Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing business operations across the board. From optimizing tasks and improving customer engagement to driving growth and boosting profits, AI applications fundamentally alter how businesses function (and make money). Whether it's product development, data analysis, content creation, or marketing, AI boosts productivity, efficiency, and scalability, giving us a glimpse into the future of business.
While AI won't magically solve all problems overnight, it’s a powerful tool that enhances our capabilities, reduces costs, and unlocks new opportunities. Investing time to understand and leverage AI can bring significant benefits, complementing human efforts with precision and insight.
Here are a few quick links to find the AI business use-case that aligns most with you:
Quick links to AI business applications
So, what are the ways businesses use AI to make money?
1. Transform customer engagement with AI-powered tools
With AI’s foray into the business world, the term ‘customer engagement’ has taken on a new dimension. Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all marketing; we’re now in an era of AI-powered tools that understand and anticipate your customers' needs. These generative AI technologies are transforming digital marketing, making every interaction an opportunity to deepen the relationship with your audience.
Imagine virtual assistants engaging with customers, providing instant responses to queries, and managing complex tasks like creating digital art or writing software code—all in real-time. These AI chatbots aren’t just about efficiency; they’re a leap toward a future where AI enriches every aspect of the customer experience. As the AI gold rush continues, businesses are rapidly adopting these tools, integrating general AI assistance seamlessly into websites and platforms.
Incorporating AI into customer engagement strategies isn’t just about embracing new technology. It’s about leveraging machine learning algorithms and business intelligence to extract insights from customer data, enabling predictive analytics that transform how businesses interact with their target audience. It’s about automating repetitive tasks to free up human workers for more creative and strategic roles while ensuring high levels of employee engagement that drive the business forward. The result? A symbiotic relationship where business and technology work hand in hand to create unforgettable customer experiences.
2. Enhance data analysis and insights
Data is the new currency in the digital age, and AI is the astute banker making sense of it all. Machine learning, a subset of artificial intelligence, excels at analyzing data, turning vast amounts of raw information into actionable insights. It’s like having a crystal ball that predicts future trends and offers a roadmap on how to navigate them.
Imagine harnessing the power of deep learning, with its complex neural networks, to understand intricate patterns within data that the human eye could never catch. These machine learning algorithms work tirelessly in the background, providing accurate diagnoses of business health and enabling businesses to:
Make swift and informed decisions based on predictive analytics
Identify trends and patterns that may not be immediately apparent
Optimize processes and improve efficiency
Personalize customer experiences
Detect anomalies and potential risks
Automate repetitive tasks
By leveraging deep learning and machine learning algorithms, businesses can gain valuable insights and stay ahead in today’s data-driven world.
AI reporting goes beyond mere number crunching; it’s about presenting data in a way that makes sense. Natural language processing translates complex data into narratives and digestible performance dashboards. With powerhouses like RapidMiner, DataRobot, and Domino at the helm, companies find that their data analysis and business intelligence efforts are more efficient and precise, enabling a strategic advantage that was once out of reach.
3. Automate repetitive tasks in business processes
Efficiency is the watchword in today’s business climate, and AI is the key to unlocking it. By automating repetitive tasks, AI plays a crucial role in reducing human error, thereby streamlining processes that once bogged down productivity. From data entry to code writing, AI is reshaping the landscape of business operations, making tasks faster and improving data quality.
Consider the role of machine learning algorithms in business applications:
They’re not just tools for data processing; they’re the architects of a more efficient future.
With their ability to recognize patterns and validate data, these algorithms are elevating quality control to new heights, including implementing computer vision.
Intelligent data capture systems enable businesses to extract relevant data from various sources, minimizing errors and reducing the need for manual intervention.
This innovation extends to virtual assistants and AI chatbots, revolutionizing the complex process of maintaining consistency and integrity in business strategies.
AI’s impact goes beyond the digital realm with practical applications in automating manual tasks, such as:
Warehouses where virtual assistants guide logistics
Design studios where generative AI assists with digital art creation
Companies like JPMorgan Chase using virtual assistants like COiN to automate intricate back-office operations
These examples prove that AI’s potential in business processes is as boundless as beneficial.
4. Leverage AI for personalized marketing strategies
The digital marketing landscape is undergoing a seismic shift, with AI at the forefront of this transformation. Personalization is the new mantra, and AI is the maestro conducting this symphony of tailored content, adapting marketing messages in real-time to resonate with each unique individual. By scrutinizing customer data, AI can unearth preferences and buying behaviors, allowing for precision targeting that feels less like a sales pitch and more like a conversation.
This shift from generic to highly personalized strategies is not just a subtle change—it’s a revolution. AI-driven marketing is redefining how businesses interact with their audience. With tools like generative AI, companies can craft a variety of content, from blog articles to social media posts, each piece fine-tuned to the nuances of its intended audience. Brands like Coca-Cola are already embracing platforms like Albert to fine-tune their advertising campaigns, ensuring each dollar spent maximizes its potential.
AI’s marketing prowess extends beyond content creation to strategic ad placement. By harnessing machine learning algorithms, AI enhances the ad delivery process on social platforms, analyzing engagement data to optimize placement and timing. This is how businesses are not only reaching their target audience but also engaging them in a way that translates into tangible results. It’s a clear demonstration of AI's business value, affirming that when it comes to marketing campaigns, AI is the secret ingredient for success.
5. Improve financial operations with AI systems
The financial sector is reaping the benefits of AI’s analytical prowess. With applications ranging from predictive modeling to fraud detection, AI is not just improving financial operations—it’s revolutionizing them. For individual and institutional investors alike, AI is the compass guiding their decision-making, the tool that helps them confidently navigate the often-tumultuous waters of the stock market.
When it comes to risk assessment, AI is a vigilant guardian, constantly on the lookout for unusual patterns and behaviors that may indicate fraudulent activity. Its machine learning algorithms are the ever-watchful eyes, tirelessly scanning transaction data to ensure the security of financial operations. AI systems are crucial in managing risk and compliance, streamlining financial processes, and reducing operational costs. These are not just small improvements, they're transformative changes that position businesses for a future where precision and foresight are the keys to success.
Moreover, its implications stretch beyond the high-stakes world of finance. The practical implications of AI extend to everyday business applications, including:
Automating data entry
Enhancing data security
Safeguarding financial data
Ensuring the integrity of operations
AI is proving to be an indispensable ally for businesses in these areas, especially with the help of an AI tool to leverage AI effectively.
6. Revolutionizing supply chain management with AI applications
Supply chain management is the backbone of any product-based business, and AI is the catalyst for innovation in this domain. By optimizing inventory and production plans, AI ensures that companies are always aware of market fluctuations and consumer demand. Introducing AI into the supply chain is not just an improvement; it’s a complete overhaul of how businesses manage their logistics.
AI tools revolutionize inventory management by tracking product movement and forecasting stocking needs in ways previously deemed impossible. It’s not just about keeping shelves stocked—it’s about automating tasks like sorting and allocating resources, resulting in a well-oiled machine that operates with unprecedented efficiency. Companies like UPS lead by example with their AI-powered logistics platforms, like ORION, which dramatically reduce costs by optimizing delivery routes.
The impact of AI on supply chain management can be quantified in reduced logistics costs, improved inventory levels, and enhanced service levels, with early adopters witnessing significant benefits. Additionally, AI tools offer a level of supply chain visibility that was once unattainable, providing businesses with insights that go beyond tracking orders to understand the intricacies of their supply chain truly. In times of disruption, AI’s ability to simulate different strategies can be the difference between a swift recovery and a prolonged struggle.
7. Use AI in human resources for better workforce management
Human Resources is ripe for AI's transformative power. AI streamlines HR processes from recruitment to payroll, making departments more efficient and effective. In the hiring process, AI elevates efficiency by scanning resumes, sending outreach letters, and analyzing video interviews to identify the best candidates, as seen with Unilever’s use of HireVue.
AI’s influence in HR extends beyond hiring. It enhances day-to-day operations like payroll processing and benefits administration, providing employees with a seamless experience and helping businesses navigate complex healthcare policies. Additionally, AI boosts employee engagement by identifying workflow issues and facilitating feedback collection, fostering a more dynamic and responsive work environment.
The role of AI in workforce management is multifaceted, touching every aspect of HR, from performance management to skill gap analysis and employee onboarding. By employing AI, businesses are not just improving efficiency; they’re enhancing the human experience within the workplace, ensuring that the company and its employees grow together in a symbiotic relationship.
8. AI in IT operations: AIOps for enhanced performance
As businesses grow more reliant on technology, the importance of efficient IT operations cannot be overstated. AIOps, or Artificial Intelligence for IT Operations, stands at the intersection of technology and innovation. It uses AI and machine learning to revolutionize how IT systems are managed. By analyzing data in real-time, AIOps offers actionable insights and predictive analytics that keep systems running smoothly and efficiently.
Incorporating AIOps into IT operations goes beyond maintaining infrastructure to enhancing it. AIOps frees IT teams to focus on strategic initiatives that drive business growth by automating routine tasks such as data backups and workload scheduling. With machine learning models predicting potential issues before they occur, system reliability is greatly improved, ensuring businesses can operate without the fear of unexpected downtime.
Embracing AIOps is a visionary step that unifies diverse IT components into a cohesive environment, offering a level of visibility and performance monitoring that was once unimaginable. It’s a testament to the transformative power of AI in business, demonstrating how artificial intelligence is not just a tool for the business but an integral part of it.
9. AI-powered content generation for business growth
Content is king in the digital world, and AI is the power behind the throne. AI-powered content generation tools, like innovative AI writing tools, make the content creation process exponentially more efficient. They can generate high-quality content in a fraction of the time it would take manually, including written content and AI-generated art that captivates audiences visually. For businesses, this means a direct path to increased content marketing success and a higher return on investment, with 82% of companies reporting success after integrating AI tools into their content strategies.
The advantages of AI in content generation go far beyond efficiency. AI helps small business owners improve their SEO performance by identifying content gaps and clustering keywords, ensuring their websites rank high in search engine results. Tools like ContentShake AI can create optimized content in seconds, integrating relevant target keywords automatically for maximum impact.
AI's contribution to business strategies transcends content generation to the development of robust content marketing strategies. By scrutinizing the target audience, product, and marketing objectives, AI can propose action plans that harmonize with real-world market trends, equipping businesses with a roadmap to seize their audience's attention and foster growth.
Real-world success stories with AI-integrated products
AI integration has proven to be a game-changer for many businesses, leading to substantial improvements in efficiency, revenue, and customer satisfaction. Here are a few compelling examples of how companies have leveraged solutions like Fullstory's behavioral data platform to achieve remarkable success:
Chipotle
Chipotle's analytics team utilized AI-driven session replay technology to uncover a service error affecting a small group of customers during the order completion process. Despite its infrequency, this error led to significant revenue loss when considering Chipotle's entire customer base.
The team prioritized a fix by replicating and analyzing the issue, reclaiming over 70% of the lost revenue. Additionally, by tracking gaps in individual store inventories, Chipotle stressed the importance of item availability, resulting in an immediate decrease in unavailable items and a notable increase in mobile customer conversions.
Results:
71.5% of lost revenue reclaimed
3,500+ increase in mobile customer conversions
Read the full story here.
Gap Inc.
Gap Inc. faced the challenge of maintaining performance and monitoring issues across its custom-built online shopping experiences. Gap Inc. could swiftly diagnose and resolve site issues by gaining real-time troubleshooting capabilities, even outside standard business hours. This efficient issue resolution saved valuable time and revenue. The seamless integration of AI-powered insights into their existing tech stack enabled Gap Inc. to prioritize fixes efficiently and enhance overall operational efficiency.
Results:
10% time saved for the digital operations team
12 minutes faster session visibility compared to competitors
200 active internal users of the behavioral data platform
Read the full story here.
Carvana
Carvana, a leading e-commerce platform for buying and selling used cars, aimed to enhance site performance and user experience without compromising functionality. By leveraging AI-driven insights and conducting A/B tests, Carvana optimized critical site features, leading to a significant lift in user engagement and business performance. Their efforts resulted in a substantial increase in checkouts and incremental business gains.
Results:
5% lift in cars reserved for checkout
8-14 million unique monthly visitors with no impact on site performance
$10+ million in incremental business from cost optimizations
Read the full story here.
Getting ready for AI: revolutionizing business operations for growth and efficiency.
Integrating AI into business operations isn't just an upgrade—it's a strategic necessity. AI drives growth and efficiency across all sectors by boosting productivity, personalizing customer engagement, and delivering actionable insights. We've explored the power of AI-ready behavioral data, showing how AI can transform data analysis and product development to enhance user experiences and optimize business processes.
Whether you're a data leader or head of product development, embracing AI today positions your company for unparalleled efficiency and competitive advantage. Lean into AI as it evolves, and watch its ability to transform business operations, enhance customer experiences, streamline processes, and drive profitability.
Embrace AI, harness its potential, and watch it redefine your business landscape, creating new success opportunities. The AI journey is just beginning, and the possibilities are endless.
