> MEET THE NEW DIGITAL WORKFORCE


Meet the New Digital Workforce


inventory, your marketing campaign is ready to review, and an artificial intelli- gence agent has flagged a shortage of hydrangeas because of heavy rain near a growing region in Colombia. It may sound like science fiction.


I


Industry experts say pieces of that future are already here. For the past two years, most con-


versations about AI have focused on simple applications: writing social media posts, generating marketing emails or brainstorming ideas. Those tools remain useful, but they represent only the first phase of AI adoption. The next phase is much bigger. Increasingly, experts envision AI


moving beyond content creation and becoming an operational partner — one that helps florists analyze data, organize workflows, forecast demand and eventu- ally even communicate with AI systems used by wholesalers, importers and growers. For an industry facing labor short-


ages, rising costs and communication challenges, the technology’s greatest impact may not be automation. It may be creating a more connected floral indus- try, where information moves faster and businesses can make better decisions in real time. “The tedious work will start to fade


away and owners will be able to just focus on the things that made them want to be a florist in the first place,” says Paul Guerrie, co-owner of FlowerBuddy,


magine arriving at your flower shop on a Monday morning and finding that your website has automatically updated product photos based on


BY CLAIRE SYKES AND AMANDA JEDLINSKY


Today’s AI helps florists save time. Tomorrow’s may help coordinate orders, anticipate disruptions and connect businesses across the floral supply chain.


a floral technology company focused on integrating AI into florist workflows.


AI Is Shifting How Teams Work Florists everywhere are experiment- ing with AI-powered tools for product photography, reporting, data analysis, customer communications and business operations. While the technology con- tinues to evolve, some businesses are already finding ways to make it part of their daily workflow. Using guidance from the Society of


American Florists, Carma White, AAF, owner of Four Seasons Flowers in San Diego, developed a searchable training resource using Google NotebookLM. Shop policies, procedures, customer-ser- vice guidelines and onboarding materials were uploaded into the system, creating a centralized knowledge base employees can access in real time. Instead of hunting through manuals


or interrupting managers with questions, employees can ask: 


What should I say to a dissatisfied customer?


What is our substitution policy?  How do we handle late deliveries? 


The system, which was presented at


SAF’s 2025 annual convention, provides answers based on the shop’s actual poli- cies and procedures. The technology can also create cus-


tomized training content. White’s team used NotebookLM to generate role-spe- cific audio training “podcasts” for drivers, designers and sales staff, which saves her time having to give examples of situations new hires may encounter.


30 FLORAL MANAGEMENT | July/August 2026 | WWW.SAFNOW.ORG For instance, a newly hired salesper-


son sold a $1,400 funeral after listening to the podcast. “She said if she hadn’t lis- tened to it, she would’ve handed the phone to me or someone else,” White says. Because the searchable training


resource and the podcasts allow new hires to receive information in more than one form, “there’s a greater expectation for them to understand what they’re responsible for. It’s there in what they read and heard, so they can’t say, ‘I didn’t know that.’” AI is also beginning to reshape how


florists manage products and e-com- merce operations. Some florist software platforms are incorporating AI into tasks such as delivery-cost calculations, sched- uling and product publishing, reducing the number of manual steps required to bring arrangements to market.


Learn how to create your own Google NotebookLM training system with SAF’s new course, “NotebookLM for Florists: Build Your Shop’s AI Training Assistant.”


SHUTTERSTOCK/KANR2425


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