How to choose an AI automation agency

When you're choosing an AI automation agency, being good at AI is only part of it. A good start is to look at how much business experience the people behind it have. If they understand how sales, marketing, operations or finance actually work in a company, they'll build around how your business runs, not only around what the AI can do. Check their background, listen to how they talk about the work they've done, and get clear answers on tools, costs, ownership and terms before you sign.

How do I choose an AI automation agency?

Look for an AI automation agency whose people have some business experience under their belt, in whatever area you want automated: sales, marketing, operations, finance, legal or anything else. AI skill on its own still adds real value, and someone with little commercial background can still help you. But the agency will be working inside your company, so it pays when they already know how one operates.

Two checks tell you a lot before any contract is on the table.

Look them up on LinkedIn. See what the people behind the agency did before, and what else they've built. It's a good start, and only one of the things you can do.

Ask about projects they've done, then listen to how they describe them. Do they describe tangible results for the business they helped, and how those came about? Or do they mostly show you fancy automated screens? In my view, that's the main way to separate people who use AI to make impressive-looking things from people who understand strategy and results. Anyone you let into your business should be good at business as well.

For how to read a pitch, and what drives the price, see AI consultant or AI automation agency?

What questions should I ask an AI automation agency before signing?

The best questions to ask an AI automation agency are about the tools it will use. Ask what the stack is, meaning the set of tools the system will run on, and what those tools will cost on an ongoing basis.

Then ask about the process, the timeline and how much of it lands on you:

• What's your process?
• What do you need from me?
• How involved do I need to be, and what's my time commitment?
• Which parts are you automating, and which parts will I still need to be involved in?
• How long will something like this take to build, and is it a retainer or a one-off?

That last question is about the contract terms, and it's as worth asking as the others.

What are the red flags with an AI automation agency?

Be a bit wary of an AI automation agency that gives you set, guaranteed results up front, whether that's leads generated or hours saved. Before it understands what you offer, and whether people actually want it (what startups call product-market fit), it's quite difficult for an agency to stand behind a bold promise.

It's also a problem if the agency can't put a rough figure on the tools. After one proper conversation it should have a fair idea which ones the system will need, or be open with you about the cost.

And be careful if it's very, very reluctant to build the system in your own accounts, on tools you sign up to and pay for yourself. It might be hiding something.

Who should own what an AI automation agency builds?

As the owner, you should have the option to own what an AI automation agency builds from day one, or at least from the day it's handed over. That's why the system belonging in your own accounts matters.

An agency that won't build it there may be trying to tie you into a maintenance retainer. A maintenance retainer can be a great thing in itself. With a solid partner, it's good to have the upkeep off your hands, especially if you don't want to get into it yourself. What matters is that owning it stays an option for you.

What should the first project with an AI automation agency look like?

The right first project with an AI automation agency depends on the scope of the work. Either way, a good sign is an agency happy to let you see how it works early on, on a shorter term, instead of pushing a six to 12 month contract.

For a one-off piece of work, a good agency might say something like: "Right, we'll do this first, and if you like us and we work well together, we can go on to other projects." If the work genuinely takes longer to tweak and improve, a three-month term is fine. If an agency is trying to rope you into a long contract from the very start, that might be a bit of a red flag.

Is an AI automation agency worth it?

A good AI automation agency is 100% worth it. A huge number of businesses still lose hours and cash to work a machine could do, and AI is very powerful in the right hands. The money is well spent when a real chunk of your week comes back, sometimes with spend you no longer need, and you can put both somewhere better.

An exampleA UK-based startup I know was a micro business turning over £20,000 to £30,000 a month, and it had a full-time Head of Finance. Everything was done by hand in spreadsheets, as it still is in so many businesses. Now AI takes a lot of that work off them, and they have a part-time accountant instead.

There's another reason to get help. Few owners have the hours to learn what AI can now do and stay current with it. A team that works in these systems every day fills that gap.

Plenty of owners feel they should "use AI more" without really knowing what they're looking for. It comes back to the problems: identify them first, then get help seeing where AI can solve them.