{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/69f3e0f28beeba531023e35c/69fb4c567272023359a14f4a?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"6 AI Tools SMBs Should Be Testing Right Now","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/69f3e0f28beeba531023e35c/1778076604140-ccf3bda3-94d8-4484-9ee6-6a7360aa144c.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>Most small businesses aren't short on AI options. They're short on clarity about which ones are actually worth their time.</p><p>This special edition of The AI Operator skips the news and goes straight to the tools. Six specific, affordable, real-world AI tools that small businesses should be testing right now — not someday, not after the technology matures, now. Each one covers a different part of how your business works: pitching, customer support, lead qualification, after-visit follow-up, automation, and research.</p><p><br></p><p>Here's what's in this episode:</p><ul><li><strong>Gamma</strong> — Build a client-ready pitch deck from a single prompt in under 60 seconds. No design skills, no PowerPoint fights. Includes link sharing with viewer analytics so you know exactly which slide they spent six minutes on.</li><li><strong>Tidio</strong> — A 24/7 AI customer support agent that trains itself on your existing FAQ content and handles the repetitive inbound questions your team answers every single day.</li><li><strong>Pitchit.ai</strong> — A multi-channel AI lead qualification agent that reaches out instantly across voice, SMS, WhatsApp, and social DMs. Built for businesses that lose deals because they're slow to respond.</li><li><strong>Podium</strong> — Automates the follow-up after every service visit: review requests, text conversations, repeat business nudges. Plus an AI phone agent that answers calls when you can't. Built for local service businesses where Google reviews are the business.</li><li><strong>n8n</strong> — The automation platform that connects 350+ apps and handles real AI workflows — not just simple if/then chains. If your team is doing the same manual task more than three times a day, n8n stops that.</li><li><strong>Perplexity</strong> — AI-powered research with live web citations. Ask it anything — competitor pricing, regulations, market sizing — and get a sourced, synthesized answer in seconds instead of 40 minutes of Googling.</li><li><br></li></ul><p>Plus the operator move: how to figure out which of these six tools solves your most expensive problem — and a simple way to make the decision in under 10 minutes.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Links mentioned in this episode:</strong></p><ul><li>Gamma (AI presentation builder): <a href=\"https://gamma.app\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://gamma.app</a></li><li>Tidio (AI customer support): <a href=\"https://tidio.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://tidio.com</a></li><li>Pitchit.ai (AI lead qualification): <a href=\"https://pitchit.ai\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://pitchit.ai</a></li><li>Podium (after-visit follow-up + AI phone agent): <a href=\"https://podium.com\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://podium.com</a></li><li>n8n (workflow automation): <a href=\"https://n8n.io\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://n8n.io</a></li><li>Perplexity (AI research): <a href=\"https://perplexity.ai\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://perplexity.ai</a></li></ul><p><br></p>","author_name":"Shaun Gehring"}