Have you ever fixed something, only to discover it broke something else? It happens to me all the time. Case in point: I was fixing some leaking outdoor hoses. As I was pulling them off, the hose reel broke.

It often happens with computers, too, and especially websites. You install a WordPress plug-in to fix an issue or add a capability, and it clashes with another plug-in or theme. Updating plug-ins can crash the whole site because they clash with the WordPress system, theme, or another plug-in or two.

I have also noticed that when I am trying some new AI tools, not only am I having to spend lots of time learning the interface and the advanced controls needed to create desired results, but it's actually taking longer to process, review, and tweak the results than if I would have just done it manually.

Free Trial Teaser

Many new AI tools offer you a way to play before you pay. Their website shows you all the cool things you can do, but that usually only works for some of the more advanced, paid-for versions.

You have more options to play with once you graduate from free to paid. Learning, experimenting, and re-running your content through their (frequently confusing) process often takes a lot of time to achieve the desired outcome.

I tried a program recommended by a friend called Opus Clips. It takes a webinar and creates mini teaser videos with voice-over and speech-to-text to add visual interest. Its free trial did an interesting job, but I could not edit the colors of the text, which did not match my client's brand. They sell monthly credits as opposed to unlimited use for the advanced features. I ran the webinar through the advanced version, and the color of the text was better, but the clips it created are not what I would have considered the most impactful features that I would want to highlight as teaser videos.

I had to submit to the company for a refund on the credits because I did not get what I was hoping for. Even after I tried to tweak using the advanced features, the results were not much better.

I could have done a better job by using FATHOM (which I already pay for) to make a video transcript. It could have searched for the text I wanted, and then the video would play from that point. I could easily export that to my video editor, cut the clip, and add the text highlights in half the time it took to play and fail with Opus Clips.

The bottom line is that the promise led to more work and money I can't get back, so I cancelled the subscription.

The Chatbot on Steroids

I have to admit, I hate chatbots. You get to a website, and a prompt encourages you to ask a question. Now you type and it types back. If your question is not in a form that the chatbot has been programmed to respond to, you will receive another question. This can become a frustrating, endless loop, and a waste of time (and too often is).

That same friend was playing with a new chatbot system that you could talk to, and it would talk back to you. I have to say that when you test it on their website, it was quite impressive. I used my Mac, mic, and speakers to have a conversation about its capabilities.

Once again, the free version gave some basic capabilities, like choosing a voice for text-to-speech and speech-to-text, but limits you to 10 minutes of audio. You cannot do much with 10 minutes of audio that would get people to ask questions and get quality answers. To get to the really good stuff, you need to pay up.

The good stuff is that you can clone your own voice. You can upload tons of documents to help you build a real knowledge base to serve people with quality answers. And you can redirect people to pages within your website to help them find answers quicker.

You have access to an API, but integrating other programs is not for the newbie and can take hours to days to implement flawlessly.

Ultimately, this solution shows promise, but is a wedge between what B2b customers want and need. It just delays and may even be a roadblock to a customer conversing with a real person.

I strongly believe that people want to talk with people to get their questions answered. They may not speak the lingo or phrase their question correctly for any chatbot to be useful.

As cool as this program is, it still is not a ready-for-prime-time solution (in search of a problem).

Closing Thought

A hose serves a purpose. It is designed to get water from your house via an outdoor spigot to plants, lawn, car, or wherever you need it. If there is a kink in the hose, it can slow or cut off the flow of water to the desired location. If the hose or any part in between leaks, you waste water. In North Carolina, water is expensive (often more than our gas or electric bills). You can be sure that when a problem occurs, I am all over fixing it.

I believe a website is like a hose. It is designed to create interest, raise questions, and deliver potential clients to a human in your organization (sales, support, and others). If there is a kink in the website (getting people to pick up the phone or fill out a form), it can slow or cut off the flow of clients to your desired location. If the website or any part of it leaks or is broken, you waste business opportunities.

As much as AI has promise for your business, you can explore, try, and play, but refrain from going all in just yet. Now is the time to optimize your business, update your content, and drive traffic to your website, making sure it's providing the water you need to grow.

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Comment below and share your thoughts, ideas, or questions about business-to-business sales and marketing today! Do you have a sales or marketing communications strategy that works for you? What tips or techniques can you share that work for you and your business?

To learn more about this and other topics on B2b Sales & Marketing, visit our podcast website at The Bacon Podcast.