Small business clients are running harder just to stand still. With inflation now the biggest drag on loan demand, relationship managers spend only about 30% of their week in actual client meetings — the rest goes to prep, admin, and chasing documents. This session looks at where we are in the business cycle, how AI adoption is faring in small business banking, and where the real opportunities lie. We will explore how AI embedded directly in the tools bankers already use can shift that time balance — and then tackle the harder question: what to do with the capacity it frees up, and how to build the business case in dollars, not hours, so you can give your bankers their week back and spend it where it matters most: with clients.
