Take the stress out of tedious tasks: How GenAI can empower your team
August 2024
With AI at the forefront of today’s business landscape, SMEs are increasingly turning to technology to stay competitive and drive growth. In particular, generative AI (GenAI) holds immense potential to streamline operations, enhance productivity, and foster innovation.
But despite its promising benefits, many SMEs hesitate to adopt AI due to various misconceptions and perceived challenges.
In this blog, we’ll explore the true value of generative AI for SMEs, debunk some common misconceptions about its adoption, and provide insights into overcoming the hurdles that often deter businesses from harnessing its power.
Why SMEs should be using GenAI
SMEs could hugely benefit from adopting GenAI tools and technologies because they remove the burden of those tedious, repetitive tasks that nobody really wants to do, paving the way for more creative endeavours.
GenAI is perfect for automating routine processes like data entry, report generation and customer service enquiries, all of which can be time-consuming. Leveraging AI allows your company to streamline this type of task, meaning that your teams can focus on the more strategic aspects of their workload, thus driving growth and innovation on both an individual and business level.
Cutting down on the more monotonous tasks can lead to greater employee satisfaction, which could contribute to a more competitive and dynamic working environment.
How to integrate GenAI into your existing systems
Integrating GenAI into your existing systems and workload requires a considered approach if you want it to have a lasting impact on your business. Here are some important steps to take to integrate it successfully:
Identify your business needs
Start by assessing the specific challenges or opportunities where GenAI could be beneficial for your teams. For example, would it be useful to automate customer service processes, generate marketing assets or find a way to analyse large datasets? Once you’ve identified these needs, set clear goals on what you’d like to achieve by introducing AI for these purposes. It could be as simple as improving efficiency, reducing costs or even enhancing customer experience.
Choose your AI tools
Based on your business needs, look for AI platforms that provide generative capabilities and make sure they can integrate with your current CRM and CMS. Popular options include OpenAI and Google’s AI tools.
Upskill your team
It’s well worth investing in training programs and workshops to familiarise your teams with the concepts and tools within your chosen GenAI system, and encourage them to share their knowledge and experience as they learn. This will help to create a collaborative environment where everyone can contribute.
Monitor and optimise your tools
Once you’ve fully integrated your GenAI tools, make sure you monitor their performance and how they impact your business. It’s also important to gather feedback from your team and customers to understand what’s working well, and what needs improvement. Then you can adjust your applications accordingly.
Common challenges and misconceptions
GenAI adoption in the workplace doesn’t come without challenges. One common misconception is that implementing AI is expensive, a concern that often puts SMEs off taking the leap. Many businesses also worry that integrating AI requires a lot of technical expertise, not to mention the concern that AI could replace human jobs. All of these factors lead to resistance among employees and decision-makers alike.
The reality, however, is less daunting. Where cost is concerned, many AI solutions are affordable and subscription-based, which makes them more accessible for smaller businesses. There are also several user-friendly AI tools that employees can easily be trained to use, offering an opportunity to upskill current teams rather than hire specialised staff.
Other challenges with GenAI adoption include data privacy concerns, as models tend to require large amounts of data, and the integration process itself, which can be complex and require significant change management. The key to addressing these challenges lies in proper training and choosing scalable GenAI solutions that align with your business needs.
UpSkill your teams in the use of GenAI
The idea of getting your teams onboard with GenAI adoption might seem daunting, but by providing the best possible training, you can boost their confidence and help them automate those tedious, manual tasks in favour of more creative and strategic working practices.
At UpSkill Universe, we help companies boost their productivity with AI through personalised learning experiences. Using the latest technologies, we make sure all learners receive the most engaging learning experience possible.
Our people-centric approach to AI skills training includes practical tools and frameworks that are tailored to specific roles and day-to-day tasks, offering a bespoke way of upskilling your team.
Keen to learn more? Book a meeting to find out how we can help your team unlock their potential with AI.
