Running a Business on Facebook or Instagram? Meet Your New AI Customer Rep.

This week on Funnel Frontier: SMBs, this one’s for you. A free AI agent for Facebook and Instagram just dropped. Here’s how it will handle customer chats, FAQs, and even purchases.

This week:

• Running a business on Facebook or Instagram? Meet your new AI customer rep.
• Agent.ai just hit 1,000 public agents and 1.1MN users. Why should you care?
• 60+ AI Tools That Can Actually Make Money For Your Business
• Your CRM Knows Everything—Why Isn’t Your Contact Center Using It?
• Just Like Life, Timing Is Everything In Email Marketing

Stat of the Week

91% of small and medium businesses (SMBs) with artificial intelligence (AI) say it boosts their revenue. (Salesforce)

Running a business on Facebook or Instagram? Meet your new AI customer rep.

Your business is blowing up on Instagram. Orders are rolling in on Facebook. You’re getting a thousand DMs asking, “What are your hours?” again...

Meta just dropped an AI agent to take those messages off your plate—answering customer questions, tracking orders, and even helping people buy from you while you’re busy running your business. It’s free… for now.

What Does Meta’s AI Actually Do?

How good is this AI? We’d say pretty good.

It pulls real data from your product catalogs, FAQs, and past interactions to answer customers like a real person. Or, at least, like a well-trained employee who doesn’t get tired of repeating themselves.

Here’s what SMBs get:

• Instant replies – No more drowning in “What are your hours?” messages. AI handles the FAQs so you can focus on actual business.
• AI-powered shopping assistant – Customers can check out, track orders, and start returns—without sliding into your DMs at 2 AM.
• Text & voice support – Whether they type or talk, AI’s got it covered. Because yes, some people still prefer to call.
• Custom AI settings – Choose what AI answers and what goes to a human. You’re still in control.
• On-brand responses – No stiff, robotic replies. The AI sounds like you—not a corporate FAQ page from 2010.

Why SMBs Should Pay Attention

Clara Shih, VP of Business AI at Meta, puts it simply:

“You can easily set up business AIs to respond instantly to customers, free your team from repetitive tasks, and help convert more leads, faster.”

Translation: AI customer service for the little guy—without enterprise-level costs.

And with 600 million conversations between businesses and customers happening every day on Meta’s platforms, this AI could flip the script on SMB support.

Right now, most small businesses either respond manually (painfully slow) or miss messages entirely (lost sales). Meta’s AI automates responses instantly, meaning fewer missed opportunities and more customers getting answers before they bounce to a competitor.

The Catch: Free… Until It’s Not?

Right now, Meta’s AI is 100% free as part of its beta program. But let’s be real—that probably won’t last.

So, is Meta offering free AI now to hook businesses in—only to charge later for deeper automation? Could be.

But, until then, if you’re drowning in DMs and repetitive customer questions, getting instant AI-powered help for free is a no-brainer.

The Week @ CRM.org

Best CRMs in 2025. Roll the dice on the wrong CRM, and you’ll be paying for it—literally. We ranked the best options so you can make the smartest bet.

Sales CRMs That Actually Help You Sell. A great sales CRM is like a cheat code for closing deals. We break down the best tools to help you hit targets without the burnout.

Weekly Bloom 

Design Thinking–Because Good Ideas Don’t Fall From the Sky. Great ideas don’t just “come to you”—they’re built. Design Thinking adds structure to creativity, so your best ideas don’t get lost in the shuffle.

Agent.ai just hit 1,000 public agents and 1.1MN users. Why should you care?

Remember Agent.ai—the so-called “side project” from HubSpot’s CTO Dharmesh Shah? Well, turns out it’s not just some late-night tinkering anymore.

• 1.1 million users have signed up (because apparently, AI agents are the new side hustle).
• 1,000+ prebuilt AI agents are live, handling everything from customer service to marketing automation.
• Nearly 39,000 agent ratings—up from just 13K in February (yes, people are actually using these).
• 4.2/5 average rating—so it’s more than just LinkedIn hype.

And Dharmesh? He’s hyped. At 2:15 a.m., he posted on LinkedIn, celebrating hitting 1,000 agents:

Need a Refresher on Agent.ai?

Launched at INBOUND 2024, Agent.ai is a network of autonomous AI agents that can handle:

• Customer service (answering queries, managing tickets)
• Sales automation (lead qualification, follow-ups)
• Marketing workflows (campaign automation, engagement tracking)
• Businesses can browse prebuilt agents, test them, tweak them, and deploy them inside their workflows.

And Shah isn’t done. He’s already teasing an Agent.ai graph and a batch of “fun new features” coming soon.

So… Is HubSpot Gonna Snatch This Up?

That’s the big question.

Shah isn’t exactly being subtle about Agent.ai’s future inside HubSpot. His last “side project,” ChatSpot, got absorbed into HubSpot and rebranded as Breeze Copilot.

And HubSpot CEO Yamini Rangan is dropping hints too. In February, she said:

“We think the future is about hybrid teams consisting of both people and AI agents working together.”

Translation? HubSpot is paying attention. Very close attention.

Want In? It’s Free (for Now).

Agent.ai is still in beta, meaning it’s free to join, free to explore, and free to build with.

But there’s a catch:

• Running an AI agent costs 1 credit per task.
• You start with 100 free credits.
• Need more? Complete profile tasks, refer friends, or just ask Agent.ai to top you up.

Shah himself said:

“I’ve removed as many barriers as I can. If you’re curious about AI agents, this is a great time to jump in and try things out.”

And since Agent.ai already integrates with the latest AI models—o3-mini, DeepSeek, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Flux, Ideogram, and more—there’s plenty to experiment with.

So go ahead—spend those credits. Break things. Figure out what works. Because if Agent.ai does become a cornerstone of HubSpot, you’ll want to be the one who got in early.

Stellar Strategies: Tips & Tricks for Sales, Marketing & Service

60+ AI Tools That Can Actually Make Money For Your Business

Sure, everyone’s obsessed with ChatGPT, but if that’s the only AI tool in your arsenal, you’re missing out on serious game-changers.

AI is now closing deals, writing content, automating follow-ups, and even predicting which leads will ghost you. It’s saving teams hours of manual work, cutting costs, and making businesses more efficient. But most people still aren’t using it to its full potential.

So, what’s actually worth your time? We’ve broken down the five AI categories that can seriously move the needle for your business.

1. Chatbots: AI That Handles Conversations (So You Don’t Have To)

Tired of answering the same customer questions over and over? AI chatbots handle inquiries, lead qualification, and even sales conversations without breaking a sweat. And no, they won’t say “Let me check that for you” 12 times before transferring to an agent.

• Best for: Customer support, lead gen, internal automation

• Top tools: ChatGPT, Claude, Meta AI, Zapier Agents

• Why it matters: AI cuts response times, eliminates repetitive tasks, and keeps leads engaged—so your team can focus on closing deals instead of answering “What’s your return policy?” for the 500th time.

2. Content Creation: AI That Writes Like a Pro (Without the Burnout)

Content teams are drowning in deadlines, but AI is now a legit co-writer, not just a robotic text generator. These tools help brainstorm, optimize, and generate high-quality marketing copy, from social posts and ad copy to entire blog articles.

• Best for: Marketing teams, content creators, startups

• Top tools: Jasper, Anyword, Writer

• Why it matters: AI eliminates writer’s block and optimizes for engagement—so you can create more content in less time without sacrificing quality.

3. Image & Video Creation: Your Design Team’s New Best Friend 

Need a polished visual but don’t have a designer on standby? AI can generate, edit, and enhance images and videos instantly, whether it’s turning a text prompt into a high-res image or trimming a video into bite-sized clips in seconds.

• Best for: Marketers, social media teams, small businesses

• Top tools: Runway, Descript, DALL·E 3, Midjourney

• Why it matters: AI removes editing headaches and makes content creation effortless—so you can go from idea to execution in record time.

4. Social Media Management: AI Knows What Works

Posting at random times and hoping for engagement? AI now analyzes trends, predicts post performance, and schedules content for maximum reach. It’s like having a data-driven social media strategist—but without the agency fees.

• Best for: Social media managers, influencers, brands

• Top tools: FeedHive, Vista Social, Buffer

• Why it matters: AI automates content, tracks engagement, and fine-tunes your strategy—so your posts get seen by the right audience at the right time.

5. Transcription & Meeting Assistants: Because Nobody Takes Notes Anymore

Let’s be honest: No one remembers what was said in that 9 AM meeting. AI transcription tools turn conversations into structured, searchable notes, highlighting action items and key decisions—so you don’t have to.

• Best for: Sales teams, executives, remote workers

• Top tools: Fireflies, Avoma, tl;dv

• Why it matters: AI captures key insights, eliminates note-taking, and makes follow-ups seamless—so nothing gets lost in translation.

We found 60+ AI tools that can make your work life easier. Check them out. 

Your CRM Knows Everything—Why Isn’t Your Contact Center Using It?

Your agents are juggling screens, clicking through endless tabs, and asking customers the same questions over and over. Meanwhile, customers are frustrated, waiting for answers you should already have. The fix? A direct integration between your CRM and contact center software.

Here’s why smart contact centers are ditching the old-school approach and integrating CRMs straight into their workflows.

How CRM Integration Transforms Contact Centers

Instant access to customer history

Every call, email, and chat—everything is in one place. No switching between platforms, no digging through old records.

Faster resolutions, better service

With full customer context at their fingertips, agents solve problems quicker instead of wasting time retracing past interactions.

More personalized interactions

Purchase history, past complaints, and preferred channels are available in real time, so agents can tailor conversations instead of delivering generic responses.

Omnichannel consistency

Customers expect seamless service, no matter where they reach out. A CRM-integrated contact center keeps everything connected across voice, chat, email, and more.

Data-driven improvements

With a unified system, managers can track trends, spot recurring issues, and optimize workflows based on real interaction insights.

Not all CRMs are built for contact centers—but we found the best ones. Check out our full article.

Just Like Life, Timing Is Everything In Email Marketing

You know, sometimes the reason your email campaign isn’t racking up the opens isn’t your subject line or the content. It’s the timing.

Recent data confirms: timing isn’t just everything—it’s the only thing. Morning emails (think 9–12 AM) grab attention when inboxes are fresh, while a perfectly timed afternoon send (1–3 PM) keeps you top of mind during productivity slumps.

Here’s the kicker from 2024’s freshest data: For B2B emails, aim for Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Why? That’s when people are actually opening emails, not just letting them rot in their inbox.

But here’s the real magic: knowing your audience. Standardized best times are just the starting point. A/B testing? That’s your ticket to uncovering the golden hour unique to your audience.

Dive into the full article and get the timing right—because your emails deserve more than a quick delete.

Galactic Gourmet

CRM blips from around the web

Mitel Reportedly Filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Mitel is reportedly preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy amid mounting debt from past acquisitions. The move would allow the company to restructure while continuing operations, raising questions about its future in the UCaaS and CCaaS markets.

Salesforce Launches Agentforce 2dx. The latest update takes Agentforce beyond CRM, enabling AI-driven automation across entire enterprises. With low/no-code tools, Slack integration, and proactive AI agents, businesses can streamline workflows, enhance security, and accelerate AI adoption with the new AgentExchange marketplace.

Pipeliner CRM Now Available in AWS Marketplace. Pipeliner CRM joins AWS Marketplace, making it easier for businesses to access AI-powered automation, pipeline management, and advanced reporting—all while leveraging AWS security and scalability.

Astronomical Assets

Significant moves in the past 7 days

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