AI For The Non-Technical Business Owner
Welcome to TechPulse, the podcast that makes technology accessible for everyday business owners. I'm your host, Nury, coming to you from PulsePoint Media Atelier in beautiful Norwalk, Connecticut. Today we are tackling a topic that might seem intimidating but is revolutionizing small businesses everywhere, artificial intelligence. But don't worry, I'm breaking it down in plain English, no tech degree required. Before we dive in, I want to remind our listeners that we are recording in our Round table Hub Studio, one of the three professional podcast spaces we offer here at PulsePoint Media.
Nury:If you have been thinking about starting your own podcast or video content, stick around until the end for a special offer for first time clients. When I talk to business owners here in Norwalk and throughout Connecticut, I hear the same concern over and over. I know AI could help my business, but I don't know where to start. If that sounds familiar, you are in the right place. Let's start by demystifying what AI actually means for a small business owner.
Nury:Forget the science fiction robots. Think of AI as a smart assistant that can handle repetitive tasks, analyze data, and help you make better decisions. It's not about replacing humans. It's about freeing us to focus on the creative and strategic work that only we can do. Let me share a personal story from my own experience.
Nury:Before launching PulsePoint Media, I worked as a real estate agent and I remember feeling completely overwhelmed by the administrative burden. What I thought would be an exciting career helping people find their dream homes quickly turned into drowning in paperwork and tasks. My typical day involves searching properties for possible listings, contacting homeowners and sellers, writing content for marketing materials, scheduling viewings, following up with leads, and trying to stay on top of market trends, all while attempting to provide personalized service to my clients. So I was losing all the excitement that being a real estate agent should bring because I was buried in administrative work. Now imagine if I had access to the AI tools available today.
Nury:I could have automated property searches based on client criteria, use AI writing assistant to draft compelling property descriptions in minutes, implemented automated follow-up sequences for leads, and had a scheduling system that coordinated with clients without endless back and emails. The difference would have been transformative. Instead of feeling constantly behind and stressed, I could have focus on building relationships with clients and providing the human touch that truly matters in real estate. Here in Connecticut, we are seeing entrepreneurs who are planning a podcast to guide newcomers to The US using AI to research topics, create outlines, and even generate show notes, all while maintaining their unique voices and perspective. The business that successfully adopt AI shares some common traits.
Nury:They start small with specific problems to solve. They focus on tools that integrate with their existing workflows and they maintain the human touch in customer facing interactions. Many of you might be worried about the learning curve. Here is the good news. Today's AI tools are designed for non technical users.
Nury:You don't need to understand how the technology works anymore than you need to understand how your car engine works to drive to work. Start with one specific task that takes up too much of your time. Maybe it's email management, appointment scheduling, or content creation. Look for tools specifically designed for that task, and most will offer templates and tutorials to get you started. Of course, we need to talk about using AI responsibly.
Nury:Here are some guidelines to follow. First, be transparent with your customers about where and how you are using AI. If they are interacting with an AI chatbot rather than a person, make that clear. Second, always review AI generated content before publishing it. While these tools are impressive, they can make mistakes or miss nuances that you will catch.
Nury:Third, ,protect your customers' data, make sure any AI tool you use have strong privacy policies and security measures in place. And finally, use AI to enhance your human touch, not replace it. The most successful businesses use AI to handle routine tests so they can spend more time building meaningful relationships with customers. Before we go into the tech tip of the week, I want to know that any specific brands, apps, or services mentioned in this episode are shared as example to provide you with a starting point for your own research.
Nury:Technology options change rapidly and what works for one business may not be ideal for another. I encourage you to thoroughly research any tool before implementing it in your business, compare multiple options, and consider your specific needs and budget. PulsePoint Media Atelier does not receive compensation for mentioning these products and services nor do we guarantee their performance or results. If you are just getting started with AI, I recommend beginning with content assistance tools such as ChatGPT or Claude, etc. These versatile tools can help with everything from drafting emails to generating ideas to summarizing loan documents.
Nury:They are user friendly, often have free versions to start with, and can save you hours each week on writing and research tasks. It's time for our tech tip of the week. Today I'm going to walk you through setting up your AI assistant for customer inquiries using a specific platform called Chatfuel. Imagine this, You're running your business and after hours, customers are still sending questions through your website. Instead of losing those potential clients and making them wait until morning, an AI assistant can provide immediate responses.
Nury:Here's how to set up one in just three simple steps. Step one: Visit chatfuel.com and sign up for a free account. Once you log in, you'll see a dashboard with an option to create a new bot. Click that button and select Website Chat from the options provided. Step two.
Nury:On the next screen, you'll see a Templates section. Select customer service from the category list, then choose the after hours assistant template. This gives you a pre built framework that you can customize for your business. Step three: you'll need to personalize your assistant. In the knowledge base section, you'll find spaces to add FAQs, also known as frequently asked questions.
Nury:Add at least five common questions your customers ask, along with detailed answers. For example, what are your business hours? Or how do I book an appointment? Once you have added your Q and A's, meaning questions and answers, click publish in the top right corner. The final step is to integrate this with your website.
Nury:What Chatfuel makes this simple with a code snippet you can copy and paste into your site. If you are not comfortable with this technical step, you can always reach out to your web developer or use one of the Chatfuel's direct integrations with platforms like WordPress or Shopify. And just like that, you just set up an AI assistant that can handle basic customer questions where you are not available. The before and after difference is dramatic. Before, potential customers might leave your site when they don't get immediate answers.
Nury:The after, they receive helpful information instantly, making them more likely to do business with you when you are back in the office. Here at PulsePoint Media with CND's work firsthand. One of our frequent clients has implemented this exact system for his remote podcast events and he reports increase in booking conversions from after hours inquiries. Now let's talk about some specific ways I'm personally using AI tools right now in my business at PulsePoint Media Atelier. For content creation, I've been leveraging AI to help generate blog post ideas, create engaging social media content, and decide promotional graphics.
Nury:This has been a game changer, for me at least, as a studio owner who needs to maintain an active online presence without a dedicated marketing team. For market analysis, I've been using AI tools to analyze our business performance, identify trends in studio bookings, and gather insights about what's working well and what could be improved. This data driven approach has helped me make more informed decisions about our service offerings and pricing strategy. For business development, AI has been instrumental in helping me brainstorm new growth opportunities, refine our value proposition, and identify potential partnerships in the Norwalk area. This strategic support has opened doors I might not have considered on my own.
Nury:For marketing optimization, I've been using AI to enhance our social media strategy, improve our email campaigns, and create more engaging visual content. The ability to quickly generate and test different marketing approaches has significantly increased our reach and engagement. These AI powered solutions have transformed how I run PulsePoint Media, allowing me to operate more efficiently while still maintaining the personal touch that our clients value. Instead of spending hours on administrative tasks, I can focus on what I do best, which is helping clients create amazing podcasts and video content in our studios. One of our post production specialists has been exploring AI tools for audio enhancement and transcription.
Nury:For business owners who might be recording content on their phones or in less than ideal environments, our specialist recommends starting with a good microphone then using AI enhancement tools to refine the audio quality. This combination delivers the best results for one of our frequent clients who recently recorded a fascinating podcast discussions about alternative history scenarios about Nixon and the gold standard in 1971. As we wrap up today's episode on AI for non technical business owners, let me leave you with a few key takeaways. AI is not just for tech companies. It's a practical tool that can help any business save time, reduce cost, and improve customer experiences.
Nury:you don't need technical expertise to get started. Today's AI tools are designed to be user friendly and often include templates and tutorials. start small with one specific task or problem. Then expand as you gain confidence. And finally, remember that AI is meant to enhance your human touch, not replace it.
Nury:The most successful implementations use AI to handle routine tasks so you can focus on building relationships and providing value that only a human can. If you're thinking about studying your own podcast or creating professional video content, I'd love to invite you to tour our studios here in Norwalk, Connecticut. We have three fully equipped spaces designed for different type of content creation and our team, Chris, Luigi and myself are here to support you every step of the way. Currently, we are offering 15% of your booking and will be thrilled to help you bring your content ideas to life. To schedule a tour or book a session, visit us at pulsepoint-studios.us or email us at info@pulsepoint-studios.us
Nury:All our services are available by appointment only, and we offer both English and Spanish support, plus on-site parking, free Wi Fi, and wheelchair accessibility. Join us next week when we'll explore content creation revolution, AI tools for marketing. Until then, I'm Nouri, and this has been Tech Pulse, where we make technology work for you, not the other way around.