Why AI Should Be Part of Every Department in your Business

By John Marshall*

AI isn’t just a buzzword or some tool for the marketing team—it’s something every part of your LBM business can use to make life easier. Whether it’s sales, purchasing, operations, or customer service, AI can help your team work smarter and faster without hiring more people. From building better customer profiles to making sharper purchasing decisions or just handling the stuff that eats up time, AI gives dealers a real way to boost productivity. Here’s a practical look at how to get started.

AI is everywhere right now, but let’s be honest—most LBM dealers think it’s just a fancy tool for marketing teams or something only the big guys can afford. The truth is, AI can help every department in your business, and it’s a whole lot easier to use and more affordable than you might think. Whether you’re in sales, customer service, operations, or purchasing, AI can help your team work smarter, not harder—and no, it doesn’t mean replacing people.

Think of AI like this: it’s an assistant that helps you handle all the repetitive stuff so you and your team can focus on what really matters—taking care of customers and growing sales. And you don’t have to flip your whole company upside down to start using it. Pick one or two areas where you’re always behind, and start there.

Let’s talk about sales. Every salesperson wants to know: "Who should I call next?" AI can look at customer buying history and tell you who’s ready to reorder, what products to suggest, and even help write a personalized email so your team doesn’t waste time guessing. Instead of sitting behind a desk making lists, they can be out there closing deals.

Customer service? Same deal. We all know the top five questions that come in every single day—“Do you deliver?” “What’s your lead time on windows?” “Do you stock this product?” Imagine if AI could handle those questions automatically. Your people would finally have time to deal with the customers who need more than just a quick answer—and you’d keep response times fast.

Then there’s purchasing. AI can help you make smarter buying decisions. It can analyze what you’ve sold in the past, what’s sitting on your shelves now, and even what vendors are charging—then give you a plan for what to buy and when. No more guessing, no more scrambling when you run out of what you need.

Operations and deliveries are another huge opportunity. AI can look at past delivery schedules, traffic patterns, and staffing levels to help plan better routes and use your drivers more efficiently. Think about it—fewer wasted trips, fewer missed deadlines, and happier customers.

Even owners and managers can use AI to get a leg up. Need to prep for a strategy meeting? AI can draft a SWOT analysis, analyze competitors, or help outline a business plan in minutes—stuff that normally takes days or weeks.

Here’s the deal: Start small. Pick one thing that drives you crazy—whether it’s knowing who to call, planning deliveries, or figuring out what to stock—and see how AI can help. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Microsoft Copilot are easy to try, and a lot of them are free or cheap to get started.

Bottom line: AI isn’t here to take away jobs. It’s here to give your team a fighting chance to keep up with the pace of business today. With labor shortages and rising customer expectations, anything that helps your people do more with less is worth a look.

If you’ve been waiting for the right time to give AI a shot—this is it.

This article was written using Generative AI, with insights and guidance from John Marshall.

* John Marshall is Co-Founder of AI Growth Partners and the retired President/COO of Wilson Lumber, where he led a 500% growth transformation. With over 40 years of executive experience across 17 industries, he now helps LBM dealers navigate AI adoption with confidence and clarity. www.LBMSolutions.net