AI is facing as much skepticism as it does enthusiasm.
It’s fair to look at the headlines in every newspaper, the repeated lists of distribution use cases we read over and over again, and the scary example of organizations that implemented chatbots that ended up causing harm with inaccurate or damaging material and wonder if it’s really all it’s chalked up to be.
However, when AI is strategically and thoughtfully implemented, it can offer meaningful benefits to any business. If you as a distributor are looking to make a business case for implementing an AI tool, the key to gaining buy-in for AI technology lies in capitalizing on small, manageable areas where AI can quickly prove its worth.
The strategy here is simple: Start small. Focus on deploying AI solutions that solve specific problems or enhance existing processes efficiently. This targeted approach will yield immediate benefits and serve as tangible proof of AI’s potential, helping to build momentum for wider acceptance and implementation across your organization.
These initial successes are what we refer to as “quick wins.” They are crucial because they provide both immediate benefits and they help to establish a track record of success. Both of these are important as you look to encourage wider acceptance of AI tools in your organization.
Here’s what defines these quick wins and why they are so pivotal in the early stages of AI adoption:
- The solution is deployed swiftly, often within weeks or a few months.
- The application delivers measurable and visible improvements in performance, efficiency, cost savings, and other metrics.
- Quick wins typically involve less complex AI models or technologies, making them easier to integrate into existing systems and workflows.
- The project addresses a specific pain point rather than attempting to solve complex, overarching problems.
- There is a clear return on investment (ROI) associated with the implementation, demonstrating the value in a practical and business-oriented manner.
- Stakeholders and end-users experience the benefits firsthand, fostering enthusiasm and support for broader AI initiatives.
Here are some examples of quick wins, and ways that your organization can consider getting started:
AI excels in data entry and processing. This is also a particularly tedious area for human workers, who would prefer to spend their time on more engaging tasks. If you can use AI to automate things like order entries for your sales team, they’ll quickly see the benefits – less time dealing with paperwork, more time working on sales and closing deals – and they’ll be more likely to buy into AI-powered tools moving forward.
Similarly, your customer support teams are probably tired of fielding low-level support needs from customers who are dealing with straightforward issues. Sure, they may be easy to fix, but they add up quickly, and they get in the way of managing higher-level issues that require more attention and sophisticated problem solving.
Without taking on the risk of a chat bot, custom GPTs can serve as an excellent support mechanism, solving most low-level problems quickly, while allowing the individuals on the support team to tweak, modify, and add their own human touch.
AI assistants are also capable of transcribing and taking notes on meetings, generating summaries and memos, drafting emails, and helping determine next steps for a project.
Many AI tools that can help you earn quick wins involve natural language processing and/or robotic process automation, which may not include generative AI tools such as ChatGPT or Copilot.
However, generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot have potential that I am seeing is often untapped in organizations – and that is the ability to get started in a very meaningful way.
For the quickest wins that I have seen implemented in distribution, it is tough to beat giving your team access to a tool like ChatGPT, and here’s why:
- Immediate productivity boost: It has been proven in studies that with ChatGPT, human output goes up. Employees can share use cases, tips and tricks to get more done, and key learnings of what to avoid.
- Low barrier to entry: Unlike many AI solutions that require complex integration and significant upfront investment, ChatGPT can be introduced into existing workflows with a simple monthly cost. This ease of deployment makes it a low-risk, high-reward tool that organizations can start using almost immediately.
- Scalability: As an organization grows, its needs in terms of customer interaction, data handling, and administrative tasks will likely increase. ChatGPT can scale to handle a growing volume of queries and tasks without the need to proportionally increase staff, thus efficiently supporting growth. And as you find those quick wins that you want to operationalize or take in house, you can then look to move that into another tool that may make more sense for you.
- Improving employee satisfaction: People love to create, and ChatGPT is proving to be an extremely good creation tool. By handling mundane and repetitive tasks, ChatGPT allows employees to engage in more meaningful and satisfying work. This can lead to improved job satisfaction, lower turnover rates, and a more motivated workforce.
- CustomGPTs: As your organization seeks to leverage technology for a competitive edge, deploying solutions like what ChatGPT has with CustomGPTs offers distinct advantages such as speed, cost-effectiveness, and a flexible playground for experimentation. These tailored AI solutions adapt to your needs and allow for departments or teams to find opportunities to use gaps that allow for incremental improvements throughout the organization – leading to large-scale improvements overall.
A word of caution as you step into the realm of generative AI: It’s crucial to understand the tool’s limitations from the start. Jumping in without a clear grasp can lead to pitfalls. For instance, using a popular generative AI tool for creating marketing materials without adequate preparation could backfire, producing subpar content that demands more effort to correct than creating from scratch.
The better approach? Equip your team with the knowledge — and experience — to harness AI effectively. Begin by getting started with small use cases, sharing widely, and where possible training your generative AI tools on your existing content to capture the nuances of your brand’s voice and values. This preparation enables your team to know the guidelines of how to navigate this new way of working with AI.
Embarking on your AI journey with preparation and quick-wins in mind allows you to swiftly showcase the value of AI and lay a strong foundation for future growth.
Without quick wins, a hasty, uninformed approach could impede your progress, leading to skepticism and reluctance among your stakeholders.
Remember, the journey to AI mastery is not a sprint but a marathon. Starting with small, manageable projects — quick wins — can build the confidence and support needed to tackle larger challenges over time.
Nick Pericle is the Vice President of Technology Strategy & Solutions at ProfitOptics. Whether Nick is enthusiastically sketching out visions on a whiteboard or intently orchestrating project execution, he's driven by his insatiable passion for innovative tech solutions. Nick is best known for architecting bespoke solutions and spearheading large-scale digital transformation projects, which not only save organizations tens of thousands of efficiency hours but also add millions to their bottom line. With a profound understanding of sectors like distribution, manufacturing, and healthcare, combined with extensive experience across diverse tech stacks and ERP platforms, there's scarcely a challenge he hasn't personally rolled up his sleeves on. Outside the tech realm, Nick is a devoted husband, father of three, and an avid outdoorsman, always eager for the next adventure.