There’s a lot of hubbub around Artificial Intelligence and the possible benefits it may (or may not) provide SMBs and Startups. To be clear, most of it is well deserved, but there is a lot of misinformation out there. For people who are Tech experts, identifying what is and what is not helpful can be difficult.

Fortunately for the curious Business owners out there, SDI is here with a brief guide on how you can use AI to get better, clearer insights into your SMB or Startup. Here’s the rundown on how AI can help your business make smarter decisions:

• Better risk management. A fully functional AI system learns from your business, delivering clearer, more accurate predictions of what obstacles (or opportunities) your SMB may soon face.

• Full Business Process Management. We covered this in more detail in our last blog post, so take a look at that if you would like to learn more about how AI can unlock the value of Big Data for your business.

• Added and/or improved value to your service or product. Again, true Artificial Intelligence (or at least we know it today) learns from its users, gradually becoming better at predicting their wants. Additionally, AI can use data to anticipate new market trends, putting your business ahead of the competition.

AI, when done correctly can accomplish all of this and more. But there are risks, especially to the non-tech savvy:

1. It can be expensive, especially if you lack a clear and focuses strategy.

The fix: Sit down with your development partner; discuss a clear strategy informed by your industry specific knowledge and the expertise of the developers. For the most part, we recommend putting one person in charge of this strategy. Create clear goals that are achievable, identify what constitutes the completion of said goals, and finally, figure out what metrics you need to study to track your progress. In general, the best person for this job is the business owner.

2. You can be collecting the wrong info, or not studying the right, industry-specific metrics.

In addition to identifying metrics to judge goal progression, you need to figure out what metrics are going to be the ones you should really watch. These metrics should be both general to data analytics, and more specific to your business Figure out if your developer has any experience in your industry, but also make sure you are putting in your opinion. Good developers listen because it helps us identify further possible metrics we can task your AI to study. However you should also keep in mind that good AI will most likely identify other pertinent metrics (again it grows with your business!).

3. Frankly, you could be getting ripped off by half-rate developers.

This is always a risk, but I can tell you that SDI is a globally recognized company with 15 years in business and over 10,000 clients. Honesty is our brand, and premium development is what we offer; that’s probably why 80% of our business is generated by returning customers. While any company can claim honesty here are a few further assurances:

i. Iron-clad NDA. We sign one of these puppies with each of our clients, guaranteeing the safety your proprietary information.

ii. An hour free consultation. Just give us a call (408.805.0495) to talk about your idea. We’ll offer some free helpful suggestions and ideas – whether or not you decided to hire us.

iii. A six month Guarantee. Any bugs, issues, or errors that arise within the first half year we’ll fix. On the house. That’s twice the industry average, by the way.

Smarter Insights

When done intelligently (no pun intended), AI can be the single greatest digital tool available to your business. It can give you clearer insights based on better information, reported on in real time. It can help you better navigate the unforeseen future. Finally, it can figure out what you should be studying, and what the future may hold for your SMB or Startup.

Want to get started? Give SDI a call at 408.805.0495/408.621.8481 – or click to contact us!