5 Parts Of Your Freelancing Business That Are AI-Ready
When you think of artificial intelligence, you’ll think of huge companies using it to manage large warehouses and thousands of customers. If you’re a smaller enterprise though – say, a freelancer-type company – you’ll still have several areas of your business that are ready and waiting for AI. That might seem outlandish, but it’s true!
Yes, even the most novice freelancer can benefit from the wonders of AI. From cybersecurity to customer support to researching and offering personalized service, AI is right for any freelancer. With that said, here’s just some parts of your business that can benefit from AI, and help you get more from them:
1 – Cybersecurity
You very likely conduct a lot, if not all, of your business online. That means that customers have to trust you with a lot of their personal info, including their banking details. You need to be able to assure them that you’ll keep them safe, and that includes using several technologies to encrypt them.
AI is improving this process, by helping you secure your online business. A good machine learning AI can see patterns that lead to a cyber-attack before you can, so it can start putting countermeasures in place. It’ll also go through the data to find the source. Once it knows the source, it can defend against it. It essentially acts as an extra security guard, helping keep you and your customers safe.
2 – Customer Support And Experience
When you think of customer support, you’ll think of a human team ready and waiting at the end of a phone to help support your customers. Of course, there’s a lot that has to be done by humans here, but you can lighten the load using AI.
Fortunately, for freelancers, there are online payment or store systems like Paymes that can help you connect and do business with clients. You can give your clients the option to submit their payments either through a special link (that you create) or through a QR code. And, if your clients prefer to pay through their social media, then they can, since Paymes is a verified social media payments partner. With more security and less paperwork, payments are easy for both you and your clients. It helps retain customers and bring in more sales, which is perfect for you as a small business owner. It’s the perfect online tool for freelancer companies.
3 – Personal Assistants
Yes, you can use AI as a personal assistant. “That’s something that you can put to use even if you’re a very small or new company, and aren’t able to hire a human assistant” says Jason McDowell, a tech blogger at Write My X and 1 Day 2 Write. “These AIs will be able to do things like manage your calendar, reply to emails, and other regular tasks.”
These are tasks that are important, but routine. They take up a lot of time and as a business owner, that’s something that you just don’t have a lot of. That’s why an AI personal assistant is something that more people are taking advantage of.
4 – Data Research
As a business owner, you want to be reaching your audience where they are, when they need you the most. In the past, to ensure you’re doing that you’d have to do hours of data research, trying to understand your customer and where they’re coming from.
Now though, you can use AIs to do this for you. They will be able process huge amounts of data in a short amount of time, ensuring that you don’t have to. It saves time too, so you’ll be able to address trends in the market as and when they happen.
5 – Personalization
This is something that you’ll want to look into, especially as a small business owner. “When your customer feels as though you understand them, they’ll be more likely to be loyal to your brand” says technical writer Harriet Inglesford, from Origin Writings and Brit Student. “You can offer personalization in so many different ways.” That can be by adding their name to emails you send out, to giving them personalized recommendations when they visit your site.
This is something that can be achieved with the right AI. For example, you’ll see Netflix do this by monitoring the past shows that a user has watched, and use that information to recommend similar shows that the user may want. That inspires them to keep watching and using the service, as it can give them the content they want.
Wrapping Up
As you can see, there are lots of ways in which AI can help your business. These areas of your business can greatly benefit from AI, so now’s the time to look into it and see how it can help you.
And, don’t forget: If you need a solution for selling and for collecting your fees and payments instantly, then Paymes is your go-to solution for ensuring that you have a great business experience as a freelancer!
George J. NewtonGeorge J. Newton is a tech writer with Academic Brits and Dissertation Writing Service, where he covers advances in tech and business. He also writes for Next Coursework .
Build your dream business and get paid in seconds with Paymes
Marketing and cashflow issues threaten small businesses in MENA
Small businesses are the backbone of the majority of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) economies. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), over 90% of the region’s businesses are small businesses. In 2021, over 77% projected revenues that were steady or growing.
Freelancing is booming in the region after the pandemic. A 2022 survey by Bayt.com found that 78% of respondents plan to do more freelance work and 87% believe there is a surge in demand.
While the growth of entrepreneurship and freelancing is a positive sign, it is not easy to succeed in MENA. The region is still learning about digital marketing and fintech. Many SMEs are still adapting to the internet age. Only 55% of SMEs in MENA have a website. A meagre 46% have a social media presence.
Two of the key challenges they face are setting up their own platform to attract clients and getting paid on time, without hassle. 82% of small businesses fail due to cash flow issues, so it is a challenge that can end your business.
“Payment was easy to set up and use right away, the dashboard is user friendly and to the point. Highly recommend it for freelancers.”
Mostafa Kandil, MK
Paymes Customer, Egypt
Paymes is here to help
Paymes, a new platform launched by PayTabs, will put these worries to rest. Paymes is now available in Egypt for its 18 million gig workers. More markets in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will be able to access Paymes soon.
Paymes allows you to
- set up an online store for your products and services
- promote what you sell online
- get paid in seconds – no long paperwork for you or the buyer
- share secure payment links over 10 social platforms including Instagram, WhatsApp and Telegram
It is supported by Facebook Commerce and completely free to set up.
PayTabs has been a trailblazer in the region in fintech innovations. The company has developed many country-specific solutions, including mada (Saudi Arabia) and K-Net (Kuwait).
Paymes is a solution designed for small businesses and freelancers. It is made for craftsmen, coaches, designers, tailors, home cooks, gardeners, and anyone else who is freelancing or running a small business.
Whether you already have a business or simply have an idea in mind, you can use Paymes to create the vision you have in mind. There are no setup fees or monthly costs, just transparent transaction fees.
Paymes will allow you to receive instant payments from anyone anywhere in the world. Sharing a QR code or a link with the buyer is all that is necessary.
They only need to enter credit card details. You only need your IBAN details to collect the payment.
“ Paymes has a unique edge in the Egyptian market by offering a simple tool with very few steps for freelancers and social media businesses to enroll and build their marketplace.
Freelancers can now easily digitize their businesses in short 2-3 steps and display their products on Paymes for customers to buy and pay online.
We’re excited to launch Paymes and continue our efforts in enabling micro-businesses and adding value to them.”
Mohamed Serry
Country Manager – Egypt, PayTabs
Build your dreams with Paymes
Take charge and build the future you wish for. Let go of your marketing and cash flow worries. Start using Paymes today.
You only need digital copies of your Egyptian National ID card and a bank account statement. You can register with any Egyptian bank account, mobile wallet or Meeza prepaid card.
Create an account online or download the Paymes app on Apple App Store and Google Play.
– Kasun Pathirage is an expert freelance content writer for B2B fintech and SaaS brands.
Learn more about his work via his website: verbauream.com.
Find Out Why Having an Online Store Makes Sense
In 2022, shopping is no longer limited to physical brick-and-mortar stores. With advancement in modern technologies, availability of faster shipping options, and the recent pandemic that limited the movement of people, more and more customers are shopping online. While there are third-party channels like Amazon, Etsy, eBay and more that allow you to sell your products on their website, have you ever considered opening your own online store?
An online store dedicated to your brand and products can be tremendously beneficial as well as profitable. However, to reap the benefits of an online store, you must be familiar with how to create an online storefrom scratch. The process might sound too technical and troublesome but it’s quite simple and straightforward in fact. Read on to know more.
How to Open an Online Store?
Here’s a brief rundown of the process which you can follow to establish your very own store listed online and ready to serve customers. The best part about opening an online store is that you don’t need a lot of experience or technical knowledge and there is a plethora of tools available that are made specifically to help you with this journey. So, if you were wondering how to create an online store, follow these steps.
- Step 1: Decide on your niche and what you will be offering the customers. Is it clothing, food items, appliances or something else?
- Step 2: Choose whether you will house the products on your own or use a drop shipping supplier to take care of the shipping.
- Step 3: Come up with a customer-friendly business name and register a domain name online for the website.
- Step 4: Select and list the products that you will sell.
- Step 5: Create the website for your brand. You can do it yourself, take help from an online store builder or even hire a developer.
- Step 6: Get a sales tax ID since you’re now a business and would need to pay taxes on your products.
- Step 7: Run marketing campaigns to get the products in front of your audience.
Benefits of an Online Store
Interested to know about the advantages of an online store and why it scores higher than a physical one? After all, most big brands have official stores and retail outlets for people to walk in, roam around, feel the products, and then make a purchase. While there’s no alternative to physical contact with the products, an online store can provide several other benefits.
- Enhanced Communication with Customers: Online shopping allows brands to capture in-depth customer information like their purchase history, shortlisted products, email address, shopping preferences, and more. All this information enables you to connect with your customers better. Targeted campaigns, special discounts, and notifying the customers when their shortlisted product is back in stock can increase the chances of completing a sale successfully.
- Better Shopping Experience: This is one of the key benefits of an online store. Shopping online gives a certain amount of freedom to customers that can’t be found in physical stores. There’s no salesperson following them around the store to make them uncomfortable and no queues for them to stand in and wait. All they need to do is browse through the website, select products they like, and buy them instantly with the click of a button. No fuss. No hassle. And no carrying things around the store.
- Reduced Costs: One of the biggest reasons behind taking your business online is the reduction in costs. Sure, you will be paying server costs, website maintenance costs, infrastructure costs and such, but they will be far lower than paying rent for a commercial space, hiring employees, and maintaining the physical stock as well as the store. The amount spent on marketing online can be as minimal as you like.
- Increased Market Access: This is another one of the top advantages of an online store. Selling products over the internet opens a wide range of possibilities that just isn’t possible with independent stores. Not only can you market to people worldwide, but third-party drop shipping and fulfilment companies like Amazon and eBay make it possible for the products to reach even far-flung customers. Setting up a shop is easy and can happen in just a matter of minutes.
- Master of your Own Finances: Since you’re not partnering with third-party channels and selling products from your store, barring the cost of advertisement, shipping, and other overheads, all the revenue, as well as the profit, is yours to keep. While selling on Amazon or eBay might feel like a good side hustle at the beginning, the earnings will stagnate over time even if your business is growing. Getting away from any third-party agreement frees you from these shackles.
- You Have the Final Say: Another online store benefit? You are not restricted to the selling metrics and strategies of other third-party companies. You have complete authority over every business decision like how it’s going to operate, sales and marketing strategies to generate leads, product presentation, pricing, and even the way the order is packaged and delivered. Customer service also becomes more streamlined and efficient.
- Convenient payment system: In case of an online store, if you join hands with the right payment gateway solution provider, accepting and keeping track of payments will become a piece of cake. You will be able to offer your customers multiple payment modes too, including debit and credit cards, net banking, e-wallets and so on. No matter where a customer is located, the funds will be deposited in your account quickly. Sending invoices and reminders will also become easy, helping you to focus more on core business areas.
Wrapping Up
Building a business from scratch and running the same is not easy, be it online or offline. Each has its own difficulties and comes with its fair share of roadblocks, but you don’t create a multi-billion-dollar corporation piggybacking on another company. Plus, there are several benefits of an online store over an offline one, as you read above. And if yours is a growing business that aims to stay in the game for a long time, futureproofing the business is vital. The world is going global and physical borders are no longer a constraint for brands trying to reach their customers. So, now is the best time to go online.