EPISODE 1: AI Automation: What's in it for Your Business? (And 5 Myths Busted)
Rebecca Wilson
Drowning in Admin? Automate & Scale Your Business Without the Overwhelm | Smarter Workflows & AI-Powered Efficiency | 15+ Years in Business Ops | Business Book Lover ?? & New Mum ??
Everything You Need to Know About AI Automation to Get Started- Episode 1/8
What to Expect From This Series
This series will take you from 'not sure' to 'let's go'
Speaking to many business owners, I get it - the world of AI automation is pretty overwhelming and keeps evolving.
"What are the options for a business like mine?"
"How much will it cost?
"Will the quality of my output be affected?
This series will answer all of those questions and many more.
Here is a breakdown of what is in store:
Let's get into it.
What's in it for Your Business?
Why Would You Want to Automate and Integrate AI into Your Business?
Speed
“20% to 30% gains in productivity, speed to market and revenue" PWC
AI automation will improve the speed you can get work done, improve the speed you can deliver to clients, and improve your speed to market.
Money
“more than half of [SMBs already using AI] report financial savings as a result.” Business.com
Not only will you make bottom-line savings by using your resources more efficiently, AI can help you work out how to make more money by analysing your data.
Time
“[AI can] automate work activities that absorb 60%-70% of employees’ time today.” McKinsey
This is the biggie. Business owners are looking to gain time. They are looking to take the boring work off their (and their team's) plates and focus on where they can add value.
Competition
Your AI strategy will put you ahead — or make it hard to ever catch up" PWC
If you don't, your competition will. Hard to mention this point and not sound like I am trying to scare you, but better to be ahead than behind.
5 AI Automation Myths: Busted!
There is always conflicting options and bad advice when something is new (ish).
Is it Ethical?
The questions isn't is AI Automation ethical or not it's how do you plan on using it? For me it could be used either way; it is how we choose to use it that determines whether we are acting ethically or not.
Will the Quality of My Output Suffer?
If you think AI can't perform as well as you, you're probably right. This is the wrong way to look at AI, we aren't expecting it to replace us like for like. We want to understand the most effective parts to delegate in the processes we run in our businesses.
Do I Need to Automate My Whole Business?
It's not an all-or-nothing situation. We can start small, we can start with one process, one task. And in fact, that is what I would recommend doing. Define what you want overall but build and implement one by one.
Will it Cost a Bomb?
I often find it's cheaper than people think. Of course, costs will vary depending on the complexity of the build, but I certainly would never recommend anything to anyone that costs more to run than the savings or gains they made. And I have dissuaded people from automating something when that would have been the case. As with anything you spend money on in business, it is an investment.
Do I Need to Hire an Army of Developers?
Short answer: not anymore! The rise of no-code and low-code platforms make the building of automations and agents accessible. That means you have a lot more choice of who you hire. Or could consider learning yourself.
What's to Come?
Next Time...
...we will be looking at what AI Automation can actually do. The tasks and skills it has and the areas of your business you could consider.
If you just can't wait for the rest of this series,there is a free PDF download that outlines many of the areas we will cover in this series. Head over to https://timewisely.co.uk/from-curious-to-confident to grab it.