All the chatter and AI-related headlines, positive and negative, cause some businesses to wonder if they really should adopt AI despite its useful applications. It’s overwhelming and confusing, so some distributors put AI adoption on the back burner to focus on other priorities.
Those who forge ahead still have concerns. According to a survey of business leaders conducted by LinkedIn and Microsoft, 59% “worry about quantifying the productivity gains of AI.” And even if they do know what path to take, they’re not sure if they have what it takes to reach the destination; according to the same survey, “60% of leaders worry their organization’s leadership lacks a plan and vision to implement AI.”
It’s hard to blame distributors for hesitating to embrace a new type of technology when the hype is this overwhelming. After all, the cost of choosing and implementing the wrong tool or going about implementation the wrong way can be significant. The key is to focus on your people and processes. Look for tools from trusted AI vendors and technology partners that will help the former and improve the latter.
Understanding Your People’s Relationship to AI
Here’s the thing about being hesitant to embrace AI: Your employees are probably already using it. According to the survey, 80% of AI users at small- and medium-sized businesses are bringing their AI tools to work. If you haven’t heard about any of the people at your company using AI, it’s probably because 53% of AI users surveyed are worried that using it on important work tasks will make them look replaceable, and roughly the same percentage are reluctant to admit doing so.
With that in mind, it’s important to start your company’s official AI journey by looking at AI as a tool that isn’t meant to replace people, rather make their jobs easier and help them be more productive. When your employees use AI tools on their own, you miss out on the benefits of using AI strategically and at scale: highly efficient workflows that elevate the business operations of the entire organization.
Targeting the Right Processes with AI
To choose those tools, you first need to understand why people are using AI on their own. According to the survey, they have too many tedious tasks weighing them down: 68% say they struggle with the pace and volume of work, and 46% feel burned out.
For distributors, there are plenty of routine manual tasks, like order entry and inventory management that can be automated with AI, freeing up employees to focus on higher-value processes — which can be improved with AI, too. For example, sales reps can use AI recommendations to prioritize prospects and contact them at the ideal time. Recent studies have shown AI tools capable of processing and analyzing more data than a human ever could by vastly improving inventory and demand forecasting. For any AI-enhanced process, humans will still need to be involved. AI just gives them a head start and uses data to narrow down the scope to something more manageable.
Distributors should start by asking for input from their people on what processes are bogging them down and how they could be improved.
Finding a Trusted AI Vendor
Even though AI seems like the new kid in town, the top developers of AI-powered business tools have familiar names. Gartner’s magic quadrant analysis of Cloud AI developers shows three top “Leaders” with a complete AI vision and the ability to execute that vision: Microsoft, AWS and Google.
(OpenAI – maker of ChatGPT who is considered a Visionary by Gartner – provides the foundation for many of today’s top AI tools. But reliable software giants generally develop those tools.)
All three leaders offer business AI tools, and distributors should explore their offerings and see what looks like the best fit for the process-based needs of their employees, as well as what will produce the most business value. Some things to consider:
- Microsoft and Google will be the most familiar to the average user, as they’ve introduced highly visible tools like Copilot and Gemini. There’s a solid chance your employees are already using them.
- AWS’s tools are less known to laypeople, but their ability to scale is worth investigating for distributors that are growing quickly.
- Of the three, Microsoft has by far the biggest legacy of developing enterprise software, which their AI tools are built upon.
When searching for a vendor, look for an AI roadmap that explains the vendor’s approach and their software’s applications, such as Microsoft’s AI Strategy Roadmap. This will give you a better sense of whether the vendor would be a good fit for your business, and whether their offerings are built to address your specific needs and goals.
Don’t Let the Hype Turn You Off
Implementing AI-powered tools may feel like a big mountain to climb, but if you take a well-considered approach, the view from the summit will be worth it. The key is to just go one step at a time, starting with your people and processes. You may want to set up an AI Committee to set the AI strategy for the company.
Of course, you don’t have to make the climb alone. A trustworthy technology partner can help you through the entire process, from the initial search for the right tools to gaining widespread adoption from your team. Companies must develop policies and best practices for using AI, and that starts with choosing tools and platforms that will put your employees in a position to succeed.
AI is here to stay. The benefits greatly outweigh the risks. When will you take the first step?
David Wiernik is a sales executive for Enavate, an industry-leading Microsoft Partner that helps distributors get to the cloud, maximize technology investments and drive new business. He has more than 25 years of experience in the ERP software industry. He specializes in Microsoft products and services for manufacturers, distributors and retailers, with a dedicated focus on facilitating seamless digital transformation for his clients.