AI in an SME: where to start, without getting lost
AI is everywhere — which is precisely why it no longer sets anyone apart. What matters: three concrete uses that pay for themselves within a month.
In Québec, the vast majority of B2B companies already say they use AI in some form. In other words: having AI no longer distinguishes you. Using it in the right places does.
The classic trap is starting from the tool ("we need AI") instead of the problem ("we lose three hours a week answering the same emails"). The tool changes every six months. The problem is stable.
Three uses that pay off fast
- Repetitive replies: price requests, opening hours, order follow-ups. An AI-assisted answer base delivers the same service in a tenth of the time — with human review before anything is sent.
- First drafts: product descriptions, posts, seasonal emails. The AI writes the draft; you keep the judgment and the final touch.
- Sorting: classifying incoming requests, summarizing long threads, pulling the essentials out of a document. Nobody will miss that work.
Two rules before you start
One: never send an automated reply to a customer without a human validating it, at least at first. Your reputation is worth more than the minutes saved. Two: watch personal information — Québec's Law 25 applies just as much when a machine is processing your customers' data.
The real differentiator
AI has become table stakes, the way a website did twenty years ago. What sets a business apart is what AI doesn't do: judgment, relationships, trust. Use the machine to free up time — and reinvest that time where the human wins.
We can set this up for you.
Every piece of advice on this page is part of what we build for our clients. A 30-minute conversation is enough to see what applies to your business.