- Inceptix | AI ROI Briefing
- Posts
- SMB AI Weekly: Copilot Discounts, Procurement Bots & Customer-Trust Hacks — Your 3-Minute Brief (Jun 29 ’25)
SMB AI Weekly: Copilot Discounts, Procurement Bots & Customer-Trust Hacks — Your 3-Minute Brief (Jun 29 ’25)
Cyrus Shirazian
June 29, 2025
AI Headlines of Past Week
Microsoft doubles‑down on Copilot for the mid‑market
Microsoft extended its 15 % Microsoft 365 Copilot discount through 30 Sep 2025 and introduced a Security SMB insights track and an upcoming Copilot Specialization so partners can certify around SMB‑focused Copilot deployments. (source)
Why it Matters to SMBs
Lower cost of entry for generative‑AI productivity, and a bigger partner ecosystem trained specifically on SMB adoption means faster, cheaper roll‑outs.
Recommended Next Steps
1. Ask your Microsoft partner how to apply the Copilot CSP promo before it expires.
2. Map two or three repetitive knowledge‑work processes (e.g., proposal drafts, support docs) that Copilot can automate in Q3.
3. Ensure your IT policy covers data‑governance for AI assistants.
Procurement gets its own AI co‑pilot
Spend‑management vendor JAGGAER unveiled JAI — an agentic AI that forecasts spend, flags outliers and will soon run RFx workflows end‑to‑end. (source)
Why it Matters to SMBs
SMBs with <50 FTE procurement teams can now access “big‑company” analytics without adding headcount, cutting sourcing cycle‑time and improving cash‑flow visibility.
Recommended Next Steps
1. Audit your top‑10 suppliers for late deliveries/price creep.
2. Pilot JAI (or an equivalent) on one high‑volume category to quantify savings.
3. Use the pilot data to renegotiate payment terms in the next 60 days.
The consumer trust gap widens
A Gartner survey released this week shows that only 32 % of consumers trust companies’ use of AI, even though adoption by brands is accelerating. (source)
Why it Matters to SMBs
Reputational risk rises as AI usage scales. SMBs lack crisis‑PR budgets; a single mis‑step can erode brand equity built over years.
Recommended Next Steps
Publish a one‑page “AI transparency statement” explaining how customer data are used.
Implement a human‑override workflow for AI‑driven decisions that affect customers (pricing, credit, content).
Train front‑line staff on how to answer “How are you using my data?” in plain English.