“I'm working every evening, and I couldn't tell you where the hours go.”
AI readiness assessment: find the hours hiding in your week
You'll see exactly where your week goes, and get a plan that wins back the most time first.
Before you spend a penny on software, find out what's eating your week. I'll map how your business runs, spot the jobs AI and automation can safely take on, and rank them by the time they'd save.
Busy all week, with no idea where the time goes
When everything runs through you, there's never time to step back and look. You can't get your time back until you can see where it goes.
“I don't know which jobs eat the time, or what to fix first.”
“Everyone says we should be using AI. Nobody says what for.”
“We bought new software last year. Half the team still doesn't use it.”
“I don't want to spend money until I know it'll make a difference.”
What is an AI readiness assessment?
An AI readiness assessment, sometimes called an AI audit, is a structured look at how your business runs, to find the jobs that AI and automation could do faster or more reliably. It covers your processes, software, data and team. It ends with a practical plan: quick wins first, bigger projects later, and risks clearly flagged.
It isn't a sales pitch for software. Sometimes the answer is a better checklist, not a new tool, and if that's what I find, I'll tell you.
The risk check follows the basics of Cyber Essentials, the government-backed scheme from the National Cyber Security Centre.
What's included in the assessment?
You get five things: a map of how work flows through your business, a view of where the hours go, two or three quick wins you can act on straight away, a practical data-handling and security check, and a 90-day plan that sets out what to do, in what order and roughly what it involves.
| Deliverable | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Process map | How enquiries, jobs, invoices and admin flow today, including the workarounds nobody mentions |
| Time finder | Where the hours go each week, and which jobs are repetitive enough to automate |
| Quick wins | Two or three changes you can make straight away, often with software you already pay for |
| Risk check | Practical data-handling and security points to tighten, with UK GDPR and Cyber Essentials in mind (not legal advice) |
| 90-day plan | What to do, in what order, who does it, and what it's likely to need in tools and time |
How long does an AI audit take?
For most small businesses, a few weeks from the first meeting to your plan, and only a few hours of your own time. I spend most of it with the people who do the work, because they know where the time goes. You'll get a timetable with your written price.
Kick-off
An hour with you to agree what matters most and who I should talk to.
Watch the work
Time with your team, seeing how jobs really get done, not how the manual says.
Your plan
A written report and 90-day plan, ranked by time saved and ease.
Review meeting
We go through it together. You decide what happens next, with or without me.
Want to know where your week goes? Start with a free 30-minute call.
Book a free 30-minute callWhat can I automate in my business?
Anything repetitive, rule-based and done often is a candidate. That usually means enquiries, bookings, reminders, quotes, invoices, chasing, review requests, onboarding and reports. Jobs that need judgement, empathy or a real conversation should stay with people, though AI can often help them prepare.
Here are common examples by type of business. The assessment finds the ones that matter in yours. For 18 more ideas and a simple way to score them, see my guide to small business automation.
| Business | Often worth automating |
|---|---|
| Trades and home services | Quote requests, job booking, appointment reminders, invoice chasing, review requests |
| Estate and letting agents | Viewing bookings, applicant follow-up, renewal and certificate reminders |
| Professional services | New client onboarding, first drafts of letters and reports, time recording reminders |
| Care providers | Enquiry handling, staff reminders, routine reporting (never care decisions) |
| Retail and hospitality | Bookings, reviews, stock alerts, social media drafts |
What do I need to prepare?
Very little. A list of the software you use, such as Microsoft 365, Xero, your CRM or ChatGPT, and an idea of the jobs that frustrate you most. Tell your team I'm coming and why. Nothing technical is needed, and I'll never ask you to share passwords by email.
The leaks I look for first
For years I worked 60 to 70 hours a week growing my law firm, often until 2am. Putting the firm on systems changed that, and it's now four to five times the size it was when I started. Along the way I learned to spot these leaks, and they're common in any busy business.
- The same details typed in twice. Into the inbox, then the spreadsheet, then the accounts package.
- Enquiries sitting in one person's inbox. If they're off sick, the leads wait.
- Reports built by hand every month. Hours of copying figures that software could pull together.
- AI used with no rules. Staff using personal accounts, with nobody sure what's been pasted in.
Fixing them is usually the job of business automation, a business dashboard or AI training for your team.
Questions about the AI readiness assessment
Is the assessment only about AI?
No. It looks at how your business runs as a whole. Some fixes use AI, some use simple automation, and some are a clearer process. The plan recommends whatever saves the most time safely.
Will you tell me if AI isn't right for us?
Yes. If the honest answer is "not yet" or "not for that", I'll say so and explain why. That's better for both of us than a project that doesn't work.
Do I have to use you for the work afterwards?
No. The plan is yours, and your own team or another provider can carry it out. If you'd like my help with any of it, you'll get a written price first, and there's no obligation.
Is my data safe during the audit?
I look at how your systems work, not at your customers' personal details. I don't copy data away, and I'll sign a confidentiality agreement if you'd like one. I'm a practising solicitor, so I'm used to keeping confidences. This consultancy gives no legal advice, though, and isn't regulated by the SRA.
How much does the AI readiness assessment cost?
It depends on the size of your business and how many processes we look at. After the free call, you'll get a clear written price and timetable before you commit.
Guides on this topic
AI in hospitality: what's actually useful for an independent café, pub or B&B?
AI in hospitality for independent cafés, restaurants, pubs and B&Bs: low-risk uses for bookings, reviews, rotas and menus, and what must stay human.
Read the guideGetting started · 12 min readSmall business automation: what to automate first, and what to leave alone
Small business automation without the overwhelm: score what to automate first, 18 ideas by area, what to leave alone and how to measure the time saved.
Read the guideFind the hours hiding in your week
A free 30-minute call. No jargon and no hard sell. If you'd like to compare options first, see all my AI and automation services.