take (some) of the pain out of unproductive meetings.

Studies show that the average employee has 62 meetings per month, and executives spend up to 32 hours per week in meetings, so there’s sure to be much room for improvement.

Benefits of AI meeting assistants:

Reduction in non-billable time with automated meeting notes
Evaluate and optimise meeting quality with online meeting analysis
Easy knowledge transfer with recorded meetings/training and summaries

Examples you may like to try: Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai,MeetGeek, Fathom, Avoma

3. Manage Time Effectively

A step further from helping you to take notes, AI scheduling tools can organise individual and team calendars based on priorities and preferences (both personal and professional).

And with claims from Motion that it could help you ‘be 137% more productive’, it seems there’s no time to lose. But don’t forget, as with most generative AI tools, you will need to train your virtual assistant and regularly provide feedback to get the best results.

Benefits of using an AI scheduling assistant:

Cost-effective time management via automation
Easy coordination of collaborative events with synced calendars
Personalised schedules based on individual work styles and requirements

Examples you may like to try: Motion, Reclaim, Clockwise, Trevor, Scheduler AI

4. Optimise Sales and Relationship Management

Acquiring customers is expensive and time-consuming. Introducing AI into your customer relationship management process could be a more cost-effective way of warming new leads and retaining valued clients.

Multiple AI capabilities are combined to enhance CRM platforms, including analytics, automation, and content generation. Successful relationship management is supported by data-driven insights and informed decision-making.

Benefits of using a CRM with AI:

Deliver highly personalised experiences via data analysis and predictive insights
Reduce operational costs with automated data and workflow management
Optimise resource allocation to focus on high-value leads and churn reduction

Examples you may like to try: Hubspot, Salesforce, Zoho

5. Refine Business Messaging

Are you spending too much time checking and rewriting your emails? Now imagine how much time is spent by employees across your organisation. From internal messaging to customer communications, an AI writing assistant can quickly check for mistakes and suggest improvements.

Plus, it’s not just productivity you could impact with better writing. Sales and reputation could also increase, with 68% of UK adults reporting a negative impact on purchasing decisions, and 74% had a drop in brand perception due to poor grammar and spelling.

Benefits of using an AI writing assistant:

Efficient editing, grammar and spelling checks
Increased clarity and readability leading to better company communication
Build team confidence and move faster with fewer miscommunications

Examples you may like to try: ProWritingAid, Grammarly, Ludwig, Quillbot

6. Boost Idea and Content Generation

‘Content is king’, especially when it comes to marketing. But it’s a time-consuming process. And finding inspiration on what to write that will resonate with your target audience can be challenging.

Here, you may find tools such as ChatGPT very useful. And you won’t be alone: A Forbes survey shows that 35% of businesses use AI for content generation.

It’s worth noting, though, that this is not a copy-and-paste job. You will need to learn how to effectively use prompts and review all content to ensure it’s correct and brand-aligned.

Benefits of using an AI for content generation:

Scalability of content production with reduced resource requirements
Aids creativity and content development with ideas, outlines and drafts
Improved SEO performance via keyword analysis and optimised content

Examples you may like to try: ChatGPT,Jasper, Copy.ai,WordAi

7. Enhance Marketing Activity

Beyond content creation, marketing ROI is a cause for concern for many businesses. The increase in output with AI is on the rise, with 53% of marketing leaders already using or planning to use AI for predictive analytics and customer insights.

If you want to elevate your marketing efforts, using a marketing management platform with AI functionality could help. With features like automatic scheduling and AI-generated insights, businesses can save time and gain valuable audience understanding to spur business growth.

Benefits of using an AI marketing management platform:

Quickly create personalised content based on data-driven customer insights
Improve response times with automated replies and AI-powered answers
Connect directly with your audience with advanced targeting and segmentation

Examples you may like to try: Sproutsocial, Hootsuite, Buffer

8. Streamline Accounting

Managing routine tasks like invoice processing, reconciliation, and reporting can be extremely time-consuming. AI in accounting can ease workloads and refine processes via automation.

On a large scale, AI can conduct extensive data analysis using machine learning to check for errors, security, and fraud risks much quicker than human counterparts. On a smaller scale, it can help draft reminders and send personalised invoices.

Benefits of using an AI in accounting:

Delegate tedious tasks like chasing payments and invoicing
Reduce labour costs with automated data collection and analysis
Gain time back to focus on profitability and business growth

Examples you may like to try: Quickbooks, Xero

9. Elevate Team Chat

Due to flexible working, business messaging apps are now commonplace. Unfortunately, getting lost in a thread or missing messages entirely is also a near-daily activity. To tackle this problem and others, several platforms now offer AI integrations that promise increased productivity.

Slack AI claims that an average user can save over an hour and a half per week with an automated conversation summary compared to non-AI options.

Benefits of using AI in business messaging:

Instant summaries can help distil lengthy conversations
Improved search functionality helps to find answers faster
Messaging recaps help to reduce miscommunication

Examples you may like to try: Slack AI, Microsoft Teams (plus Microsoft CoPilot), Google Chat (plus Gemini Advanced)

10. Transform Project Management

Poor project management can be very costly, with billions invested every year. And with only 35% of projects being deemed successful, you can see why more businesses are investing in AI to help reduce wasted resources.

Gartner predicts 80% of project management tasks will be run by AI by 2030, indicating this area could see radical change in the coming years. Taking advantage of AI capabilities sooner rather than later, could make the difference in making sure your next project succeeds.

Benefits of using an AI project management tool:

Improve decision-making with predictive analytics
Automate repetitive tasks and workflows, increasing the scalability of projects
Stay on track with better project monitoring via status updates and recommendations

Examples to try: Asana AI, Notion AI, Height

Things to Consider Before Using AI for Business

Before you jump in, if it’s the first time you are using AI in your business, we encourage you to consider the following (in addition to your own research) :

Clear Objectives and Goals: Define specific outcomes you want to achieve with AI, such as improving efficiency or enhancing customer experience.

Cost and ROI: Evaluate the costs associated with AI implementation, including software, hardware, and training, and assess the potential return on investment.

Integration with Existing Systems: Consider how well the AI solution will integrate with your current technology, processes and people.

Ethical and Regulatory Compliance: Check that the use of AI complies with all relevant business standards and regulations.

How Dr Logic Can Help You Achieve Success with AI Solutions

As a trusted Mac IT support provider, you can rely on us to help you make informed decisions about leveraging AI and other technologies to better your business.

If you want to advance your Mac IT strategy, contact us today for a free consultation to see how we can help.

Disclaimer: Please note that the article’s purpose is to highlight how AI can help your business be more productive. While we use some of the technology mentioned, we’ve not tested each individually. All new AI technology should be assessed based on business needs and independent review.