AI Tools for Small Businesses: What You Need and How to Choose

AI tools can save a small business hours every week: writing, searching, sorting and following up while you get on with the work only you can do. The problem is choice. There are thousands of AI tools, each with its own login and its own monthly bill.

This guide covers what AI tools a small business actually needs, how to choose them, and why one connected platform can be simpler than ten separate apps.

What AI tools does a small business need?

Most small businesses need help with the same four jobs: getting started, being found online, winning customers and running the day to day. A good set of AI tools covers all four.

Machinence has 26 AI tools, every one with AI built in, all included in both plans:

Start and plan

• AI Business Strategist: a business and sales plan for your idea.
• Business Research: research on your market and competitors.
• Name Generator: business name ideas.
• Company Formations: form a UK limited company.
• Legal: legal documents for your business.

Brand and online presence

• Logo Builder: a logo for your brand.
• Domains: your own domain name.
• Website Builder: a website built from a description of your business.
• Online Store: a store with products, pages and payments.
• Image Generator: images for your site and posts.
• Content Hub: your media and documents in one place.

Find and win customers

• Find Customers: businesses that could buy from you, with a reason to contact each one.
• Email Marketing: campaigns to your contacts.
• Social Publisher: posts to your social accounts from one place.
• SEO Optimiser: help getting found on search engines.
• Blog Writer: blog posts for your site.
• Website Chatbots: answers for your website visitors.
• Review Management: collect and answer reviews.
• Form Builder: forms for enquiries and sign-ups.

Run the business

• Customer Manager (CRM): every customer and conversation in one place.
• Smart Calendar: bookings and appointments.
• Payments: card payments by Stripe and mobile money by PawaPay.
• Invoicing: invoices for your customers.
• Bookkeeping: your income and costs recorded.
• HR Management: hiring and staff records.
• Analytics: how your business is doing.

How to choose AI tools for your business

• Start with your biggest problem. If you need customers, start with finding customers, not with a logo.
• Check what is included. Many tools charge extra for the AI, or limit it to higher plans.
• Look for tools that work together. A lead you find should go straight into your CRM; a payment should show up in your bookkeeping without copying it by hand.
• Read the price before you sign up. Look for a free trial, monthly billing and a clear way to cancel.

One platform or separate tools?

Separate tools can be the best of their kind, but each one means another login, another bill and another place where your customer details live. With everything in one place, a lead from Find Customers goes into your CRM in one click, and every payment, by card or mobile money, is recorded automatically in the CRM, Bookkeeping, Dashboard and Analytics.

If you already rely on one specialist tool and are happy with it, you may not need to change. If you are paying for many small tools that do not talk to each other, one platform is usually simpler. Our pricing page shows what each plan includes.

Try them free

Machinence plans start at £99 a month, and both plans include all 26 tools. The 7-day free trial never asks for a card and includes 10 qualified leads from Find Customers.

See plans and start free →