If 2024 was the year AI entered everyday business vocabulary, 2025 is the year it starts delivering on its promise — especially for small and midsize enterprises across Scotland.

Scottish SMEs are increasingly recognising that artificial intelligence isn’t just for big tech players or Silicon Valley scale-ups. In fact, it’s the smallest businesses — from independent legal practices and local salons to mobile tradespeople — that stand to benefit most from automation, particularly when it comes to client communications.

And this is exactly where voice AI is starting to gain ground.

In a recent feature for The Scotsman, we explored how productivity gains and reduced admin are top of mind for small business owners. As one salon owner in Edinburgh put it:

“We’re not looking to replace people — we’re trying to keep the doors open without burning out.”

That sentiment is echoed by the team behind scotsphere AI, a Scottish startup building intelligent voice agents for small businesses that never stop working.

Their mission?
To bring enterprise-level AI technology — previously reserved for call centres and large organisations — into the hands of small, service-based businesses across the UK.

Founder Antony Slack puts it plainly:

“If a client calls your business and gets voicemail, they’re not waiting. They’re already calling your competitor. Our voice agents pick up, understand the enquiry, and book appointments or log the lead instantly. No staff distraction. No missed revenue.”

But scotsphere AI isn’t offering bots or glorified voicemail. Their system uses agentic AI, meaning it’s adaptive, conversational, and integrates with calendars, CRMs, and booking systems — even for solo operators. The goal is simple: replace friction with flow.

And the timing couldn’t be better.

Recent analysis shows that over 60% of inbound leads to small businesses occur during business hours — when owners are often busy serving existing customers. That’s thousands of potential clients lost every day to missed calls. In high-trust sectors like legal services or wellness, that first impression counts more than ever.

The team at scotsphere AI believes the solution lies in voice-first automation that’s built for humans, not just data pipelines. And that means using a voice interface that sounds natural, adapts, and resolves queries — not one that frustrates or confuses.

The company is currently running an Early Access Programme (free for up to 90 days) for small businesses looking to test the technology with no setup fees or long-term commitments. As part of the pilot, they’re working closely with their first clients to shape the product around real-world needs and workflows.

It’s a collaborative approach to innovation — one rooted in Scottish values of accessibility, transparency, and practicality.

As the AI wave continues to ripple through every sector, Scottish SMEs now have the opportunity not just to keep up, but to lead — by adopting solutions that protect their time, delight their customers, and turn every call into a client.

Interested in joining the Early Access Programme?
Visit www.scotsphere.ai or message the team directly to find out more.