24 June 2026
AI in business comms: What’s actually happening right now?
AI isn't something businesses need to adopt in the future. It's already built into many of the tools they use today.
And it's SMBs that are being underestimated with regards to how they're adopting AI and the speed in which they're doing so.
Our Chief Technology Officer, Chris Thacker, explores how AI is improving customer communications and why the most successful businesses are focusing on making the most of what's already available to them.
One thing I’ve noticed recently is that many businesses still see AI as something they’ll get around to eventually.
The thing is, they’re already using it. They didn’t have to go hunting for it. They didn’t need a big strategy day with sandwiches and a whiteboard. It’s just crept into the software they already use.
So, the question was never whether to start using AI. It’s whether you’re getting the most out of what’s in front of you.
AI is already inside the tools you use
When most people think about AI, they picture chatbots and automated responses.
What surprises me is how many businesses are already using it without thinking about it as AI.
Your CRM is proactively flagging customers who might leave. Your accounts software is highlighting late payers, without so much as a prompt. Your inbox is drafting replies before you’ve finished your coffee.
AI’s already in the room. It’s not stood there wearing a badge saying “Hello, I’m artificial intelligence.” It’s just quietly doing bits in the background.
Most businesses are already using it
A couple of years ago, most small businesses were simply dabbling with AI.

What started as experimentation has quickly become routine.
At PHMG, we’re seeing the biggest impact in one area in particular: how businesses communicate with their customers.
More businesses are asking us the same questions:

As AI becomes more common, customers quickly get used to the benefits:
How AI is actually changing your communications
We’ve all been there. Stuck in a phone menu.
Press 1 for sales. Press 2 for accounts. Press 3 to hear the options you’ve already forgotten.
It might not lose you a customer on its own, but it makes dealing with your business feel harder than it needs to be.
That’s where AI delivers the most value — removing the small frustrations that create extra work for both customers and teams.

The aim is the same: keep customers happy, without throwing more time and money at the problem.
Why the human touch still matters
One worry I hear regularly is that AI will replace human interaction. I don’t see it that way.
The best customer experiences combine technology with people.
Customers still value empathy, trust and expertise. What they don’t want is waiting on hold, repeating information or struggling to get an answer.

Your voice, your brand and the way your business makes people feel are still yours.
AI simply helps more customers experience that, faster.
The businesses moving fastest aren’t necessarily the ones spending the most. They’re the ones paying attention to what those tools can already do.
Because AI in business communications isn’t something that’s coming. It’s already here.
Find out what AI could do for your business communications
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Sources:
-
Cisco, The Race to an Agentic Future, 2025
https://newsroom.cisco.com/c/dam/r/newsroom/pdfs/Cisco-CX-Agentic-AI-Research.pdf -
McKinsey, The State of AI, 2025
https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai -
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2025
https://www.uschamber.com/technology/empowering-small-business-the-impact-of-technology-on-u-s-small-business
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