AI doesn't replace people. In small businesses, it does the things no one wants to do.
I've implemented AI solutions for clients with teams of 3 to 20 people. Nothing magical: practical automations that free up real time every week.
What actually works
Automatic replies to contact requests A customer sends a message on the site at 10pm. Usually they wait until the next morning. With an AI assistant, they get a useful reply in 30 seconds: hours, prices, availability. And they already feel looked after.
Lead qualification Not all contacts are the same. An AI system can ask the first questions, work out whether the potential customer is a good fit, and pass only the qualified ones to the sales team. Less wasted time, more conversations that make sense.
Automatic summaries and reporting Meetings, emails, data from different software. Aggregating information by hand is boring and slow. With n8n connected to your tools, reports arrive ready to go.
Appointment management Booking a call or an appointment shouldn't take 4 emails. A system integrated with your calendar removes the back-and-forth and reduces no-shows.
What doesn't work
AI doesn't fix broken processes. If your business has organizational problems, adding automation on top doesn't help: it only makes things worse.
It works when there's already a process running, but one that takes too much manual time to carry out.
If you have a repetitive process that eats up hours every week, it can probably be automated. Tell me about it.