5 Practical Uses of AI for Established Businesses
- August 28, 2025
- Posted by: Mike Rocha
- Category: AI
AI adoption has become the norm across a variety of industries, but the way it shows up can vary dramatically from company to company. Startups often tack on “AI-powered” features during product development to attract funding. Large enterprises sign multimillion-dollar deals with AI consultancy services and large agencies to overhaul their operations and find substantial cost savings.
But if you’re running a profitable small or medium-sized business, you may not be chasing investors or embarking on a total digital transformation. Instead, you’re probably focused on:
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Getting rid of repetitive, low-value tasks
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Keeping employees engaged and focused on rewarding, high-impact work
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Supporting your company growth plans without completely overhauling your existing tech stack
The good news? You don’t need to reinvent your business to take advantage of AI. Here are five practical ways SMBs can apply AI right now, using proven tools that are straightforward to implement and can deliver real value.
1. Automating Customer Support with AI Chatbots
First-level customer support is one of the most common business areas to automate with AI. Many support tickets are repetitive—things like tracking orders or troubleshooting basic issues. AI-powered chatbots can handle those at scale, reducing strain on human agents.
Tools to explore:
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Intercom’s Fin AI – integrates with your knowledge base.
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Zendesk AI – improves ticket triage and provides suggested answers.
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Drift – sales and marketing–focused conversational AI.
Tip: Before adding a chatbot, run a quick needs assessment to see which customer queries are worth automating.
2. Streamlining Marketing Content Creation
Producing consistent marketing material can drain time and budget. AI tools can speed up content creation by drafting blog posts, generating ad copy, and even optimizing content for search engines.
Tools to explore:
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Jasper – AI designed for marketing copy.
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Surfer SEO + ChatGPT – optimize long-form content with search intent in mind.
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Copy.ai – generate multiple ad variations for quick testing.
Tip: Use AI as a first draft. Your team can then refine the messaging for tone, brand, and customer context.
3. Enhancing Data Insights and Reporting
Turning data into meaningful insights is often a challenge for SMBs. AI makes this easier by automatically generating dashboards, identifying trends, and surfacing forecasts.
Tools to explore:
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Microsoft Power BI with Copilot – natural language queries for data.
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AI in Tableau – AI-driven explanations of patterns.
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Zoho Analytics – forecasting and conversational queries.
Tip: Tie reporting back to your company’s budgeting and growth plans. AI insights are most valuable when connected to financial and operational decisions.
4. Automating Routine Administrative Tasks
Scheduling, meeting notes, and email follow-ups are all ripe for AI-driven automation. This helps employees spend more time on creative and strategic projects.
Tools to explore:
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Otter.ai – meeting transcription and summaries.
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Motion – AI calendar for task prioritization.
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Fireflies.ai – searchable meeting transcripts.
Tip: Start small by automating a single process (like meeting transcription) and measure the time savings before layering on more tools.
5. Improving Hiring and HR Processes
Recruiting and HR management involve a lot of repetitive tasks—from candidate screening to onboarding. AI can streamline workflows and free HR teams to focus on people, not paperwork.
Tools to explore:
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LinkedIn Talent Insights – market data and candidate analytics.
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Paradox Olivia – automates screening and evaluating candidates.
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Leena AI – HR assistant for employee support and onboarding.
Tip: AI is best used to support HR, not replace it. Keep humans in the loop for culture fit, leadership alignment, and long-term retention.
AI doesn’t have to be a massive undertaking. For established businesses, it’s about finding practical applications that align with your company growth plan and your operational budgets.
The key is thoughtful adoption:
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Perform a thorough needs assessment for your business
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Choose tools that integrate into your current tech stack
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Track ROI so your AI investments align with your action plan for company growth
For businesses without dedicated technical leadership, working with an advisor — like a fractional CTO — can provide the guidance you need to evaluate tools, avoid overspending, and make sure AI adoption supports your long-term strategy. But whether you go it alone or bring in outside expertise, the opportunities to save time and boost efficiency are available today.