Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer seen as a luxury or as reserved for only large corporations; it is now a major part of large, medium-sized and small enterprises. These AI tools include chatbots, content generators, data analytics platforms and specialised fintech solutions. They are each designed to solve specific problems, enhance efficiency, reach more customers, reduce costs and streamline operations.
Top 5 AI Tools for Businesses
1. CDIAL.AI/Indigenius; Chatbots and interfaces in local languages
Nigeria is a multilingual country, and this has presented a major challenge to most Nigerian businesses, especially those seeking to reach a broad range of customers. This is majorly because a significant portion of Nigerians prefer interacting in local languages like Hausa, Igbo or Pidgin.
CDIAL. AI and Indigenius are AI tools which use advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) models to understand intent, slang, and context in local languages. They remove this language barrier by providing customer interfaces and customer support systems in several local languages. By removing this barrier, businesses can explore a larger market and build healthier relationships with customers who might feel left out of the digital economy.
These AI tools for business can be used by Nigerian businesses to deploy chatbots on websites that can track orders and resolve issues in the customer’s language of choice. This builds trust, as customers are more likely to transact with a business that interacts in their native language. It also allows businesses from one region to effectively serve customers in another region without a language barrier.
2. Tidio (AI Chatbots); 24/7 customer service automation
One of the most expensive parts of running a business in Nigeria is instant, round-the-clock customer service, and hiring a large team of human agents to work 24/7 is often too expensive for most businesses. Tidio, an AI-powered chatbot, solves this through a user-friendly platform that uses live chat and AI-powered chatbots. It can handle up to 70% of repetitive customer enquiries instantly, allowing human agents to focus on more complex issues that require empathy.
Tidio can be used to engage website visitors instantly, for customers to track their orders via the chatbots, for lower operational costs and to ensure that even outside business hours, no customer inquiry is left unanswered. Tidio is a popular choice among Nigerian businesses as a result of its simple and effective method in driving customer service automation. It is a very important and necessary AI tool for business.
3. ChatGPT/Jasper (AI for marketing and design); Content and visuals
A combination of AI-powered tools like ChatGPT and Jasper are very effective AI tools for business. They help entrepreneurs struggling with content creation and design to remain consistent with marketing even when running on a tight budget.
ChatGPT can be useful for generating ad copies, writing product descriptions, blog posts and video scripts, and crafting social media captions and campaign ideas. Jasper is used mainly to streamline marketing content. It has templates and workflows that are built specifically for marketers; this makes it easier and faster to produce campaign copies that are designed specifically for ads, emails and blogs.
The ability to generate visually appealing content for social media is vital for businesses in this digital era. Collectively, they can be used as powerful AI tools for businesses by promoting brand consistency and reducing external agency costs.
4. Zummit Africa; Data Insights and hospitality automation
Another major area where Nigerian businesses are turning to AI is in decision-making. AI tools like Zummit Africa help companies process their data and automate operations, thereby drawing important insights.
Zummit Africa specialises in providing data analytics and AI advisory services for several industries, including retail, logistics and finance. This helps businesses understand their operational data to recognise trends, make intelligent decisions and predict customers’ attitudes. It specifically provides automation tools for the hospitality industry, such as restaurants and hotels. Using Zummit Africa, businesses track spending, customer behaviour, and market trends in real time.
In a financial institution, Zummit Africa’s tools process transaction data to detect fraud in real time. Also, in retail business, it can predict demand for certain products and ensure their availability in the right amounts. These data-driven decisions are now accessible to local businesses and allow businesses to focus on providing excellent service instead of staying locked up repeating the same administrative tasks.
5. PayBridge; Payments and invoicing
Despite the rapidly growing rate of cashless payments in Nigeria, businesses are still faced with challenges such as fraud, delayed settlements, and complex bookkeeping. To solve this, platforms like fintech solutions such as PayBridge Tech are using AI to generate automatic invoices, detect fraud and track customers’ payments in real time.
As a large number of Nigerian businesses are going digital, it is necessary to utilise these AI tools for business. These tools utilise machine learning algorithms to analyse patterns of payment and detect suspicious transactions. This protects businesses and customers from being duped. They also automate repetitive financial tasks, like sending out invoices and payment reminders, which saves time and improves cash flow.
These tools aid in time management, as less time is spent on manual bookkeeping and more time is invested in expanding the business.
Conclusion
As a Nigerian businessman, you should no longer be questioning the ability of AI to revolutionise and improve your business. You should be willing to explore which AI tools are most effective in expanding the scope of your business and handling tasks effectively.
Many of these tools are affordable and easy to use, and incorporating them into business does not replace human skills completely but allows them to be used for more demanding jobs. Any Nigerian entrepreneur who wants to stay relevant in business, using AI tools for business is no longer optional, it is the new standard.
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