NEW PORT RICHEY — Amy Hart has a new employee working at Continental Plumbing in New Port Richey.
“I feel like I hired a new team member and a personal assistant that’s available 24-7, works for $20 a month and doesn’t take any breaks and never complains,” Hart said.
The new team member is artificial intelligence.
And it’s helping with everything from scheduling to invoicing.
“I think there were certain things in our business that were really slowing me down. And I was just looking for a way to make that faster for myself,” said Hart.
Hart said letting AI do some of the busy work gives her time to focus on other things.
It also makes those estimates more professional.
“A lot of our guys are really great plumbers, but they aren’t writers, so I think that’s a great way to help them make it sound a little bit more polished,” Hart said.
Ryan Thompson with Hydrus Connect teaches business owners how to use AI and said that lately, he’s focused on AI agents that can answer phone calls.
“They are relatively inexpensive, a few hundred dollars a month, and can really take a lot of that menial tasks away and kind of do some work for you when you wouldn’t normally be answering phone calls,” Thompson said.
Hart hasn’t added an AI agent yet, but her system does log calls and can let her know if the customer is upset or the level of urgency.
“On our screen, it pops up the customer sentiment so whether they are angry or upset or if it’s positive, and it really helps us hone in on, and we can really help those people more quickly,” said Hart.
AI programs like Chat GPT can help with emails and marketing plans, but Thompson said it shouldn’t be relied on for more in-depth writing.
“It’s never going to be as creative as a human being. I don’t think we have any danger of that,” said Thompson.
A recent survey by Price Waterhouse Cooopers found most workers expect AI to make their time at work more efficient.
Most CEOs said AI has not led to more layoffs.
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