Small Businesses Gain Enterprise Power Through Voice AI
Someone asked me recently what the ROI is on AI adoption for small businesses.
I told them the same thing I’ve heard my whole career when I asked mentors about the ROI on advertising: “You’ll still be in business in 7 years”.
That’s the real answer. In five to ten years, AI and voice automation won’t be optional. They’ll be table stakes. Like having a website or accepting credit cards.
But here’s what makes this moment different.
The people adopting AI now are pulling so far ahead that everyone else will spend the next decade playing catch-up. We’re in that brief window where early movers gain an unfair advantage.
And the gap is widening fast.
What Actually Works Right Now
The applications that work today are the ones people don’t resist.
The possibilities in training is my first one. You can train a voice AI on your company’s knowledge base and give your team anytime access to call, text or email anytime. Sales reps learning the product at 11 PM. New hires with questions when nobody’s around. Installers on job sites who need technical guidance.
They call the AI. It answers. The conversation gets recorded and reviewed by trainers so you can see what people are asking and improve the knowledge base.
That saves massive time and money.
The second application is missed calls. This one has serious ROI.
Here’s the reality: 62% of small business calls go unanswered. Of those, 80% never call back. That’s $26,000+ in lost revenue annually for the average small business give or take a few thousand.
We handle this for restaurants and mechanic shops all the time. The call still routes to the front desk first. But if nobody picks up by the second ring, the voice AI answers.
“Someone will be with you shortly. I’ll stay on the line while you wait. Is there anything I can help you with in the meantime?”
Then it books an appointment or reservation, answers menu questions. Schedules an oil change. Whatever the caller needs.
Businesses using this approach see 25% Increase in lead conversion rates. Because they’re not missing opportunities anymore.
The technology handles what people used to lose. That’s the sweet spot.
It's Not As Hard As You Think
The biggest misconception I hear is that you need to spend $40,000 building custom AI from scratch.
You don’t.
For around $300 a month, you can turn on a CRM that has AI built in. You train a basic bot by hooking it to your website. Contact page, hours, services, products. All of that becomes the knowledge base in minutes.
Add a phone number and you’ve got voice AI. Same bot works for website chat, text messages, and email responses.
The only complexity comes when you have legacy software from the 1990s that needs to integrate. That’s when you need custom development (We’ve got you covered with OnPoint Software Development) . But even then, at The Firm Collaborative, we can blueprint, design, and build the whole system in less than 30 days.
Most business owners overthink this. They want to build the most complicated AI system in history before launching anything.
Don’t do that.
Turn on a voice AI. Train it on your website. Give the number to friends and family. Have them call it once or twice. Make tweaks. Then give it to your team. Ask them how they’d use it.
Test small. Iterate fast. You’re not married to anything.
The adoption curve proves this approach works. 68% of U.S. small businesses now use AI regularly, up from 48% just six months ago. That’s one of the fastest technology adoption curves in history.
The businesses winning aren’t the ones with perfect systems. They’re the ones who started.
Using AI as a strategic Thinking Partner (Not Output Generator)
Here’s something most people miss about ChatGPT and voice AI.
They treat it like a task machine. “Make me a PDF. Write me a schedule. Generate this report.”
That’s not where the real value lives.
I use ChatGPT with voice as a strategic thinking partner. Pick any project you’re working on. Feed ChatGPT a brief description. Then turn on voice and have a 20-40 minute conversation.
Talk to it like a strategist sitting across from you.
Tell it what you’re trying to do. What you’re considering. What concerns you have. When it offers to make something for you, say no. This is a strategy session. You’re exploring possibilities, not generating deliverables.
Ask it: What are the capabilities here? How could AI help with this project? What about the human side? What could my team do differently?
That conversation changes how you think about the problem.
After you’ve done this a few times, you’ll understand why I’m not worried about losing my consulting work to AI. Because you’ll realize the value isn’t in the output. It’s in the thinking process mixed with solution architecture and execution.
If you’re trying to grow, you’ll want someone who knows how to think with these tools, not just use them.
The Window Is Open (But Closing)
Customer service will transform first. Basic inquiries handled by AI, escalated to humans when needed. One person plus an AI bot can handle what used to require a full team. Every chat bot on every website needs AI plugged in.
Training comes next. Any company can build a 24/7 knowledge base that employees call for guidance.
The businesses that implement these systems now will operate at a completely different cost structure than their competitors. Lower overhead, faster response times, better customer experience.
That advantage compounds.
If you want to see what this looks like in practice, call Kaylee at 587-328-4578. She’s my AI receptionist. She’ll demo herself and show you what’s possible today.
The technology is ready. The question is whether you are.
This article is co-authored by Tyler Fikowski with ATP Sales & Marketing partners in The Firm Collaborative, who handle sales systems, leadership, and growth strategy.
