15: The Smart Way to Automate: How to Implement AI That Actually Works For Your Business with Heidi Araya

Are you drowning in AI hype but still waiting to see real, tangible results for your business? You’re not alone.

In this episode of The AI-Powered Business Leader, host Alastair McDermott sits down with Heidi Araya, a process improvement consultant with over 25 years of experience driving multi-million dollar improvements through AI automation.

This insightful conversation cuts through the noise to reveal how businesses are using AI in the real world to save time, increase profitability, and gain competitive advantage. Through practical examples and case studies, Heidi shares her expertise on finding genuine value in AI implementation.

Key topics include:

  • Why many businesses struggle to find value in AI implementations
  • How to identify the right AI use cases for your business
  • Real-world examples of successful AI automation
  • The future of AI in sales and customer service
  • Practical approaches to AI implementation without eliminating jobs

Tune in to discover how you can move beyond the hype and start implementing AI solutions that deliver real results for your business.

Key Insights

  • Many businesses struggle with AI because they focus on the tool first instead of identifying their specific business challenges
  • Recording meetings and calls can provide valuable data for AI processing, though privacy considerations need to be addressed
  • AI automation should focus on enhancing human capabilities rather than replacing workers
  • Smaller businesses may be better positioned to implement AI while maintaining jobs, as they need diverse skill sets
  • The capabilities of AI are rapidly evolving, requiring regular reassessment and experimentation

Strategies

  • Start by identifying pain points: “What makes you groan when you wake up?”
  • Use AI for automating repetitive tasks while maintaining human touch for important interactions
  • Implement proof of concepts before making large investments in AI solutions
  • Consider privacy implications when selecting AI tools and platforms
  • Record and analyze sales calls to improve performance and understanding of client needs

Topics include: AI implementation, process improvement, business automation, sales automation, customer service, ai strategy, small business, practical ai applications, business transformation

Speakers: Heidi Araya Host: Alastair McDermott

Quotes

“So first of all, I ask them, what makes you groan? You wake up in the morning, you’re ready to start your day, what makes you groan?” – Heidi Araya, 3:08, The AI-Powered Business Leader

“It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow or even next year, but three years from now, they will wish that they had taken more action and kept on the forefront of it.” – Heidi Araya, 29:33, The AI-Powered Business Leader

The AI-Powered Business Leader

🎙️+📺 SHOW: The AI-Powered Business Leader cuts through the hype to deliver practical AI solutions for real business challenges. Hosted by Alastair McDermott, this podcast is designed for business leaders who want to harness the power of AI to drive success and innovation, all while keeping a Human First approach. Join us to learn how AI can help you automate repetitive tasks, boost productivity, and create a more enjoyable workplace for your team.

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Written by Alastair McDermott

I help leadership teams adopt AI the right way: people first, numbers second. I move you beyond the hype, designing and deploying practical systems that automate busywork - the dull bits - so humans can focus on the high-value work only they can do.

The result is measurable capacity: cutting processing times by 92% and unlocking €55,000 per month in extra productivity.

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I turn AI tech & strategy into clear, actionable insights. You’ll discover how to leverage AI, how to integrate it strategically to get a competitive edge, automate tedious tasks, and improve business decision-making.

– Alastair.