How Well Do You Trust Your New Friend The Chatbot?
AI Series Part 2
In our previous article, we discussed the key pitfalls and myths surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-driven tools, shedding light on the need for caution in their implementation. If you haven’t read it yet, make sure to catch up to get the complete picture.
As we continue our exploration, we now embark on a captivating journey to discover the delicate balance between small business automation and human touch– a harmonious convergence that has the potential to enhance customer experiences and drive remarkable success in the dynamic plant medicine industry.
Balancing Automation and Human Touch
Business automation is a powerful tool that streamlines processes and promises efficiency by using software to automate repetitive tasks. While automation is extremely helpful in business, it can be a double-edged sword that may unintentionally dehumanize your customer experience if not done correctly.
When you create your marketing strategies, content and customer touchpoints, you should always aim to empathize and humanize your audience and customer base. Hence, there is a need to find a balance between automation and human touch. After all, what are we doing this for if not to connect with people?
As an entrepreneur with nearly two decades of experience installing practical business automation in small business workflows, I understand the allure of streamlining processes. However, it’s crucial to recognize that unless you and your team are well-versed in automation, relying on chatbots and AI processes can take your business ten steps backward.
To put it simply, most small businesses do not have native automation experts widely available within their teams. That’s not to say you aren’t great at what you do and your brand isn’t solid. However, it brings awareness to the fact that relying solely on AI processes is not necessarily the answer to this predicament.
A Warning To The "Do It Yourselfers"
No matter how hard-working or well-meaning your internal team is, automating business systems in a holistic way takes a great amount of time and knowledge. When you factor in identifying, learning and integrating hundreds of key data points, it’s easy to see how the humanizing element of each of these touchpoints can get lost in translation without having a solid plan in place.
And let’s not forget about becoming overwhelmed by data points and the inevitable questions such as– What should we track? What matters? What doesn’t?
This may show up as the introduction of unnecessary steps that your customer has to take to get the answers they need to make a purchase decision. Or show up as dead-end links, poorly written emails, and text messages that are never received.
In the worst case scenario, this can lead to no or slow sales.
If you can relate to anything mentioned above, I have a piece of valuable information for you:
Powerful data points always correlate 1 to 1 with relevant and useful human touchpoints.
In other words, if you can identify a useful data point that’s worth tracking or automating, it must be associated with a key human touch point. Either with key personnel, a prospect, or a customer. Otherwise, it isn’t a relevant data point.
Finding The Rainbow Bridge
The purpose of this article is not to tell you that you and your team can’t implement automation on your own. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. You don’t need to rely on overpriced agencies or self-proclaimed gurus to navigate the complex world of marketing and automation. Your team can fully implement automation as long as you have the right plan.
Here’s a simplified framework that serves as the backbone for automation journeys for any company of any size:
- Clear Brand or Campaign Message
- Traffic Source
- Engaged Prospect/Lead
- CRM
- Databases
- Follow-ups
- Sale/Close
- Deal Flow
- Margin Tracking
- Re-Sell, Referrals & Testimonials
- Repeat
While it may seem complex, automation becomes relatively straightforward when you operate from a proven playbook. What used to require significant financial investment and a team of software engineers can now be accomplished at a fraction of the cost and without the additional tech teams.
Who's On Your Success Team?
So, if you don’t need to spend big bucks and hire outside help, I’m sure you’re wondering what you DO need.
You DO need a solid plan, a proven path and dedicated individuals on your team that are committed to seeing it through.
That’s exactly what you will find at Inner Circle. Inner Circle is a community of builders who understand the nuance and challenges of operating in restricted industries. Here, like-minded entrepreneurs gather to network, exchange invaluable experiences and explore the transformative possibilities like implementing AI tools into your business plan.
By embracing the collective wisdom of the Inner Circle community and leveraging the transformative potential of AI tools, we can unlock unprecedented success in the plant medicine industry.
Next up, we will help you identify the key areas where AI can optimize your operations, elevate customer experiences and fuel growth in the fast-paced world of the plant medicine industry.
Is Inner Circle Right For You?
Kyle Dammann
Kyle Dammann is an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, team builder, and automation expert. After a family member fell into a life-threatening addiction to prescription medication and his own experiences with plant medicine, he decided to dedicate his time and skills to legitimizing and accelerating the birth of the plant medicine industry. Kyle believes that access to nature’s pharmacy is a fundamental human right and that all adults should have safe, reliable access to these proven and safe compounds.
