You don't need developers to build AI that works for your business
Most businesses have AI tools now. Few are using them right.
Today’s Brief
Here’s what changed: AI agents used to require engineering teams and six-figure budgets. Now you can build one in 30 minutes with visual tools that cost less than your coffee subscription. Today we’re walking you through the exact steps to create an AI agent that handles customer inquiries 24/7. No coding, no complexity, just results.
Sage launched AI-powered ERP suite for SMBs with Copilot assistant and Finance Intelligence Agent launching December. Partners like Sovos building tax compliance agents directly into workflows. Enterprise-grade finance automation now accessible to 20-person companies at under $100/user/month.
Boost.space raised €6.5M for “agentic database” platform integrating 2,500+ tools with AI memory. Unlike traditional automation, their AI agents remember context about your business across sessions. Early access starting Q1 2026. We’ll be watching this release.
Low-code platforms now cut development costs by 70%, according to new SMB automation data. Apps built 90% faster than with traditional coding. The catch? Vendor lock-in hits hard in year two. Choose your platform carefully because switching costs are real.
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After hundreds of successful AI and automation deployments, we know one thing: technology will not replace your best salespeople. But it will save them 40-60% of their time on routine activities and give them deals that are ready to close.
Ninjabot responds to inquiries in 10-60 seconds (not hours), reaches out to relevant contacts on social media 24/7 (no spam), warms up your database via SMS/email (including follow-ups), prepares salespeople for each meeting (within 1 minute), takes professional meeting minutes (including follow-ups), negotiates offers, prepares next steps, and much more.
Build your first AI agent in 30 minutes (no code required)
In this tutorial, we’ll build an AI agent that reads customer inquiries from email or chat, understands intent using GPT-4, and automatically drafts personalized responses or routes to the right team member.
If your team spends 8+ hours weekly answering repetitive customer questions like “What’s your pricing?” “Do you ship to Germany?” “How does billing work?” then this AI agent will be perfect for you. It handles these questions 24/7, cutting response time from hours to seconds. Your team focuses on complex issues that actually need human judgment.
What you need:
Make.com – Visual automation builder (Free for 1,000 operations/mo, then $9/mo)
OpenAI API – GPT-4 access (Pay as you go, ~$5 covers 100+ customer inquiries)
Gmail or Slack – Where customer messages arrive (Your existing account)
Google Sheets – Store common Q&A pairs (Free)
Total cost: $0-14/month depending on volume
Step-by-step:
1. Set up your Make.com scenario
Create a free Make.com account and start new scenario
Add Gmail/Slack trigger: “Watch new messages” in support inbox
Set trigger to run every 5 minutes (real-time feel without burning operations)
2. Add your knowledge base
Create Google Sheet with two columns: “Common Question” and “Approved Answer”
Fill 10-15 frequent questions (pricing, shipping, billing, features)
Connect Google Sheets module in Make: “Search rows” that match customer inquiry keywords
3. Connect OpenAI for intelligent responses
Add OpenAI GPT-4 module after Gmail trigger
Configure prompt: “You’re a helpful customer support agent for [Company]. Read this customer inquiry: {{email.body}}. Check if it matches our knowledge base: {{sheets.results}}. If yes, draft response using our approved answer. If no, summarize the inquiry and suggest routing to [appropriate team].”
Set temperature to 0.3 (consistent, professional responses)
Max tokens: 300 (keeps responses concise)
4. Route the response
Add Router module after OpenAI
Path 1 (simple inquiry): Send drafted response to Slack for one-click approval
Path 2 (complex inquiry): Create task in your project management tool with AI summary
Add Gmail “Send reply” module on approval path
5. Test it
Send test email to support inbox: “What’s your pricing?”
Watch Make scenario execute (you’ll see each step light up)
Verify AI drafts accurate response using knowledge base
Success = AI response arrives in Slack within 5 minutes
6. Optional: Enhance it
Add sentiment analysis to flag angry customers for immediate human response
Track response patterns. If the same question is being asked 10+ times, update the documentation.
Connect to CRM to add context (”This customer paid $2K last month”) to responses
As a result, customer inquiries get intelligent first-pass responses in under 5 minutes instead of 4+ hours. Your team approves good responses with one click or handles complex cases with AI-generated summaries. Estimate: 6-10 hours saved weekly per support person.
Pro tip: Start with email-only. Once working smoothly, clone the scenario for Slack, live chat, social DMs or even voice calls. Same AI brain, different front doors.
Need a help? Book a meeting with Ninjabot team to have it set it up for you.
77% of global SMB’s use AI. But most are leaving money on the table.
A New McKinsey study shows 77% of SMBs use AI in at least one business function. 91% report revenue growth. 90% see operational improvements. Daily AI usage jumped 23% quarter-over-quarter to 68% of SMBs. The tipping point happened. AI is now mainstream for small business.
That data looks good until you dig deeper. Most SMBs use AI for 1-2 functions only: typically customer service chatbots or marketing copy. They’re leaving massive value on the table. The competitive gap is widening between SMBs using AI strategically (multiple functions, integrated workflows) versus those using it tactically (isolated tools).
Operations is the biggest missed opportunity. Only 30% of AI-adopting SMBs automated procurement, inventory, or process workflows. Yet, these drive the highest ROI. One study shows 40% productivity gains and predictive capabilities reducing stockouts 25%.
Financial forecasting sits untapped. AI can analyze cash flow patterns, predict slow months, optimize pricing. Most SMBs still use Excel and gut feel. The SMBs using AI here report 18% better demand forecasting accuracy.
Integration is the multiplier effect. AI in marketing alone = incremental gains. AI connecting marketing + sales + operations + finance = transformational. Few SMBs have crossed this threshold yet. First-mover advantage still available.
What shall you do about it?
Audit your current AI usage honestly.
List every AI tool your business uses and what function it serves.
Then map your business processes: customer acquisition, onboarding, delivery, support, billing.
Find the gaps where AI could eliminate manual work or improve decisions.
Prioritize by time saved × frequency.
Pick one high-ROI gap and implement this quarter.
Don’t wait for perfect. The 77% who started are already ahead of those who haven’t.
Having AI tools doesn’t create advantage. Using them strategically across multiple integrated functions does. The window for easy wins is still open.
Tool stack
With TweetHunter you can grow Twitter following with AI-powered viral content patterns. Analyzes top tweets, suggests content, auto-schedules.
Make.com is a well-known visual workflow automation tool that recently announced a new feature of building AI & automation solutions through conversation.
With WeWeb you can build a frontend optimized for performance with an option to export code.
Ninjabot provides B2B sales teams with AI agents and workflow automation with a proven 340% ROI for SMBs.
Grow your LinkedIn on autopilot with AI content generation and engagement in Taplio. Built for founders building personal brands.
Mem0 is a memory layer for AI agents that remember context across sessions. Essential for customer-facing AI.
Boost.space is a no-code AI platform with “agentic memory” connecting 2,500+ tools. Basically, AI agents that remember your business context.
TestSprite solves AI-powered test automation generating and maintaining QA tests automatically. And recently got funded $6.7M.
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