In recent years, AI has switched from a concept out of science fiction to a technology accessible to the average enterprise. While AI is still in its early years, there are plenty of areas where you can implement AI or machine learning (ML) to see immediate results. Algorithms are getting smarter and more sophisticated every day – and they can make your business more sophisticated in turn.
Here are some examples of areas where you can use AI to improve your business.
1. Customer Service
Everyone has had frustrating experiences with automated answering machines in customer service centers. But those experiences are growing less frequent as automated responders grow smarter. The key difference lies in use of AI.
Where past answering machines and chatbots had to stick to rigid scripts, today’s can conversationally respond to customers in real time. Known as intelligent virtual agents, these tools use advanced voice recognition and natural language processing to provide customer support. They’re not yet replacing the human call center agent, but they’re supplementing them so you can make sure your agents’ time is well-spent.
2. User Experience
If you produce an app, run an e-commerce platform, or otherwise serve your customers digitally, there’s a massive amount of digital customer data you could collect from them. Knowing where they click, how long they spend on your pages, and what their journey is through your site can unlock massive insights. These insights can help you optimize your product or make more sales.
However, collecting and analyzing all of this information is far beyond the capabilities of traditional tech stacks. That’s where AI comes in. AI solutions can gather all of this data, analyze it, and draw specific and actionable conclusions. You can then take this information and improve the customer experience accordingly.
3. Marketing
Targeted ads are so common, customers no longer bat an eye at them. On some occasions, people even appreciate receiving suggestions of products or content they may enjoy.
AI can analyze what individual visitors have been viewing, compare that to what similar visitors have viewed, and make suggestions. Since AI is marked by its ability to learn, it will keep track of which suggestions are clicked on and learn from that information. Future suggestions get adjusted accordingly, meaning your targeted marketing will be more effective every day.
This isn’t the only way AI can help you gain new customers or upsell existing ones. Traditional marketing initiatives like social media and email campaigns can also be informed by AI. Data about which social posts get clicks can help your marketing team optimize their efforts. Meanwhile, AI-empowered email solutions can automatically send customers the emails that are most relevant to them.
4. Big Data Analysis
Big data is a big buzzword, but very few companies actually know what to do with it. The sheer volume of data that companies are collecting today resists efforts to analyze and derive actionable results from it.
AI can make a big difference here. Often, companies don’t even know where to start when it comes to analyzing large amounts of unstructured data. Certain AI tools may be able to find patterns in this unstructured data that people and traditional tools can’t recognize. Other algorithms can then be unleashed to detect patterns, generate reports, and derive insights. Armed with these insights, you can then take concrete action to improve the business.
5. IT Operations
Running a tech stack that can support AI takes a lot of effort. It requires a large data center and storage capacity, fast networking, and more. But what if AI could help with that, too?
IT solutions providers are creating AI tools that monitor your IT infrastructure and make sure it’s running at peak capacity. These solutions can provision more storage, monitor network usage, and send alerts when maintenance is needed, among other things.
In addition, the value of using AI for company-wide cybersecurity can’t be overstated. Sophisticated cybercriminals now use AI to develop attacks that avoid even the most advanced firewall. The best way to subvert these attacks is to use AI-powered security tools that monitor for suspicious network behavior. These tools learn as attack methods change, helping you stay a step ahead of hackers.
6. Routing Workflows
There are likely many departments in your organization that get held up by process issues. When projects and tasks have to be manually assigned to their owners, slowdowns and mistakes occur.
AI and ML solutions can avoid this. They can automate task assignments to individuals in your call center or help desk, for example. There are plenty of non-AI task automation tools, but the addition of AI can ensure that employees are truly receiving tasks in order of their availability, not simply because they’re up next in the queue. AI and ML can also show how fast employees complete certain tasks, helping you identify bottlenecks and optimize your processes.
7. Improved Logistics
If you work in any industry that involves supply chains or manufacturing, AI could be a massive benefit. AI-powered analytics can measure the efficiency of your factories or transport and help you make improvements.
For example, AI in factories can pinpoint areas of inefficiency and measure the factors that contribute to slow production. It can also predict when machines are about to fail so they can be proactively maintained.
When it comes to the supply chain, AI can help drivers find the best routes in real time. It can also use analytics to help you plan new, better routes. If something happens in one area of your supply chain, AI can help you find alternatives. It can be the difference between massive delays and deliveries that stay on time.
The potential of AI is nearly limitless. AI capabilities have developed by leaps and bounds in recent years, evolving from science fiction dreams to concrete realities. AI algorithms provide the backbone of many powerful tools that can help your business succeed on nearly every level.