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What to Expect from an AI Business Assessment

Thinking about getting an AI assessment for your business? Here's exactly what happens, what you'll get, and how to know if it's right for you.

SMEAutomate Team5 min read

You've heard the AI hype. You've maybe even taken our Fit Test and scored well. But between knowing AI could help your business and actually doing something about it, there's a gap.

That gap is clarity. Which processes should you automate? In what order? What tools do you need? What will it cost? How long will it take?

That's exactly what an AI Business Assessment answers.

What an AI Business Assessment actually is

It's a structured, expert-led audit of your business processes, tools, and workflows. Over two weeks, we analyse how your business operates today and produce a concrete plan for how AI automation could improve it.

This isn't a generic report or a templated slide deck. It's built specifically for your business, your team, your tools, and your pain points.

What you get

The Assessment delivers six concrete outputs:

1. Current state audit — A detailed map of your existing processes. Where time is spent, where errors happen, where bottlenecks form. Most businesses are surprised by what this reveals.

2. AI opportunity map — Every workflow in your business assessed for automation potential. Each one scored on impact, feasibility, and estimated ROI. No guesswork.

3. 90-day implementation roadmap — A phased plan showing exactly which workflows to automate first, second, and third. With timelines, dependencies, and milestones.

4. Tool and integration plan — How your existing tools connect, what works well, and what (if anything) needs to change. We work with your stack, not against it.

5. ROI projections per workflow — Hard numbers for each recommended automation: time saved, cost reduced, expected payback period. The kind of numbers that make board-level business cases.

6. Risk assessment — What could go wrong, what to watch for, and how to de-risk each phase. Honest assessment, not a sales pitch.

How it works

The process takes about two weeks from start to finish, with minimal demands on your team's time.

Week 0: Scoping call (15 minutes) A quick call to confirm the Assessment is right for your business. If it's not, we'll tell you and point you in a better direction.

Week 1: Discovery session (60 minutes) A structured deep dive with your team. We map your processes, understand your tools, identify pain points, and document how work actually flows through your business.

Weeks 1-2: Analysis We do the heavy lifting. Process mapping, opportunity scoring, ROI modelling, integration analysis, and roadmap development. Your team doesn't need to be involved during this phase.

Week 2: Deliverables presentation (90 minutes) We walk you through the complete Assessment report. Every finding, every recommendation, every number — with time for questions and discussion.

Week 6: Follow-up session (30 minutes) A check-in to answer questions that have come up, discuss next steps, and help you take action on the roadmap.

Who it's for

The Assessment works best for UK SMEs with 5 to 200 employees who:

  • Know they're losing time to manual processes but can't pinpoint exactly where
  • Scored well on the Fit Test but aren't sure which workflows to prioritise
  • Need hard numbers and a phased plan to get buy-in from partners, boards, or investors
  • Have tried automation before and it didn't deliver — usually because they started with the wrong workflows
  • Want an honest, independent view before committing to any automation provider

Who it's not for

Be honest with yourself about whether you're ready:

  • If your business has fewer than 5 employees, you likely don't have enough process complexity to justify the Assessment. Start with the free Fit Test instead.
  • If you already know exactly which workflow to automate and just want it built, skip the Assessment and book a discovery call directly.
  • If you're looking for a generic AI strategy deck rather than actionable process-level recommendations, we're probably not the right fit.

The money-back guarantee

The Assessment costs £999 as a one-time fee. If we don't identify at least one actionable automation opportunity with clear ROI, you get a full refund. No conditions, no small print.

We've never had to issue a refund. Every business we've assessed has had multiple high-impact opportunities. But the guarantee means you're not taking a risk.

What happens after

The roadmap is yours. You can:

  • Implement with us — Move straight into an SMEAutomate plan. If you do this within 60 days, the £999 Assessment fee is credited against your first invoice.
  • Implement with someone else — The roadmap is tool-agnostic and provider-agnostic. Take it to any automation partner.
  • Implement yourself — If you have technical capability in-house, the roadmap gives you everything you need to get started.
  • Wait — The roadmap doesn't expire. Some businesses use it to plan for the next quarter or the next budget cycle.

Is it just a sales pitch?

No. The Assessment is a standalone service. We give honest recommendations, including when automation isn't the right answer for a particular workflow. If we think you'd be better served by hiring a person, changing a tool, or simply reorganising a process, we'll say so.

Our reputation depends on giving advice that actually works, not on upselling services you don't need.

Taking the first step

If you've read this far, you're probably in the right place. Book a 15-minute scoping call and we'll confirm whether the Assessment makes sense for your business. If it doesn't, we'll tell you — and suggest what to do instead.

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