Making AI work for Singapore enterprises

MAKING AI WORK FOR SINGAPORE ENTERPRISES 10 Nov 2026 10:00AM (Updated: 10 Nov 2026 10:02AM) From solving everyday pain points to transforming operations, IMDA is helping enterprises use AI in practical ways that drive growth and empower employees. When traditional Chinese medicine provider Yong Kang TCM Clinic faced growing pressure on its customer service team, artificial intelligence (AI) offered a practical way forward.Part of Refresh Group, Yong Kang TCM Clinic and its sister brands operate 19 outlets across Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. As the business grew, its centralised call centre became a bottleneck, especially during peak periods when customers needed help with appointments, treatments or outlet information.“Some after-hours enquiries went unanswered until the next working day, which meant that we were likely losing customers who wanted an immediate answer and went elsewhere instead,” said Dr Elson Lee, who holds a PhD and is the managing director and founder of Refresh Group.A digital solution could help, but adopting one was not a simple plug-and-play decision. Yong Kang TCM Clinic had to weigh cost, staff readiness and the need for accurate responses.Its experience reflects a broader challenge for the growing number of small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) trying to make sense of AI as they digitalise. IMDA’s annual Digital Transformation Industry Day brings together business leaders to share insights on scaling digital transformation, realising returns from AI and driving organisational change. (Photo: IMDA) According to the 2026 Singapore Digital Economy Report by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), digital adoption among enterprises rose from 95.1 per cent in 2024 to 96.4 per cent in 2025, driven largely by SMEs.AI adoption among SMEs also grew, climbing from 14.5 per cent to 23.4 per cent over the same period. Among enterprises that had adopted AI, the proportion of workers able to use the technology in some capacity rose from 66.4 per cent to 71.9 per cent.Yet some SMEs remained unconvinced of the need for AI. The report found that 54.7 per cent of enterprises that had not adopted AI cited their small business size as a reason. “TECHNOLOGY CAN BE DEPLOYED RELATIVELY QUICKLY BUT GETTING AN ENTERPRISE TO CHANGE HOW IT WORKS TAKES SUSTAINED LEADERSHIP ATTENTION AND FOLLOW-THROUGH.” “The AI solutions market is vast and moves quickly,” said Mr Johnson Poh, assistant chief executive of Enterprise Transformation and Innovation Group at IMDA. “Most SMEs do not have dedicated in-house technology teams to help them evaluate what AI solutions are genuinely useful to address their pain points.”The challenge is not limited to SMEs that are just starting to experiment with digital or AI solutions. Digitally mature enterprises may already have invested in technology, but can still face difficulties scaling AI effectively and responsibly across their organisation.To support enterprises at different stages of digital transformation, IMDA offers tools, programmes and resources to help them adopt AI in practical and sustainable ways. FINDING THE RIGHT AI SOLUTION FOR GROWTH For SMEs exploring AI, IMDA’s SMEs Go Digital platform helps them find suitable pre-approved digital and AI solutions based on their needs, with grant support of up to 50 per cent for eligible SMEs. These solutions have been assessed for relevance and quality, giving businesses a clearer starting point without having to navigate the crowded market on their own.Yong Kang TCM Clinic learnt about the platform through an outreach programme, which connected it with a solution provider. Working with the vendor, the company developed a generative AI-powered chatbot for its website to handle common customer enquiries.“It suited us well because we offer a broad range of services and operate across multiple outlets,” said Dr Lee. “We needed something that could represent the brand consistently and be available round the clock, which a human team alone couldn’t do cost-effectively.” Yong Kang TCM Clinic’s adoption of AI has helped free up staff time, allowing them to focus more on in-clinic work. (Photo: Yong Kang TCM Clinic) Before fully rolling out the chatbot, the team ran a pilot to improve its accuracy, especially around TCM terminology and service details. Staff reviewed its responses and built a structured knowledge base that continues to be updated with new promotions, services and clinic information.Response times improved from about 30 minutes to under five minutes, while chat traffic rose by about 60 per cent and appointment bookings increased by roughly 20 per cent. Customers could get answers more quickly at any time of day, while the business could respond to enquiries that might previously have gone unanswered during busy periods or after operating hours.The chatbot also changed how customer service staff spent their time. With routine questions handled automatically, they could focus on customers in the clinic, more complex or sensitive queries, and cases where personal follow-up was needed. “Some team members also picked up new skills in maintaining and improving the chatbot’s knowledge base,” said Dr Lee. The AI-powered chatbot provides round-the-clock responses to enquiries about its services and treatments, helping customers get answers more quickly. (Photo: IMDA) INTEGRATING DATA TO POWER BUSINESS EXPANSION For enterprises further along in their digital journey, AI adoption is often less about choosing a single tool and more about changing how the business works.This is where IMDA’s support goes beyond funding and individual solutions. According to Mr Poh, enterprises may also need help identifying opportunities, executing projects, building leadership capability and developing digital teams that can sustain transformation over time. Through initiatives such as Digital Leaders Accelerator Bootcamp, IMDA helps enterprises strengthen their digital capabilities and develop plans for business transformation. (Photo: IMDA) At Mister Mobile, the need to rethink operations grew alongside the business. Since starting with a single outlet in 2010, the smartphone retailer and repair service provider has expanded to 20 outlets and more than 160 employees. Over the years, it had also accumulated customer and order data across its website, WhatsApp, walk-ins, e-commerce platforms and social media. Much of this information, however, sat in separate systems that were not integrated, limiting its ability to benefit from AI tools.To address this, Mister Mobile joined IMDA’s AI x Digital Leaders programme, working with a technology partner to develop and deploy a customised AI solution. The project brought three separate systems together into a single AI-enabled customer relationship management platform.“The programme gave us the confidence to implement AI at scale, rather than limiting ourselves to a pilot that might never have scaled,” said Mister Mobile CEO Alan Tan. Mister Mobile’s AI-enabled customer management system helps streamline transactions and reduce manual data entry, allowing staff to work more efficiently across its outlets. (Photo: Mister Mobile) The new system standardises and deduplicates customer data, automatically populates customer profiles and supports customer segmentation. It also powers automated WhatsApp broadcasts and an AI chatbot, allowing the business to respond more quickly and engage customers.For example, when a customer completes an online reservation, an automated WhatsApp confirmation is sent with the order number, appointment details, selected branch and a QR code. At the outlet, staff can scan the code to retrieve the reservation, reducing repeated data collection and speeding up transactions.The project involved consolidating more than 585,000 customer records and 1.05 million orders into a single searchable system. By automating data consolidation, customer responses and marketing broadcasts, Mister Mobile estimates that it saves about 120 man-hours of manual work a day. Automated WhatsApp confirmations provide customers with reservation and collection details for a smoother pickup experience. (Photo: Mister Mobile) TARGETED SUPPORT FOR DIGITALLY MATURE ENTERPRISESIMDA supports enterprise transformation through initiatives such as:Digital Leaders ProgrammeSupports enterprises to chart digital roadmaps, build in-house digital teams and implement digital transformation plansDigital Leaders Accelerator BootcampGuides enterprise leaders in identifying opportunities, designing solutions, testing ideas and developing an implementation roadmapAI x Digital LeadersHelps enterprises uplift mindsets on AI and build AI capabilities with a network of technology partners, giving them access to AI expertise, platforms and resources The experiences of Yong Kang TCM Clinic and Mister Mobile point to a practical lesson for enterprises: Using AI effectively starts with a clear need, rather than adopting technology for its own sake. It also means helping employees adapt and putting responsible practices in place from the beginning, from data governance to risk management and accountability.As AI becomes part of everyday operations, IMDA’s programmes are intended to help enterprises use the technology to improve productivity, empower employees and support long-term innovation. Published: 10 November 2026 Text: Brand Studio EVOLVE WITH AIExplore IMDA’s programmes, resources and support for enterprises looking to build their AI capabilities.FIND OUT MORE