Replace Manual Steps and Improve Workflows with AI Business Tasks

Many of us spend too much time switching between apps to find the information we need to move work forward. ​​A recent study by IDC found that knowledge workers spend about 30% of their workday searching for information. This constant toggling not only fragments workflows but significantly impedes productivity. 

Artificial Intelligence offers a promising avenue to alleviate this challenge. By automating and optimizing the preliminary stages of work, AI-powered business tools can help workers focus on executing impactful tasks. In this article, you’ll learn how AI-powered solutions give teams quick access to relevant information so they can make informed decisions, be more productive, and save time.

Understanding AI business tasks

AI business tasks are activities that can be supported or carried out by artificial intelligence. They can be isolated or part of a multistep process.

Consider a project manager who automates weekly updates. They use AI to gather data from their project management software and automation to create and distribute updates to their team. AI also can help marketing teams quickly pinpoint data about their target audience or create email, social media, and marketing copy.

AI is often used in customer support to automate routine chat interactions. Conversational AI chatbots can:

• Greet visitors and answer questions.
• Ask customers for their name and email address.
• Route customers to sales or customer support.
• Log exchanges in a CRM or work operating system like Slack.

How industries use AI business task automation

While AI use varies across business sectors, more than 40% of technology decision-makers invest in AI to boost innovation, improve productivity, or gain a competitive edge, according to a Foundry AI priorities study.

Here’s how different industries use AI tools to automate business tasks:

• Retailers use AI for customer support queries, payments, and inventory. Workflow automation tools update integrated systems, reducing manual data entry.
• Financial service teams use AI for data analysis, reporting, and fraud detection. They also use AI agents to assist customers with things like account balances, transaction histories, and lost passwords.
• Technology companies pinpoint information using AI-powered search tools, and case-swarming automation to quickly alert them to mission-critical tickets.
• Media firms automate manual tasks such as reporting and data analysis, and use AI to generate content and predict target audience behavior across channels.

 

How AI automation improves business operations

AI makes life easier for businesses by automating tasks and workflows. It’s like having a super-smart assistant that helps you make better decisions by analyzing data and offering key insights. Need to handle PTO requests or expense reports? AI can take care of those too, freeing you up to focus on the big stuff.

AI tools also help teams:

• Streamline processes. AI can automate various routine and administrative tasks, speeding up essential processes and giving employees more time back in their day.
• Manage notifications. Automatic alerts — for meetings, tasks, and deadlines — can improve communication and minimize delays. Team members can schedule status updates in their work operating system to stay on task and keep co-workers informed.
• Reduce errors. Automated workflows speed up reporting, reduce errors, and save time by seamlessly consolidating information from multiple sources.
• Analyze data. An AI-powered work operating system and integrated tools help leaders find critical information when they need it. AI can summarize data quickly so managers can make informed decisions faster.

 

AI tools reshape business processes

AI tools are changing the game by streamlining workflows with automation and natural language processing (NLP). Let’s take a look at how they’re modernizing business processes in areas like customer relationship management, finance, and supply chain logistics.

Customer relationship management

Collaboration between sales, marketing, and customer support is vital for sales teams. When companies embed AI in their workflows, teams can work faster and smarter. Here’s how AI is improving customer support and service:

• Case resolution. Your internal data holds the key to improving customer experiences. For example, Intuit QuickBooks supports customers and agents by connecting conversational bots to Slack. When prompted, these AI assistants retrieve information from a searchable knowledge base, reducing case resolution times by 36% — and saving agents 9,000 hours annually.
• Omnichannel support. Managing multiple communication channels in an industry where speed is everything can mean the difference between a sale and a missed opportunity. One real estate agency uses Slack AI to field incoming calls, SMS messages, emails, and social media inquiries from potential buyers and sends alerts to the team. Since implementing AI, the agency has been able to delegate and act on about 90% of voicemails in real time.
• Knowledge sharing. Whether onboarding team members or starting a new client relationship, teams can act quickly using AI tools. Slack’s automated workflows guide teams through onboarding and provide next steps. With summarized channel history and meeting recaps, teams can jump into work faster and find answers and action items all in one place.

Financial management

AI-powered systems with enterprise-grade security can help financial teams coordinate decisions while building trust with clients and partners. 

• Workflow integration. RBC Wealth Management uses Slack as its work operating system, tapping into Workflow Builder to automate workflows and CRM processes. Instead of having to pivot among multiple interfaces for separate tools, financial advisors use a single dashboard that contains all the information and functionality they need to open and close cases in one place.
• Relationship building. What if you had the resources to meet partner and client expectations without drastically increasing your workforce? With AI search tools, teams can quickly find interactions and product information to personalize conversations, make decisions, and support clients with less manpower. Since implementing Slack AI into their workflow, sales reps from Plative, a global consulting firm, spend less time on administrative work and more time focusing on clients.
• Approval optimization. When clients request auto loans or authorized signers, workflow automation, recap, and AI summarization tools keep processes rolling. One financial institution uses Workflow Builder to standardize and route requests, which reduces time spent by 20%. Teams can summarize account channels to stay informed, and branch managers can see multiple approval pipelines in a single view using Slack recaps.

Supply chain optimization and logistics

AI tools — especially automated workflows — can speed up certain supply chain activities, connect teams, and help companies improve purchasing and shipping experiences for customers. Here are a few examples:

• Real-time alerts and triggers. Set up automated workflows so the right teams get urgent updates about low-stock items, supply chain delays, or driver unavailability. Trigger actions that can save teams time and avoid manual labor like printing packing slips or issuing discounts, allowing them to focus on more complex tasks.
• Customer experience. Eliminate manual tracking and improve customer support with automated shipment and tracking alerts. Workflows can generate tracking links, so customers know exactly when their order is estimated to arrive. They can also guide notification frequency and preference customization, so customers get an experience that works for them.
• Connecting dispersed teams. With AI note-taking, manufacturing teams can stay present during meetings no matter where they are. Conversation summaries and daily channel recaps help get dispersed workers up to speed whether they missed a meeting, took a vacation, or are just joining a team.

 

Implementing AI tasks in your business

If you’re a business leader not using AI yet, you might feel the pressure to jump on board to stay competitive. But it’s not just about getting the tech: It’s about training your team to make the most of it. With smart planning, you can hit your goals and bring everyone along for the ride.

Identifying areas for AI integration

Repetitive activities like writing emails or taking meeting notes are a great place to start when choosing tasks to automate or support with AI. For example, a survey by Slack’s Workforce Lab found that desk workers spend nearly a third of their day on low-value tasks.

Prioritize resource-intensive work tasks using the following tools and techniques:

• Create visual workflows to see where bottlenecks or inefficiencies cause delays or communication breakdowns.
• Assess reports from your project management software, which can highlight incomplete tasks, overburdened teams, and areas to review.
• Review time tracking forms to learn how much time employees spend in meetings, on projects, or assisting customers versus administrative work.
• Gather feedback to understand pain points by conducting surveys or polls using tools in your work operating system.

Steps to adopt AI business task solutions

Once you have a list of activities you want to turn over to AI, it’s important to make it easy for your team to start using these tools right away. Add AI to your workflows with these six steps:

1. Establish goals for each task, such as “better data analysis” or “increased efficiency.” For example, a custom-made bike company adopted AI search tools to improve operational productivity, saving employees two hours each day.
2. Research solutions that work with your existing tools and set aside time to try different options. A remote beauty retailer tested many systems before it chose Slack for its app integrations, cross-collaboration functionality, and workflow automation.
3. Engage stakeholders by assembling a launch team. These are your go-to people in leadership, IT, administrative, and management roles. Also consider adding enthusiastic employees to the team, as they will likely use these tools more than anyone. A financial firm rolled out workflow automation with help from a champion network, providing employees with one-on-one support.
4. Review policies and clarify as needed to address AI usage. The Slack Workforce Lab study revealed that desk workers were almost six times more likely to try AI tools if companies had established permissions. Give your teams the go-ahead by defining role-based use cases for each AI-supported business task.
5. Pilot test your solution with your launch team. Gather feedback to determine if the tool was easy to set up, if integration worked properly, and if the task met your company goals.
6. Implement your solution and communicate with teams via your work operating system. Channels are an easy way to announce changes, request feedback, and provide support.

Training your team on AI business tasks

The impact of training was one of the most significant takeaways from Slack’s Workforce Lab: Teams trained to use AI tools were 19 times more likely to say they improved productivity. Training is also critical to gain employee trust in AI tools.

When employees feel confident using their tools and see real benefits, it’s much easier to boost AI adoption at work. That said, training isn’t a one-size-fits-all deal, and people’s comfort levels and experience with AI can differ quite a bit. Here are a few strategies to help:

• Utilize professional services. Work with your AI solution provider to design and implement a learning plan. For instance, a network of oncology practices worked with the Slack Professional Services team to help over 130 clinics access workflows and provide dedicated support in Slack channels.
• Provide mentorship opportunities. Pair AI champions with less-experienced employees. While champions should understand how the solution works, they don’t need to be experts. Use a team-building exercise like an AI persona quiz to pair up employees.
• Create dedicated channels. Use your work operating system to tailor training programs to different skill levels. For example, create Slack channels for various roles, features, and workflows. Assign leaders to each space to answer questions, provide tutorial links, and share best practices.
• Automate support. With over 9,000 employees, Intuit needed a seasonal onboarding solution for AI workflows, so it built a custom learning bot to help train new employees in real time.

Overcoming common challenges

Research from Slack and Foundry highlights some key challenges to adopting AI for business tasks, including data integration, security, and privacy. Participants emphasized the lack of in-house experts to design and deploy AI solutions as another major hurdle. Meanwhile, Slack’s Workforce Lab survey also pointed out that many people are wary of data accuracy and quality, which can slow down adoption. 

Here’s how a proactive approach can minimize AI adoption obstacles:

• Data integration complexity can cause workflow automation errors, increase costs, and hinder adoption. Mitigate potential issues by researching software compatibility and speaking with vendor reps about the integration process. For example, Paramount Global chose Slack because it offered thousands of integrations, which improved employee experiences and adoption rates.
• Security concerns may hold leaders back from a companywide rollout. As a first step, establish internal data management practices and security protocols. Next, ensure your AI solution aligns with your retention and access policies. OpenAI was confident in Slack’s Enterprise Grid with SAML-based single sign-on, granular app management, and data encryption. Meanwhile, a large federal security agency required a FedRAMP moderate-authorized platform to meet stringent compliance standards.
• Data privacy is a big deal, especially for companies handling sensitive customer information. When choosing a vendor, take your time to review how they manage data. Make sure they’re not using your customer data to develop AI models without your consent. Your AI solution should also have strong controls in place to prevent data from leaking between workspaces or being accessed by vendor employees.
• Trust is one of the biggest concerns when it comes to adopting a new AI solution. According to Slack’s Workforce Lab research, three things can really help. First, let employees share input on how AI tools should be used. Second, offer training and education for everyone, no matter their skill level, and make it clear they have permission to start exploring the tools. Finally, when employees feel their managers trust them to use AI, they’re more likely to feel confident experimenting with the technology.
• Deploying AI for business task automation can be tricky, so it’s important to plan ahead. Start by reviewing the resources you already have in-house, and don’t hesitate to bring in outside help if you need it. It’s also okay to talk openly with your team about any challenges along the way. Stay transparent, keep things flexible, and focus on gathering feedback to guide the process.

 

Measuring the impact of AI on business efficiency

Key performance indicators (KPIs) help leaders monitor performance and identify opportunities for improvement. When implementing AI business task solutions, you must determine which success metrics you’ll measure. Consider the following KPIs:

• Cost savings. Calculate operational cost changes to see the financial impact of your AI business task solution. A digital financial firm integrated AI into its workflows, saving each employee an average of 30 minutes daily. In return, the organization saved over $150,000 annually in time spent.
• Decision-making speed. Evaluate the time it takes to make strategic decisions with support from AI tools. For instance, a 130-year-old company implemented Slack to enable information sharing across field sites. As a result, the business now makes decisions four times faster. 
• Productivity gains. Track time spent on routine tasks to see if implementing AI and automation improves productivity. For example, a tech company previously managed 50 daily IT requests, each taking about three minutes to complete, or 150 minutes daily. With workflow automation, these now happen automatically.
• Time to action. Assess the impact of your AI solution by reviewing the time it takes to complete each process, like providing customer support or onboarding an employee. When a footwear retailer implemented Slack’s AI search capabilities, its customer complaint resolution time dropped from five days to 24 hours.

 

The future of AI business tasks

Emerging technologies such as more complex automation workflows and AI agents are set to transform business tasks. And leaders are all in, with new EY research reporting that 95% of respondents are already investing in AI.

Just three years ago, 51% of senior leaders spent less than 5% of their total budgets on AI. Now, 88% spend 5% or more, and half say they will allocate 25% or more of their budget to AI investments in 2025. CIOs are also on board, with 84% telling Salesforce they think AI will be as important to companies as the internet.

Significant changes are coming, and businesses need to prepare. Here’s what to look for:

• Expanding use cases. Currently, Slack data shows AI and automation tools deliver the greatest value for content generation, summarization, workflow automation, and research. At the same time, employees are becoming more comfortable using AI for problem-solving tasks, with SHRM’s U.S. Worker Panel report showing the preference rate increased to 23% in August 2024.
• Upgrading operating systems. When investing in the future of generative AI, organizations must consider how new technologies could use their internal unstructured data. To surface information quickly, businesses require a work operating system that integrates with AI models. According to Bain & Company, cloud-based software incorporating gen AI may be more practical than re-architecting an orchestration system.
• Autonomous AI agents. While current AI co-pilots can update records or perform actions on your behalf, agentic systems can learn and interact in human-like ways. More than 80% of Capgemini Research Institute survey respondents expect to integrate AI agents within one to three years for coding, data analysis, and email generation.

 

Streamline operations one task at a time

AI and automation solutions can eliminate time-consuming and repetitive manual steps, giving teams more time to focus on the work that matters. A work operating system that automates workflows, summarizes conversations, and surfaces the information you need quickly helps teams work effectively and efficiently regardless of their roles. AI in Slack helps companies get the most out of their organizational data with easy-to-use tools for finding answers, scheduling meetings, recapping conversations, and much more.

Learn how AI in Slack can save you time at work.