Is artificial intelligence working for you?

From writing emails to crunching data, AI is a useful tool for business owners, including those in the floral industry. Software continues to be developed to perform everyday tasks — from the complex to the mundane.

During the Society of American Florists’ virtual Idea Exchange Aug. 9, floral professionals will share how they’ve integrated AI into their everyday work to save time and money.

For instance, Sam Bowles of Allen’s Flowers and Plants in San Diego, shared in the July/August issue of Floral Management, how he’s used it to craft marketing emails. Cameron Pappas, AAF, of Norton’s Florist in Birmingham, Alabama, uses it to write product descriptions and social media posts. On a larger scale, one wire service uses it to create personalized card messages — something that any florist could easily adopt.

Uncertain where to start? The Floral Management article, “How Can AI Work For You” offers some guidance on how to use AI to assist with content creation and customer service.

Content Creation

The following are ways business owners can leverage AI such as ChatGPT to generate content:

• Blog posts. With AI, businesses can provide prompts such as word count, topic and keywords, and generate a unique post within seconds.
• Product descriptions. AI can write product descriptions for websites using a picture of the product.
• Social media posts. By providing prompts such as character count, preferred platform, and topic, AI can create unique posts that also include hashtags and emojis.
• Emails. AI-generated emails are professional, using the tone and language expected from customer service representatives.
• Job postings. Provided AI with job requirements and task it with composing the posting.

Experts caution that content created using AI requires a degree of oversight. It should be reviewed for accuracy, scope of information, style and other considerations that tailor the information to your business’s needs.

Customer Service

AI isn’t just about content creation. It can address other business needs, such as answering on-demand customer questions through website chatbots.

“Live chat increases conversion rates dramatically, but no one can sit there for 80 hours a week waiting for live chat to come in,” says Alex Frost, founder and CEO of QuickFlora, a cloud-based ERP system, and HyperVend, which develops and supplies companies selling perishable products with automated retail solutions.

Learn more about specific AI platforms and how you can put them to work in latest issue of Floral Management, and attend the Aug. 9 virtual Idea Exchange, open to SAF members. Register here.

Amanda Jedlinsky is the managing editor of SAF NOW.