AP News — Another Look at SMB AI Adoption

TL;DR

• AI continues gaining ground in SMB operations with practical wins.
• Efficiency and reach are common outcomes across use cases.
• Pilot and measure before scaling.

Highlights

• Shares additional examples of practical adoption across content, support, and analytics.
• Time savings and steadier outreach are early proof points; governance eases risk.
• Owners who publish simple metrics (response time, tests/week) scale responsibly.

Case study anecdote

A café used AI to plan weekly specials posts, answer common messages, and summarize reviews. The owner reports more consistent engagement and fewer after‑hours admin tasks. By introducing a prompt sheet and response‑time KPI, the team reduced inbox backlogs and focused hours on service quality.

Guidance for SMBs

• Use a weekly “AI hour” to draft content and analyze performance; refine prompts as results come in.
• Track first‑response time, click‑through, and AOV; prune low‑value steps.
• Keep a “what we tested” log to capture learnings and standardize winning prompts.
• Limit data inputs to reduce privacy risk; keep humans in the loop for approvals.

Lessons & metrics

• Regular cadence compounds results; consistency beats sporadic use.
• Small, well‑scoped pilots reduce risk and clarify ROI.
• Response time and post cadence are leading indicators; conversion and AOV follow.

Learn more

Read the full article: AP News — SMB AI Follow‑Up

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