The Best AI Tools That Small Businesses Should Be Using

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when running your own business. There's so much to think about - managing clients, marketing and advertising, handling finances... The good news is that there now are many AI and digital tools for small businesses that can help you. Many of these tools are straightforward to use and don’t require you to be a tech whizz to implement.

If you’ve ever felt like there aren’t enough hours in the day, then the right software can give you back precious time and keep your business running smoothly. Here are some of the best AI and digital tools that small businesses should be embracing in different business areas...

The Best AI Tools for Small Businesses

Organisation & Time Management Tools

Todoist and TickTick are great for creating to-do lists and managing your daily tasks. They’re easy to set up, sync across devices, and help you to keep life organised.

Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook are essentials for any business. Their new AI-powered features can suggest optimal meeting times and send reminders, so nothing slips through the cracks.

Clockwise is an AI-powered calendar assistant that can automatically suggest the best times for meetings, block focus time, and free up your schedule.

Project Management Tools

Trello and Asana remain popular for tracking projects, deadlines, and collaboration. Recently, they’ve integrated AI features like automation for recurring tasks and smart suggestions for the next steps in your projects.

ClickUp is another great platform that combines task management with AI-driven automation, making it easy to keep projects on track, delegate work, and reduce manual follow-up.

Automatic Meeting Notes

There are now AI-powered tools that can take the hassle out of taking notes during meetings. One popular option is Otter.ai, which can give you very accurate transcriptions of your meetings, as well as summaries that highlight key points and action items.

Another great one is Fireflies.ai, which joins your meetings (on Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams) and automatically captures everything, then organises the notes into sections and highlights important points for easy review.

These tools save time and ensure you don’t forget important details or follow-up tasks. With AI handling the notes, you can focus entirely on the conversation.

Financial Management Tools

QuickBooks and Xero are among the most popular accounting tools used by small businesses. Some versions now include AI features like invoice reminders, expense categorisation, and financial forecasting, which save you time and reduce human errors.

Botkeeper offers AI-powered bookkeeping support, automating data entry and report generation, so you can keep your finances in check without any extra stress.

Marketing & Content Creation Tools

Canva is great for creating eye-catching visuals, and its AI features can suggest layouts, fonts, and colours based on your brand style.

Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign are great for email marketing. They now incorporate AI to suggest the best send times, personalise your campaigns, and segment your mailing list.

Jasper and Copy.ai are fairly new content generation tools. They both can help you craft blog posts, social media captions, and email copy without the hours of research and writing.

Customer & Client Management Systems

HubSpot and Salesforce offer AI-enhanced CRM systems that automate contact management, lead scoring, and follow-up reminders. These tools help you stay organised and make sure no potential client slips through the cracks.

Video Messaging Tools

Loom is a fantastic video messaging tool that lets you record your screen and camera simultaneously. You can use it to create training or tutorial videos, explain complex ideas to clients, or provide feedback on projects. Creating a video with Loom is much faster than typing out a long email and adds a personal touch to your communications.

How a VA Can Help You

While AI tools are fantastic at automating repetitive tasks and making processes more efficient, they still need a human touch to work well for your business. Technology can handle data and workflows, but it doesn’t replace the decision-making, creativity, and personal understanding that come from experienced support.

As your virtual assistant, I’ll help you choose the right tools for your business needs, set them up properly, and tailor automation so it fits how you work (no "one size fits all" approach!). I monitor and manage these systems, sort out any issues, and adapt the processes as your business grows or changes.

AI might get the job started, but it’s the human touch that completes it and keeps your business running smoothly.

If you find the idea of juggling AI tools overwhelming, I’m here to help. I’ll make sure you’re getting the most out of your tech, so you have more time to focus on what you do best - growing your business. Drop me an email or book a call today!