7 top AI B2B tools for doing more with less effort

Wearing many hats comes with the territory when you own a small B2B company. When you want to speed up selling to multiple decision-makers and keep marketing on-brand, artificial intelligence (AI) takes the weight off your shoulders.

In this post, you’ll learn seven of the best AI B2B tools to keep your business running smoothly with far less effort.

7 best AI B2B tools for everyday business tasks

As a B2B business owner, you’re constantly switching between roles. One minute you’re generating leads, the next you’re managing client onboarding or reviewing reports.

AI tools streamline day-to-day operations by automating repetitive tasks and presenting real-time insights.

From refining your sales pipeline to improving internal workflows, AI can free up time and headspace to focus on growth.

Here are seven of the best AI tools for B2B marketing, sales and operations.

1. Pipedrive: best for lead generation and project management

Pipedrive specializes in AI-powered customer relationship management (CRM) software for B2B companies wanting to manage their sales cycles and leads better.

While your team focuses on closing deals, the AI CRM suggests next best steps, drafts follow-ups and highlights performance trends.

Watch this video for a quick overview of each feature:

For example, Pipedrive’s AI-powered Sales Assistant monitors your pipeline activity and intent data. By pointing out at-risk deals and new opportunities, salespeople can act at the right time to keep negotiations flowing.

When reaching out, the AI email writer helps you respond to B2B leads with relevant, professionally written messages. Reps save hours with follow-up email automations based on past messages, prospects’ profiles and deal stages.

Smart integration recommendations also suggest third-party apps that align with your team’s workflow, making scaling your tech stack faster and more efficient than ever.

Once you close the deal, project management software helps you manage client onboarding and delivery without switching tools. While the Projects feature doesn’t use AI, powerful automations connect each task and deadline to the original deal to better align your after-sales service.

Pipedrive’s key AI features include:

• AI Sales Assistant for real-time suggestions based on deals and customer data

• AI email writer and summarization tools to generate context-aware outreach and replies

• AI report generator to ask for insights in your own words (e.g., “How is my team performing?”)

• AI-powered Marketplace search to find integrations using natural language (e.g., “proposal documents”)

• AI agents (in beta) that automate repetitive CRM tasks such as scheduling and data entry

Pipedrive’s AI-powered CRM and project management tools help B2B sales teams stay organized, act faster and close more deals.

Pricing: After a 14-day free trial, Pipedrive has a range of paid plans to suit your team size.

2. Intercom’s Fin: best for AI chatbots

Intercom offers one of the most advanced AI chatbots on the market to answer customer queries at scale. For small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) managing growing support volumes, Intercom’s Fin interacts like an always-on rep.

It’s like having an extra team member who responds instantly, without adding headcount:

Share your knowledge base, and Fin instantly learns everything about your company and products.

It then handles a wide range of queries, routes potential customers to the right place and escalates issues only when necessary. When someone asks a question or requests information, Fin sources all answers with the right knowledge base articles or developer documentation.

It also speaks 45 languages in your brand’s tone of voice, personalizing every customer interaction.

Built-in scoring systems help improve customer support quality. Quickly see how people feel about answer quality or topics Fin could use more training in.

Intercom Fin’s key features include:

• An AI chatbot trained on your help documents and previous conversations

• The ability to understand context and handle multi-part questions

• Live agent escalation when needed

• Custom bot workflows to support onboarding, renewals and more

• Actionable insights to help Fin improve over time

If you’re looking to reduce customer service pressure without sacrificing quality, Fin is a scalable solution for growing B2B teams.

Pricing: After a free trial, Fin charges per resolution.

3. seoClarity: best AI assistant for SEO

seoClarity helps B2B and software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies that rely heavily on organic search to attract high-intent buyers. AI assistant Sia speeds up search engine optimization (SEO) workflows while keeping you in control of strategy.

The data-driven insights help you prioritize the right keyword opportunities, identify content gaps and take action without needing to dig through spreadsheets:

Sia instantly generates SEO content outlines and performs on-page analysis to provide real-time answers from your performance data.

It’s built for enterprise-scale sites with complex offerings (though still suitable for startups and SMBs), making it especially useful for B2B companies with multiple products and long sales cycles.

You also get access to Content Fusion, which helps your content rank for a broader range of relevant searches and more specific buyer questions.

With automated keyword grouping and internal linking tools, seoClarity saves hours of manual work when compiling your marketing strategy.

seoClarity’s key features include:

• AI-driven keyword and topic clustering

• Automated internal linking suggestions

• Smart content generation that aligns with search intent

• Page-level SEO audits with fix suggestions

• Real-time rank tracking and competitor analysis

If your team is juggling multiple tasks and struggling to scale, seoClarity’s SEO boost helps you move faster and stay ahead of search engine updates.

Pricing: seoClarity offers custom pricing based on your business size and needs.

4. ChatGPT: best for AI content creation

For B2B teams trying to create more content, ChatGPT is your 24/7 writing assistant. When drafting case studies and writing LinkedIn posts, it speeds up content creation without forfeiting quality.

The interface is a digital conversation. Simply give ChatGPT a prompt in your own words, and it’ll generate a relevant response:

Continue the conversation until you get the answer, content or idea you’re happy with. To make the most of the technology, use it as a foundation to which you can add your own insights and expertise.

What makes ChatGPT particularly valuable for B2B companies is its flexibility. In addition to drafting blog outlines or full articles, it can:

• Repurpose webinar transcripts into social posts

• Brainstorm email copywriting, headlines or ad variations

• Summarize technical documents for leadership

While it won’t replace your subject matter experts or marketers, it will help you skip the blank page and spend more time refining high-impact messaging.

ChatGPT’s key features include:

• Content generation in seconds from simple prompts

• Custom instructions to guide tone and output

• Support for more than 25 languages

• Built-in tools for summarizing and rewriting

• ChatGPT Team and Enterprise options for collaborative use

For B2B marketers with tight timelines and growing content demands, ChatGPT helps you ship more and connect with your target audience without burning out.

Pricing: ChatGPT offers free to enterprise pricing tiers.

5. Canva: best for B2B marketing campaigns

Canva is a B2B marketing AI tool that makes it easier to create high-quality visuals without hiring a professional designer. It’s ideal for small teams who need fast and consistent creative output.

With Magic Studio, you can generate on-brand digital marketing materials (such as social media posts, ads, landing pages and email banners) just by describing what you need:

The AI writes copy, matches your brand style and even suggests layouts based on your goals. You can start from scratch or pick a template that fits your content and brand identity.

Drop in your brand colors, images or rough ideas using Magic Design. Canva will then instantly create polished layouts.

If you need ad variations, Magic Resize adapts one design across formats in seconds. Canva’s AI image and text tools also help you make quick edits (like cleaning up a busy background or tweaking copy) without starting from scratch.

These AI B2B marketing features are especially useful for small teams running multi-channel content marketing campaigns.

They cut design time, reduce reliance on external help and keep your brand consistent as you scale across platforms.

Canva’s key features include:

• Magic Design for instant branded layouts

• Magic Write for AI-generated marketing copy

• AI image editing, including background removal and image expansion

• Magic Resize to fit multiple formats instantly

• Brand kits to auto-apply your fonts, colors and logos

When you want to create more campaign assets without bottlenecks, Canva’s AI marketing tools make good design faster and accessible for everyone.

Pricing: Canva offers a range of free to paid plans for teams.

6. Zapier: best for AI-powered workflow automation

Zapier saves the hours B2B teams often lose switching between tools, copying data and triggering manual follow-ups. Use the AI to connect your tech stack faster and automate repetitive tasks without writing a line of code.

Zapier’s AI-powered automation builder lets you describe your needs in plain English and get the right workflow:

Let’s say a new lead fills out a form on your site. Ask Zapier to automatically:

1. Add their contact information to your CRM system

2. Send a Slack alert to your sales team

3. Add the lead to the right email list segment and kick off a nurture series

Simply explain what you want to happen, and the tool figures out the rest. It’s ideal for busy B2B teams that need automation without hiring IT staff to set it up.

Zapier’s key AI features include:

• AI automation builder (Zapier Central) for no-code workflow creation

• An AI assistant that suggests useful automations from natural language prompts

• Logic-based routing and filters for personalizing actions

• Support for 6,000+ apps across sales, marketing and operations

• Error handling and auto-retries to reduce manual intervention

If your B2B workflows feel manual and disconnected, Zapier’s AI tools help you save time and free up your team to focus on bigger priorities.

Pricing: Zapier offers a range of free to paid pricing plans.

7. Slack: best for team and client communication

Slack creates fast communication lines between internal teams, clients and partners across time zones. Slack’s AI features cut through the noise and highlight what matters to keep everyone aligned.

When you’re managing multiple deals and supporting customers post-sale, it’s easy to miss key updates in a sea of messages.

Ask Slack questions in plain language (e.g., “What did the team decide about the Q3 campaign?”) and get a smart summary based on relevant channels and threads:

For B2B teams handling fast-moving projects or client accounts, Slack’s AI features help decision-makers stay aligned and responsive.

It also summarizes long conversations, recapping missed activity and key action items, so users don’t have to dig through messages to find information.

Slack’s key AI features include:

• AI-powered channel and thread summaries

• Smart recaps of missed conversations when you’re away

• Searchable answers from across your workspace

• Natural language prompts to extract insights quickly

• Thread-level catch-ups to help you act on key points

If your team juggles many sales meetings and conversations, Slack helps them stay sharp without getting overwhelmed.

Pricing: After a limited free plan, Slack has a range of paid pricing options.

Why do business owners rely on B2B AI tools?

Today’s business owners often multitask across entire departments. SMBs are turning to AI to lighten the load, reduce manual work and speed up decision-making.

According to Pipedrive’s State of Sales and Marketing 2024 report, 35% of respondents (and 42% of smaller businesses) already use AI tools in operations.

Here are the top benefits.

Automate repetitive tasks

In B2B, long sales processes and complex service models mean your team’s time is valuable. Automating low-level tasks lets sales, marketing and support focus on revenue-driving work.

AI tools handle admin-heavy processes (e.g., logging CRM activity or generating follow-up emails) that slow teams down.

For example, sales managers use Pipedrive’s AI Sales Assistant to auto-prioritize deals and activities:

Intelligent software like this frees up 2–5 hours weekly for more calls and product demos.

Scale personalization

B2B buyers expect relevant offers. AI tools tailor communications and content based on each prospect’s role, industry or funnel stage.

Whether selling software or consulting services, you can personalize the buyer journey at scale with less effort.

For example, sending dynamic email campaigns (which adapt based on a recipient’s industry and engagement) helps sales reps nurture leads more effectively.

Make smarter, faster decisions

In B2B, business decisions are complex and timing is critical. AI tools help teams act on real-time data, spot trends early and allocate resources where they’ll have the most significant impact.

AI-powered dashboards and analytics surface key insights, such as which campaigns are working best and any deals that are stalling. No wonder almost 80% of businesses in Pipedrive’s 2024 State of AI in Business report say boosting productivity is their top reason for using the technology.

For instance, connecting tools and triggering alerts when sales velocity drops helps teams troubleshoot long before their monthly metrics suffer.

Crucial AI technologies that power B2B tools

AI-powered tools learn, predict and communicate in ways that mimic human thinking. For example, they can suggest the best next step in a deal and draft personalized emails.

They also complete some tasks more efficiently, such as pulling key insights from thousands of data points in seconds.

Behind the scenes, several core technologies make this possible:

These are the building blocks behind AI tools for B2B marketing, sales and operations, which help SMBs save time and achieve more with fewer resources.

5 steps to choosing the right AI B2B tool for your business

There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to AI B2B tools. The right choice depends on your business goals, the problems you’re trying to solve and how your team works.

For example, a tool perfect for a sales-led company might not be as helpful for a service-based business.

Here are five practical steps to help you pick the right one for your needs.

1. Start with your use case

Starting with a clear use case helps narrow your options and focus on those that solve your problem.

For example, if you’re a small team struggling to reply to client messages quickly, your use case might be AI-powered chat support.

Before weighing up features, clarify what you’re trying to improve. Is your biggest challenge:

• Qualifying leads?

• Responding to support tickets?

• Writing content faster?

• Sprucing up your email marketing efforts?

If you’re unsure which features you need, try narrowing down your pain points. Think about where your team is losing the most time or money.

For example:

• If you’re buried in manual data entry or task-switching, look into workflow automation

• If your pipeline is full but conversions are low, try an AI-driven CRM or lead scoring tool

• If content creation is taking hours, explore generative AI writing tools

The best AI software for you doesn’t need to be trending or full of flashy features. It simply solves your biggest bottlenecks.

2. Check integration options

Choosing AI B2B tools that integrate easily helps your data flow smoothly and keeps your team from constantly switching between platforms.

Let’s say you use Slack and Google Workspace daily. You’d look for tools with native integrations for both (or a Zapier connection to tie everything together).

Before committing to any software, ask:

• Does it connect to your CRM, helpdesk or project management system?

• Will your team need extra training or workarounds to make it fit?

• Can it automate or replace steps in your current workflow?

By choosing tools that integrate seamlessly, you’ll boost productivity without disrupting your current processes.

3. Test the user experience (UX)

Testing a tool’s UX helps you find intuitive and easy-to-adopt software. When a platform has a clean, user-friendly interface, your team will onboard quickly and shouldn’t need extra training.

Testing the UX upfront helps you confirm, for example:

• Smooth, logical navigation

• Easy-to-find features and settings

• Fast loading times

The right choice enables you to get up and running quickly with minimal support. When a tool feels easy to use, it’s more likely to become a part of your team’s daily workflow.

Here are four ways to test products before committing:

1. Run a demo or free trial with a few team members to see how easily they can use it

2. Ask them to complete a few common tasks and note where they get stuck

3. Evaluate how easily the tool integrates into existing processes and systems

4. Make sure help and support options (such as live chat or video tutorials) are accessible

The right tool should feel like a natural extension of how your team already works.

4. Review data and privacy policies

Before adopting any AI software, it’s crucial to understand how it collects, stores and uses your business data. Ensure it complies with relevant regulations and aligns with your privacy standards.

Look for tools that offer robust security and data compliance features (especially if you’re in a regulated industry such as healthcare or finance).

For example, you need to know if it adheres to privacy laws such as GDPR and whether it stores, encrypts and protects your data from unauthorized access.

Here’s how to check any AI tool before signing up:

1. Carefully read a copy of the tool’s privacy policy and terms of service

2. Look for certifications or compliance guarantees (e.g., GDPR or SOC 2)

3. Contact the vendor directly to ask about data protection practices if anything is unclear

4. Consider how the tool handles data backups, breaches and whether you can delete information

Ensuring data and cybersecurity isn’t just a legal requirement. It’s about showing your team and customers that they can trust you.

5. Figure out your budget

Assess whether the software fits within your budget, both now and long term. Some tools have subscription fees, while others charge based on usage or extra features.

Before making a decision, consider:

• Upfront cost and ongoing fees

• Pricing structure (is it flexible or fixed?)

• Hidden costs (e.g., additional support or integration charges)

• If the tool’s value justifies its price in terms of time or money it saves

Finding the right balance between cost and functionality ensures you stick to your budget while meeting business needs.

Start by taking advantage of free trials or demos to gauge return on investment (ROI) before committing. To do this, compare the time or cost savings the tool offers against what you’re currently spending on the same task.

Here are three tips for figuring out your budget after that:

1. Calculate the total cost of ownership (including extra features, training or support costs)

2. Look for pricing tiers and evaluate which best suits your business size and needs

3. Compare costs across similar tools to be sure you’re getting the most value from your investment

Understanding your budget means choosing a tool that provides value without risking your finances.

AI B2B tools FAQs

Final thoughts

By automating repetitive tasks, AI B2B tools reduce overheads, make teams more productive and free up hours so that you can focus on growth.

From lead generation to customer support, the right AI software can significantly increase efficiency and profitability.

We built Pipedrive’s AI-powered CRM to help B2B teams close more deals with less effort. Try it free for 14 days to see the difference for yourself.