Businesses have been told to overcome their fear of AI technology if they want to stay competitive in the next decade and beyond. AI expert Juliet Moran, Director of Stoke-on-Trent based systems.co.uk believes many business leaders still have an Ostrich approach when it comes to AI technology. Now she is urging them to take their heads out of the sand.

Her company, who have been technology innovators for 24 years, are one of those currently pushing the boundaries with AI and she believes the new technology will revolutionise every aspect of business.

Juliet said AI was going to turn all businesses upside down in the coming years and urged all business owners to get on board and embrace innovation. She said: “No matter how traditional you might feel your business is, there isn’t anyone currently trading who is going to be untouched by AI."

“It seems to me that there are still many business people in denial, but the fact remains that if you aren’t embracing AI to make you more competitive, then your competitors probably are."

“I'm having conversations with people, who say AI won't affect their business. But I can see opportunities, and if a competitor embraces them, it could lead to cutting out jobs, or changing the landscape of an industry."

“A lot of businesses are really scared about what they should or shouldn't do, although they rarely admit it. But underneath, they're petrified about how they can use technology, and what they should be doing as a business. So a lot of businesses choose to bury their heads in the sand.”

Her company have used the very latest technology to create a ground breaking AI tool which brings together search and sales into one function.

Under one of their brands Telephonesystems.cloud has developed an AI solution where every phone call into the Stoke HQ is recorded by a bot which inputs a handy summary and full transcripts of the call into their CRM.

AI bots can be loaded up with customer specific data to allow it to function as a search tool and to direct sales enquiries through a funnel and present them with a series of product options.

Juliet said: “We look to automate as many systems as possible. By keeping things lean we can innovate and remain competitive. It’s a tough trading climate at the moment for many businesses. Those who utilise technology to innovate and streamline will be best placed to succeed."

“Using AI tools frees up people to do people stuff instead of mundane tasks giving them room to think about how they can innovate the business further, or get on with those essential growth tasks."

“There are some really exciting possibilities with AI and we are still only at the beginning. It will impact everyone in business and it’s essential to get on board now to give your business a competitive advantage."

“AI can be very useful in analysing huge quantities of data and then telling you in a very human way exactly what you need to know."

“In that way it can be a really efficient way of handling sales enquiries without the need for human sales teams. It means companies can streamline processes very effectively.”

She said: “In the past you might phone up the company and speak to a sales person and ask what offers they have on? But now an AI bot understands language and can connect to your business's data, AI can communicate your data in a more human way.”

She added that Stoke-on-Trent was the ideal location for a Silicon Valley style hub to emerge for the UK.

She said: “Staffordshire University has been a trailblazer in technology education and was one of the first in the UK to offer computing degrees. They produce a high number of very talented graduates each year and many of them do choose to remain in the county, perhaps in part at least due to the low living costs and cheap housing available here."

“It’s no coincidence the likes of Bet365 are here along with many other online operators. It’s a great place to launch a technology business.”