Research-Backed Strategies for SMB Productivity: The AI Advantage
AI has been making waves in the business world for a few years now, and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are starting to see real benefits. AI is helping SMBs in practical ways to make everyday work easier, faster, and smarter.
You don’t need a tech degree or a big budget to take advantage of it. Here’s how AI is helping SMBs get more done with less stress.
1. AI Handles the Busywork, So You Don’t Have To
Every business has its fair share of time-consuming, repetitive tasks. Data entry, scheduling, customer queries… the kind of work that needs to be done but isn’t exactly inspiring. AI tools can automate a lot of this, freeing you and your team's time to work on more strategic goals.
For example, AI-powered chatbots can handle common customer questions instantly, without you needing to stop what you’re doing. Tools like monday.com can use AI to automate processes, so admin tasks don’t fall through the cracks.
2. Smarter Decisions, Less Guesswork
AI can take all the information floating around in your business (customer engagement, sales trends, project timelines) and turn it into something you can actually use. Instead of relying on gut feel, you get insights that help you make better decisions, in real time.
For instance, AI can predict when your busiest sales periods are coming up, so you can prep stock and resourcing accordingly. A study by McKinsey found that businesses using AI-driven analytics see a 10-15% boost in cost efficiencies.
3. Personalisation Without the Extra Work
Ever wondered how Netflix seems to know what you want to watch next? AI-powered personalisation is something SMBs can tap into, too.
From marketing emails that automatically tailor themselves to different customer groups, to AI suggesting the perfect product recommendations, personalisation makes a huge difference in customer engagement. A study by Salesforce found that 52% of customers expect personalised offers, so if you’re not using AI to deliver them, you could be missing out.
4. AI Helps You Spend Smarter
AI helps you work smarter by optimising where you’re spending your time and money.
For example, AI-powered financial tools can help you manage cash flow by predicting when payments are likely to come in (or go out). It can also track expenses in real time, flagging any unusual spending before it becomes a problem. AI can also stop you from over-ordering (or under-ordering) by predicting demand based on past sales trends.
5. Your Team Will Thank You for It
One of the biggest misconceptions about AI is that it’s going to replace people. The reality is more like giving your team superpowers.
When AI takes care of the repetitive tasks, employees get to focus on work that challenges and excites them, whether that’s creative problem-solving, relationship-building, or strategy. In fact, research shows that employees at AI-enabled businesses report higher job satisfaction because they spend less time on manual, mind-numbing work.
AI is helping thousands of SMBs work smarter, make better decisions, and improve customer relationships.
If you’re already using monday.com (or thinking about it), there’s even more potential to tap into. From AI-powered automations to predictive analytics, we can help you make AI your secret weapon for productivity. Let's chat.