AI is becoming omnipresent and more popular than ever. But how can one harness its full potential within a company? This is a common question I hear from entrepreneurs who use ChatGPT for certain time-saving tasks, which, while effective, don't elevate their business to a new level of productivity on a larger scale.
The Rise of Custom Applications for SMEs
Having supported the growth of SMEs (and larger companies) for over 15 years, I've often encountered custom applications designed for SMEs, promising to perfectly align with their specific 'business processes' and thus facilitate daily operations. While effective at launch, over time, it becomes clear that these tools require continuous monitoring to adapt to new services/products, resulting in significant maintenance and update costs. This often leads companies to limit development, causing a gradual loss of agility and efficiency, which worsens over the years.
Given these findings, we can see a growing trend of SMEs adopting ERP tools like Odoo, TeamLeader, Monday, and Dynamics 365, ... typically starting with the optimization of processes such as accounting, invoicing, stock management, and production, before expanding into CRM and timesheet management, ... While these tools generally meet the needs, they often present challenges in terms of data management and continuous employee training.
AI is shifting the landscape
Artificial intelligence is disrupting the status quo, bringing forth innovative solutions that both enhance efficiency—enabling more to be done in less time—and add greater value to clients through improved experiences and memorable innovations that transform businesses.
n terms of efficiency, it's easy to find tools that can speed up task completion (e.g., ChatGPT for content creation, text translation, or brainstorming ideas). While this certainly leads to efficiency gains, it rarely results in a complete transformation of the business. It also requires an understanding of what’s possible, as well as managing the change needed to shift the ingrained habits of many employees.
The future is undoubtedly in the integration of AI within the applications that teams use. This approach allows for seamless adoption by employees and considers the unique context of the company, leveraging its own data. This blend of AI, context, and user-friendliness will be the game-changer, enabling major efficiency improvements and offering truly personalized customer experiences.
Custom applications developed for SMEs don’t allow for robust AI integration, and the gap compared to integrated tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, Odoo, etc., will only widen in the coming months with the rise of embedded AI. HubSpot, for instance, announced Breeze two weeks ago at their annual Inbound conference, integrating AI to streamline prospecting, marketing, and customer support while taking into account the context of the contact, company, and ticket related to the query. It acts as a true co-pilot to simplify daily tasks, coupled with AI agents that perform specific functions..
The future is bright for those looking to take full advantage of the opportunities AI has to offer. It all starts with solid, centralized, and up-to-date data, enabled by strong governance and team training. Want to transform your customer experience? We can assist you with exclusive partners and customized support. How about we discuss it over coffee?
