KUALA LUMPUR: Zoom Communications has called on small and medium businesses (SMBs) across Malaysia and the region to move beyond experimenting with artificial intelligence (AI) and embed it directly into daily workflows to drive productivity, reduce costs, and support growth.
Zoom head of mid-market and small business, Asia, William Smith said that while AI adoption has become widespread, many businesses have yet to translate it into meaningful operational impact.
He added that AI should no longer be confined to pilot programs, noting that recent Deloitte research found that 78% of SMBs in the region were already using at least one AI-enabled tool.
“AI is no longer sitting inside innovation labs and is being embedded into everyday workflows,” he said in a statement in conjunction with the company’s SMB Summit APAC 2026 held recently.
Smith said that the focus for businesses now is on integrating AI in ways that simplify operations and enable teams to scale more effectively.
Meanwhile, Zoom global product marketing manager Sara Staffaroni said that a gap remains between ambition and execution, noting that many SMBs remain stuck in experimentation without seeing tangible results.
“AI isn’t showing up in the real work people do every day,” she said, adding that smaller businesses often face constraints in terms of resources, budgets and in-house expertise.
She explained that fragmented systems and tool sprawl continue to dilute productivity and increase costs, making it harder for SMBs to respond quickly to customers and scale efficiently.
To address this, Zoom is advocating for AI capabilities to be embedded within existing workflows, enabling businesses to automate routine tasks, streamline communication and improve customer engagement without adding complexity.
This includes solutions such as AI-powered virtual agents that can manage customer enquiries and bookings in real time.
The event also featured regional customers sharing how they are leveraging Zoom’s platform to support growth. Among them were Hong Kong-based eeCheck, Australia-based Harrison.ai, India’s Aevy Video School and South Korea-based Yoons English.
Zoom mentioned that these examples show a broader trend among small and medium-sized businesses, where making work processes easier and integrating systems are essential to continue growing in a world that is becoming more digital and AI-driven.
