Start with a specific job
Start with the work you want to improve: processing invoices, answering recurring support questions, following up with overlooked leads, or launching marketing campaigns.
Look at how your team handles that work today, how much time it takes, and where errors or delays occur. Then define what a better result would look like. A good AI partner will help you work through these questions before recommending a solution.
What should the best AI experts be able to show you?
Ask for a relevant example of their work, a clear explanation of the integration, and a plan for testing with your own inputs. A polished demonstration can start a conversation; a useful system also has to handle the surrounding workflow.
- Business understanding: can they explain the task, the people involved, and the outcome you want?
- Implementation ability: who will connect the AI to your CRM, accounting software, support tools, documents, or equipment?
- Testing: how will they check results on representative work and decide when a person needs to review something?
- Adoption: who will train staff and gather feedback after the system is introduced?
- Ownership and upkeep: what will you receive, what will running it cost, and who can maintain it?
AI consultant or forward-deployed engineer?
An AI consultant helps identify opportunities, choose priorities, and plan changes. A forward-deployed AI engineer (FDE) works directly with your team to build and implement the solution, connect it to your existing systems, and put it to work in your operations.
Applied Intelligence Platforms brings both together: AI consulting and hands-on implementation, supported by staff training. Make sure the scope is clear about who advises, who builds, and who is responsible for the handoff.
Which AI tools are best for making money?
The best AI tools for making money in a business depend on the job and the systems they need to work with. Start with the opportunity, then compare a feature in your existing software, a specialist tool, and a custom integration.
| Work to improve | Approach to assess | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice entry | Document extraction connected to accounting | Entry time, corrections, and review work |
| Recurring support questions | AI connected to a knowledge base and help desk | Useful resolutions, escalations, and staff time |
| Missed lead follow-up | CRM and communication automation | Follow-up coverage and qualified conversations |
| Marketing campaigns | Campaign tools connected to your data and approval process | Launch time, response, and customer acquisition cost |
Compare the improvement with the cost of building, running, reviewing, and maintaining the solution. A tool is useful when it improves the economics of the work it is doing.
Agree on what success looks like
Use a clear baseline when you have one: hours per task, cost per case, output, revenue, or margin. When there is no clean KPI, gather structured feedback from employees about what takes less time and what they can now get done.
Start with a manageable scope, test it in the actual workflow, and agree on how the result will be reviewed. That gives you a sound basis for deciding what to expand.
Bring the conversation back to your business
Tell a potential partner which job you want to improve, which systems are involved, and what your team has already tried. Ask them to walk you through what they would do next.
We work directly with leadership and staff to consult, build, integrate, and train. Learn more about our forward-deployed AI engineering approach, or tell us about the work you want to change.