Switchboard Connect

Every other week, I curate a few relevant pieces of AI & Automation news and insights for SMB operators & execs.

Let’s dive in.

💡 At Switchboard, we specialize in scaling automation and AI for teams, but tools like Lindy are a game-changer for individuals, too.

I’m a fan of Lindy for individual AI automation and here’s a workflow I built that:

• Summarizes past conversations with attendees.

• Quickly pulls up LinkedIn profiles.

• Gathers company insights effortlessly.

• Delivers everything to your inbox 30 minutes before the meeting.

The result? You’re always prepared, polished, and ahead of the game.

Go deeper: Curious about how to set this up? I shared a step-by-step walkthrough that shows you how on LinkedIn.

🔗 How to set it up in under 30 minutes →

💡 What to Know:

Industry leaders think about their operations & process like a software product and using the same principles that tech leaders use to iterate on their apps: constant improvement that drives long-term success.

Most teams put a process in place but don’t iterate.

They don’t keep a pulse on:

• Are teams adopting this or not?

• Is it working or not?

• Is this impacting things as we had hoped or not?

Why it matters:

• The Uber, Airbnb, Spotify, or Podcasts apps you use today weren’t built overnight. They’re version 3, 4, or 5 of years of refining and feedback.

• Your business processes—sales pipelines, customer onboarding, operations—should evolve similarly.

• By treating your workflows as “living” products, you’ll stay competitive, agile, and aligned with market and internal needs.

Ramp shared some good tips on how to get started:

1. Think MVP (Minimum Viable Process): Ramp’s success comes from launching simple, functional solutions, then perfecting them. Identify your “core” workflows—focus on efficiency, then add complexity only where it adds value.

2. Leverage feedback: Ramp involves every stakeholder—from customers to team leads—in its product iterations. Do the same with your key processes to uncover blind spots and opportunities.

3. Commit to iteration: Just as tech teams push updates, you can schedule regular process reviews. What worked last year may not be the right fit in 2025—keep evolving.

The big picture: Your business isn’t static, and your 2025 strategy shouldn’t be either. The rapidly growing startup, Ramp, has some great insights into how they approach building process and product which has lots of great insights as well:

🔗 How Ramp builds process like a product →

🔗 How Ramp build product → (swap out the word product for x, y, or z department and many of the great insights work.)

Mike Knoop, co-founder of Zapier, shares how AI is redefining automation opportunities for growing teams who are taking advantage of it more and more.

In his words: “Zapier has thrived without AI, but the future belongs to AI that interfaces with software just like humans do.”

If you don’t have time to watch the full 45-minutes, here’s a highlight reel:

1. AI automation unlocks new revenue streams: Zapier used AI workflows to generate hundreds of thousands in additional revenue by automating sales follow-ups and lead qualification—turning time-consuming tasks into profit drivers.

2. The next frontier: Human-like automation: The future of AI won’t rely solely on APIs. Tools will mimic how humans interact with software, enabling businesses to automate even non-standard workflows seamlessly.

3. Biggest opportunity for SMBs and mid-market businesses: Mid-market companies can outpace larger competitors by leveraging AI to streamline unstructured data (e.g., customer feedback, operations insights) into actionable workflows, with fewer resources required.

📺 Curious for more? Watch the full conversation to dive deeper into how automation is reshaping industries →

That’s all for this week.

Seeing all this AI Automation news out there and not sure where to start? Feel free to reply with any questions you may have – happy to help!

Chat soon 👋