Artificial intelligence is finding increasingly broad applications in the daily operations of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Here are a few areas where results can be seen right away:
Customer service automation
AI-powered chatbots and voicebots can handle a large portion of repetitive queries, respond to customer questions 24/7, and speed up support team response times. These solutions are now available in SaaS models and do not require complex infrastructure.
Sales data analysis
AI tools can analyse historical data and current trends to forecast sales, identify best-selling products, and even suggest pricing strategies. This support is especially valuable in retail, e-commerce, and manufacturing.
Supply chain optimisation
AI can help with better inventory planning, predicting delivery delays, and selecting the most efficient routes and logistics partners. This leads to savings and reduces the risk of downtime and customer dissatisfaction.
Example AI applications in SMEs
1. Recommendation systems for e-commerce
AI can analyse customer behaviour on a website and suggest personalised products accordingly. This increases the average basket value and customer engagement. Such systems are used by online stores that want to compete with larger players.
2. Predictive maintenance
In manufacturing companies, AI can analyse machine data and predict potential failures. This enables maintenance planning before breakdowns occur. It’s not only a cost-saving measure but also a way to increase production continuity.
3. Accounting process automation
AI solutions can process invoices, bank statements, and other financial documents by classifying and transferring them to ERP systems. This frees up the accounting department to focus on analysis and advisory work, while reducing the risk of errors.
4. Smart customer feedback analysis
AI can analyse comments from social media, reviews, or survey responses to identify common issues or customer needs. This is a valuable source of insights that can help improve products and services.
5. Marketing personalisation
Based on customer data, AI can generate personalised marketing campaigns, adjusting content, channels, and timing to match customer preferences. This increases campaign effectiveness and lowers outreach costs.
How to start with limited resources?
Implementing AI in an SME doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. Here are a few steps to help you get started:
Identify the processes worth automating. Think about where repetitive tasks or decision-making delays occur in your company.
Use ready-made SaaS tools. Many platforms offer AI functions without the need to build models from scratch (e.g. predictive analytics, chatbots, OCR).
Start with a pilot. Test AI in one department or process, observe the effects, and scale up gradually.
Invest in education. Training your team to use AI tools or understand the basics of data work is an investment that pays off quickly.
A well-implemented AI doesn’t replace people — it empowers them to work more effectively. It’s a tool that helps save time, reduce errors, and manage data more efficiently — exactly what modern SMEs need.
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