In the past couple of years, the AI industry has thrived as the technology becomes indispensable for businesses. From chatbots to aid customer service interactions, to machine learning models that produce accurate financial forecasts, AI has found a place in all areas of business.

Soon, AI will become the standard customers expect, meaning organisations must adopt it at pace. Those who manage to implement the technology correctly will reap benefits in productivity, employee satisfaction and, ultimately, profitability. But to do this, organisations need to transform how they operate.

Customers won’t be patient

In an AI-driven world, patience is a virtue of the past. The expectations of service delivery and response times have drastically changed as the norm becomes swift response times delivered from digital-first organisations.

Customers continue to prioritise convenience with the purchases they make and demand more from the organisations they are loyal to. This ‘convenience economy’ is also lucrative for businesses as customers are willing to pay a 5% premium for convenience, which rises among younger consumers.

With these customer demands, the convenience attached to a business is a point of differentiation in a competitive marketplace. However, it is not possible to provide a service at pace unless the business offering it is set up in the right way.

The important takeaway from this is speed should be the top priority for businesses. With companies across all industries increasingly adopting AI to transform the services they offer, and the experiences customers have, convenience is no longer a competitive differentiator – it is a necessity. Businesses need to get ahead of the curve to ensure they don’t lose out to competitors.

Speed as a core business value

The capacity for your business to respond quickly to emerging market conditions and offer innovation at pace doesn’t only influence the experience for customers but is transformative to how a business operates. Promoting speed and flexibility in internal business operations can support organisations to adapt quickly to any external challenges and uncertainties faster than their competitors.

Supply chains have experienced significant unforeseen disruption in recent years, and this has caused shortages, delays, and increased costs. For companies to stay ahead in this increasingly volatile environment, they must be prepared for uncertainty and be able to adapt to deliver at a fast pace for consumers. Across uses such as inventory management, supplier analysis and demand forecasting, AI can be an effective tool in boosting speed, in both issue identification and handling possible fall out should something go wrong. We’re already starting to see new expectations being set for supply chain organisations in response to this, with 50% expected to invest in AI and advanced analytics to prepare themselves for unexpected delays and disruption.

Another area speed is invaluable to is complying with increasingly complex regulation. Around 34% of businesses globally are using AI for regulatory compliance already, and businesses need to maximise this opportunity. The ripple effects of falling behind on compliance can’t be overstated. From adjusting privacy protocols and HR policies to incorporating updated environmental guidelines, move too slowly and you could see heavy fines, legal repercussions or a tarnished reputation.

AI and automation are key to accelerate business functions

AI and automation are key to helping organisations streamline processes and innovate faster. By simplifying how a business operates and reducing time spent on repetitive work, 90% of employees report a significant boost to productivity. Further, AI and automation can help predict and manage employee’s workloads better. If provided with the right data, AI algorithms have the capacity to predict and offer recommendations on business decisions, helping to eliminate crunch periods.

Integrating AI into your business’s workflows provides flexibility, productivity, and the capacity to handle unanticipated events. Companies will be able to respond faster to changes and manage their operations better and, as AI and automation are used to remove the repetitive drudgery from people’s work, employee satisfaction will improve.

Harnessing efficiency to maximise opportunity

Investing in AI and implementing it quickly is now a business imperative. Businesses in the UK are increasingly open to using AI as the number of UK AI companies has grown by over 600% over the last 10 years.  Rapid implementation of AI not only enhances efficiency but also ensures companies can capitalise on new opportunities before other competitors do. Those who take advantage of AI will be better prepared to anticipate trends, refine the customer experience and improve their bottom line.

Operational efficiency creates a more favourable cost structure and boosts margins. Ensuring compliance mitigates risks and helps companies avoid fines and reputational harm while streamlining customer service not only lowers costs and reduces turnover but also strengthens customer retention and acquisition, driving top-line growth.

Today, more than ever, time is money.

For more startup news, check out the other articles on the website, and subscribe to the magazine for free. Listen to The Cereal Entrepreneur podcast for more interviews with entrepreneurs and big-hitters in the startup ecosystem.