Great question! AI can definitely streamline tasks for small business owners, though our recent survey found that nearly 60% don’t use it. For those who are interested in using AI, here are some that can make a difference: Virtual assistants: Tools like Siri, Alexa or Google Assistant can manage schedules, set reminders and control smart devices, saving you time. AI chatbots: Platforms like Manychat or Tidio handle repetitive customer inquiries, freeing up your time for more complex interactions. Data analysis tools: IBM Watson or Google Looker Studio help make sense of your data with visual reports and actionable insights. Document processing: AI tools automate tasks like invoice processing, reducing manual errors and improving efficiency. Expense trackers: Tools like Expensify streamline financial tracking and organize expenses with ease. Meeting assistants: Apps like Otter.ai record and transcribe meetings, ensuring you focus on what matters during discussions. Insurance solutions: For those in industries requiring Certificates of Insurance (COIs), companies like NEXT have tools that generate COIs instantly, helping you land jobs or submit bids faster. NEXT’s survey shows that small business owners primarily use AI for marketing, customer service and scheduling. If you’re just getting started, focus on tools that address your most time-consuming tasks. We recently had a discussion about it over in another sub: https://www.reddit.com/r/NextInsurance/comments/1ibjxco/2024_survey_data_how_small_businesses_use_ai/ Answer from MattfromNEXT on reddit.com
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Zapier
zapier.com › app picks › best apps
The best AI productivity tools in 2026 | Zapier
February 15, 2023 - Zapier is built to help your tools and AI work together seamlessly across 8,000+ apps. It's a hub that lets you do everything from analyzing business data with AI to creating entire automated systems that react instantly (and intelligently) ...
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/entrepreneur › what are the best ai tools that actually help your business?
r/Entrepreneur on Reddit: What are the best AI tools that ACTUALLY help your business?
March 28, 2024 -

Looking for suggestions for some decent AI tools that actually help increase productivity! Besides the standard ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Midjurney, etc. I'll get the ball rolling-

I recently came across a pretty useful tool on this sub called https://www.talonic.ai/ it basically lets you talk to your database. You can upload a bunch of spreadsheets and ask questions to generate insights or combine certain data into 1 spreadsheet through prompts. I've seen a couple versions of this concept before, but the issue I faced was that the AI would hallucinate a lot with the large amounts of data I threw at it, which hasn't happened here yet. They also surf and get you internet data through prompts but i haven't utilised that feature a lot.

Not sponsored or anything- just something which actually ended up increasing our productivity! Would love to hear about similar tools you're using for your businesses!

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Great question! AI can definitely streamline tasks for small business owners, though our recent survey found that nearly 60% don’t use it. For those who are interested in using AI, here are some that can make a difference: Virtual assistants: Tools like Siri, Alexa or Google Assistant can manage schedules, set reminders and control smart devices, saving you time. AI chatbots: Platforms like Manychat or Tidio handle repetitive customer inquiries, freeing up your time for more complex interactions. Data analysis tools: IBM Watson or Google Looker Studio help make sense of your data with visual reports and actionable insights. Document processing: AI tools automate tasks like invoice processing, reducing manual errors and improving efficiency. Expense trackers: Tools like Expensify streamline financial tracking and organize expenses with ease. Meeting assistants: Apps like Otter.ai record and transcribe meetings, ensuring you focus on what matters during discussions. Insurance solutions: For those in industries requiring Certificates of Insurance (COIs), companies like NEXT have tools that generate COIs instantly, helping you land jobs or submit bids faster. NEXT’s survey shows that small business owners primarily use AI for marketing, customer service and scheduling. If you’re just getting started, focus on tools that address your most time-consuming tasks. We recently had a discussion about it over in another sub: https://www.reddit.com/r/NextInsurance/comments/1ibjxco/2024_survey_data_how_small_businesses_use_ai/
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Jasper helps a lot to our content writer, and Sintra ai connects data from different sources like CRM, analytics, and outreach tools, then gives insights through its bots. Super usefull for reporting and spot trends faster.
People also ask

What are AI tools for small businesses?
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mailmodo.com
mailmodo.com › home › guides › ai tools for small businesses
32 Best AI Tools for Small Businesses to Thrive Smarter in 2025
Are AI tools cost-effective for small businesses?
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mailmodo.com
mailmodo.com › home › guides › ai tools for small businesses
32 Best AI Tools for Small Businesses to Thrive Smarter in 2025
How can AI tools improve efficiency in small businesses?
AI tools improve efficiency and boost productivity by automating repetitive tasks, providing data-driven insights, and facilitating better decision-making. For example, email marketing tools can generate campaigns quickly, while customer service chatbots can handle inquiries 24/7, allowing teams to focus on strategic initiatives rather than mundane tasks.
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32 Best AI Tools for Small Businesses to Thrive Smarter in 2025
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theneuron.ai › top-tools
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The best content tool for most businesses. ... A content writer built for enterprises. ... Long-form video to short-form video in one go. ... Turn good writing into a good podcast. ... The most conversational AI we’ve ever seen.
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September 5, 2023 - A quick round up of some of the best AI tools for business, including everything from image generators to interview practice
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celonis.com › blog › what-ai-tools-do-businesses-use-today
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November 17, 2025 - With Glassix, small businesses and startups can create omnichannel, AI-powered chatbots and deploy those to various channels, ensuring consistent brand voice and tone. ... If you are looking for the best text to video AI tool to help you in converting text into a professional voice-over video, you might want to consider Fliki.
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AI for small businesses: 22 essential tools for real business growth
October 20, 2025 - The free plan includes planning and publishing tools, the landing page builder, and Buffer’s AI Assistant for up to three social media channels. Marketers can also schedule 10 posts at a time per channel, which is amazing for a free plan. Best for: Solos and small teams on 1-3 channels. Price: Free plan available. What I like: It’s so affordable. If you’re a small business, you’re likely not on all the social media platforms.
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July 30, 2025 - Arguably, the one tool that sparked this AI revolution, the conversational AI chatbot, can be used for a wide variety of business needs. It responds to any type of input with impressive speed, and it stands out for its advanced customization abilities as well as coding capabilities. Advanced language generation for writing code, drafting content, analyzing reports, and automating tasks · Memories from past interactions ensure cohesive conversations and best fit needs
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pipedrive.com › blog › 18 top ai tools for business productivity
18 Top AI Tools for Business | Pipedrive
August 1, 2025 - Email is a critical tool for sales collaboration and outreach, but it can also be time-consuming for busy teams. According to a Microsoft study, workers spend an average of 8.8 hours a week reading and writing emails. The AI business tools below help you streamline activities to claw back some of that time. Best for creating sales emails and managing customer and team interactions.
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Synthesia
synthesia.io › home › synthesia blog › the 45 best ai tools for 2025 (tried and tested)
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September 25, 2025 - This is particularly helpful in financial forecasting, where AI can uncover trends better than traditional methods. AI can help customize customer experiences. AI lets businesses tailor their products, services, and communications to customer preferences. This level of customization can greatly improve customer satisfaction and loyalty. AI can lead to cost savings. Though they may require organizations to cough up initial capital, the best AI tools for business have the potential to drastically reduce costs in the long run.
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DigitalOcean
digitalocean.com › resources › articles › ai-tools-in-business
Top AI tools to leverage for business growth | DigitalOcean
It allows data scientists and analysts to easily design and implement complex data workflows and models. Microsoft Power BI: Microsoft Power BI is a business analytics tool that uses AI and machine learning to provide data insights and ...
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10 Best AI Tools for Businesses to Boost Productivity in 2025
November 12, 2025 - Explore 10 powerful AI tools transforming modern businesses with smarter workflows, automation, and better customer engagement.
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500+ Best AI Tools - Complete AI Tools Directory (2025)
3 weeks ago - AI tools can benefit businesses ... and saving costs. ... Some of the best AI tools for businesses include Jasper, GETgenie, Repurpose, and GoHighLevel....
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Quora
quora.com › What-is-the-best-AI-tool-to-help-you-build-a-successful-business
What is the best AI tool to help you build a successful business? - Quora
Answer (1 of 3): Chat GPT Pro is my favorite but it has limitations. I use it to help me find articles or books about certain subjects (let’s say, “immigration law in Portugal”). It gives me more specific recommendations than Google. But I used to use it to review TikTok scripts, and ...
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Luzmo
luzmo.com › home › blog › artificial intelligence › 20+ best ai tools for business in 2025
20+ Best AI Tools for Business in 2025 | Luzmo
October 30, 2025 - It’s a conversational AI you can use to handle keyword and competitor research, so you can understand what’s working for competitors and improve your own approach accordingly. ChatSpot also integrates with HubSpot CRM. It can then turn CRM data into easy-to-follow graphs or charts, add contacts to your list, and more. Softr's AI App Generator allows you to create full stack business apps with just a single prompt. From intranets and client portals to internal tools, watch your ideas transform into fully functional web applications.