🎯 Three Key Pillars of High-ROI AI Implementation

Practical tips to make AI work for your business.

As a small business owner, you’ve probably seen endless “100+ AI prompts for business” lists and been told to “focus AI on your business problems.” Maybe you’ve even tried a few only to discover that double-checking AI’s answers can take more time than doing the task yourself.

These experiences explain why many businesses stumble into “AI Slops.” Harvard Business Review defines it as “AI-generated work content that masquerades as good work, but lacks the substance to meaningfully advance a given task.”

Find below three strategies to avoid “AI Slops” and use AI in an efficient and secure way.

1️⃣ 🪙 Select High-ROI Tasks for AI Automation

The biggest mistake many owners make is jumping into AI with urgent, high-stakes tasks.

Why is it a mistake?

🔑First, AI makes errors called hallucinations. Statistically, one out of four responses of Chatbots like ChatGPT are wrong. Verifying AI errors can take longer than doing the task yourself. To avoid unnecessary work, choose low-risk tasks that need minimal oversight.

🔑Second, AI performs best as an assistant trained on your data. To leverage AI’s true potential, target areas with plenty of structured, non-confidential information.

🔑Third, to maximize ROI you need to focus effort on repeatable processes instead one-off activities. For example, customer feedback analysis is a far better candidate than drafting a regulatory response.

🔑Fourth, AI lacks emotional intelligence. Let it handle routine triage or correspondence, while you manage sensitive or client-facing interactions.

In summary, one of the most common mistakes when implementing AI in business is starting with what you want to automate.

Instead, flip your approach. Begin by understanding what AI can handle well with minimal human oversight. Don’t force AI into roles it’s not suited for.

Focus your AI on:

• Low-risk, low-complexity tasks
• Repetitive, frequent activities
• Areas with plenty of structured, non-confidential data
• Work that doesn’t require emotional intelligence

✨ Examples of potentially high-ROI AI use cases:

• Customer Feedback Analysis: Let AI comb through reviews, surveys, and support tickets to find trends and patterns.
• Invoice Error Management: Use AI to flag duplicate invoices or mismatched amounts before they hit your accounting system.
• Demand Forecasting: Predict seasonal demand shifts by analyzing sales data.

By starting with these types of tasks, you’ll build expertise gradually as the technology advances and your confidence grows.

2️⃣ 🧑‍💻 Do: Use Customization and Build Processes

Many entrepreneurs treat AI like Google Search. That’s a missed opportunity.

AI’s advantage isn’t in being a better search tool. It’s in acting like as your personal assistant.

Here’s how to make that shift:

• Start with one or two tools.  Begin with something versatile like ChatGPT before experimenting with multiple platforms.
• Dedicate it to business use only. Keep your AI account focused on work tasks to ensure consistent results.
• Customize your AI. Adjust tone, style, and behavior in Settings. Connect AI chatbot with apps like Gmail, Drive, or Slack and other available applications.
• Use Project Folders: Store SOPs, templates, examples and data in dedicated project folders so your AI can follow your processes.
• Give AI feedback: Start with simple tasks and review AI deliverables. Correct mistakes and update uploaded SOPs in project folders.

Over time, you’ll discover exactly where AI helps and where it doesn’t, so you can expand gradually.

3️⃣ 🔒 Do: Provide Proper Governance

Think of AI not just as a tool, but as a new hire. You wouldn’t bring on a team member without onboarding them, training them on compliance, and monitoring their performance. The same goes for AI.

Here’s what that looks like:

• Ethical Safeguards: Remember Air Canada’s chatbot fiasco? A bot gave wrong fare advice, and the company had to pay compensation. As a business owner, you’re responsible for understanding AI biases and limitations and implementing controls.
• Security Controls: An IBM report found 13% of companies experienced AI breaches. As a small business owner, you need to protect your AI systems through proper information security controls.
• Data Privacy: Samsung banned ChatGPT after employees accidentally leaked confidential data. To prevent similar incidents, define what information your chatbot can process and establish controls to protect confidential information.

By applying governance, you make sure AI strengthens your brand instead of putting it at risk.

📖 Find more information and examples on this topic in the full article: The Do’s and Don’ts of Implementing AI in Your SME.

🔴 Your Turn

What worked and didn’t work for you when using AI in your business?

I’d love to hear from you. Send me an email at natalia@nataliabrattan.com.

Talk soon,
Natalia