5 strategies to supercharge SMB growth with AI
There are AI tools for any company—on any budget—to cut through complexity
The following column from Freshworks Chief Customer and Marketing Officer Mika Yamamoto originally appeared on CustomerThink.
Exceptional customer experience is a superpower.
It’s what sets you apart—and it’s what today’s customers expect. Small and medium businesses thrive when they deliver standout, personalized experiences. You run lean. You move fast. You stay close to your customers. But complexity? It’s the enemy. It slows you down, muddies decisions, and blocks the kinds of experiences your customers crave. The real challenge? Fewer resources to make big things happen.
You don’t have to be big to be exceptional
The best news? Affordable, practical AI is finally clearing the clutter. The right solution is not here to complicate; it’s here to simplify. By removing friction, uncovering actionable insights, and delivering personalized, human support at scale, AI is turning noise into clarity. The right solutions don’t need an army of data scientists, consultants, and staff to make it happen.
When SMBs successfully adopt AI-powered tools, they don’t just streamline internal workflows—they improve the entire customer journey. From faster resolutions to smarter self-service and more personalized interactions, AI helps SMBs meet rising expectations for speed, relevance, and convenience. And it’s not just about efficiency; research shows a strong link between operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Here are five bold, actionable moves you can make today to boost customer experience and growth by putting your customers and teams at the center.
1. Unify customer data to empower smarter, faster decisions
Customer data is one of your most significant assets, but only if it’s unified. When insights are scattered across tools, your team wastes time chasing information instead of helping customers. Previously challenging for SMBs, there are now key technologies, such as CRM systems, data integration platforms, and AI-powered analytics, that can centralize this data. When your systems talk to each other, you unlock a 360-degree view of your customers and enable smarter, faster service.
iPostal1, a leading virtual mailbox provider, centralized its support tools onto a single platform. The result? Personalized support at scale, over 30,000 conversations a month—more than half resolved automatically. A more efficient team and a noticeably better customer experience.
Pro tip: Treat data unification as a strategic business move, not just a tech upgrade.
2. Automate your routine to drive speed and efficiency
Time is your most limited resource. Don’t spend it on tasks AI can handle faster and better. Tools like virtual assistants and AI agents can automate repetitive work like drafting responses, summarizing customer histories, ticket categorization, and routing.
TREKK Design Group, an engineering and tech firm, cut resolution time by 35% and boosted agent productivity by 25% after automating routine workflows through IT service management (ITSM). Teams had more capacity to focus on complex issues, leading to faster support and stronger service delivery.
Bottom line: Automation isn’t just about speed—it’s about building a responsive operation that meets customer expectations where humans focus on what they do best, connecting and solving complex challenges.
New AI report: Employees want more AI—and leaders are listening
3. Personalize at scale without burning out your team
Once the repetitive work is automated, your team can focus on what matters: making customers feel seen and heard.
AI now makes personalization at scale possible, analyzing past interactions and surfacing real-time context. AI agents, intelligent knowledge bases, and agent assistants help recommend the best responses or offers at the right moment. One internet services company leveraged an AI-powered customer support solution to boost agent productivity by 35% and reduce low-level queries by 22%. They also saw an 18% rise in CSAT scores.
The lesson? AI frees your team to deliver more thoughtful service. Small teams, closer to customers, can leverage AI to deepen that connection.
4. Act on real-time insights to drive proactive service
Speed matters. But being proactive? That’s how loyalty is built through surprise and delight moments. While SMBs strive for quick ticket resolution, they’re often stuck reacting, slowed down by fragmented systems, manual triage, and a lack of real-time visibility. Without the right insights, it’s hard to stay ahead of issues, let alone surprise and delight. This presents a massive opportunity for improvement.
Don't spent time on tasks Ai can handle faster and better.
AI-powered analytics, customer data platforms (CDPs), and real-time monitoring help you spot issues early, track trends, and act before problems escalate, building stronger relationships.
HBNG Holborn Group, a property investment firm, became more proactive in delivering IT support after adopting AI-powered tools. The IT team gained visibility into service demand, improved SLA compliance through better performance tracking, and boosted employee satisfaction with its support portal by 75%. With more transparent reporting, they could finally show the value of IT to leadership, shifting from a reactive cost center to a strategic partner in the business.
Takeaway: Real-time insights don’t just boost KPIs—they help you stay ahead of customer needs.
5. Shift the mindset: AI amplifies, people inspire
This isn’t about replacing people. It’s about helping them shine.
AI excels at surfacing suggestions, handling routine requests, and spotting patterns. But your people bring the empathy and creativity that build absolute trust.
TeleworkPH, a customer service outsourcing company, saw a 20% drop in resolution time and a 15% increase in tickets resolved per agent after integrating automation and CRM tools. Their team focused more on meaningful conversations, and their customers noticed.
Reminder: AI should amplify your people’s strengths, not take their place.
Final thoughts
Delivering exceptional customer experiences isn’t just good service—it’s a growth strategy. Boldness doesn’t mean taking wild risks. It means making smart, intentional moves, like putting AI to work alongside extraordinary people, understanding your customers deeply, empowering your team, and simplifying wherever you can.
Complexity is a roadblock. Limited resources can slow you down. But affordable AI solutions can help your team do more with less—streamlining workflows, improving response times, and elevating the experience for everyone.
AI isn’t just for the big guys anymore. Today’s tools are fast to implement, cost-effective to manage, and built to raise the bar on how you serve your customers.
Be bold and exceptional every day, in every interaction.
