When to configure an existing AI tool and when to build

Find the bottleneck before selecting a platform

Describe one recurring task, its monthly volume, the people involved and what a finished output contains. Watch the existing process and include checking and correction time. A new drafting tool may have little effect if the delay comes from incomplete evidence or unclear responsibilities.

For annual reviews, ask whether the main difficulty is retrieving approved records, finding missing information, preparing a summary or checking a draft. Use the same expected output to compare routes.

Compare three routes against the same requirements

This is a decision framework, not a ranking of current products. Confirm capabilities, data handling, prices and access with the supplier for your specific configuration.

Establish access before promising an integration

Knowing that information appears in a CRM screen does not establish permission or a supported route to retrieve it. Confirm application registration, distribution or consent requirements, available fields, document access and commercial terms. A connector advertised elsewhere does not prove feasibility for your firm.

For Intelligent Office/intelliflo, feasibility and authorised integration access must be established before a connector is promised or a bespoke build is quoted. Begin with permission-checked read-only access and a clear failure path. Do not make source-system writes a default pilot feature.

Make operating ownership explicit

A private workspace needs more than an interface: identity, least-privilege permissions, server-side secrets, approved model routing, evidence references, logging, retention, monitoring, budget controls, recovery and a disable process. These are design and acceptance requirements to agree, not capabilities established by a fictional demonstration.

Our starting architecture is AWS, with Google Cloud or Microsoft options considered where requirements justify them. A client-owned account and direct vendor billing can form part of the agreed scope. Software licences, reusable supplier intellectual property and continued-use rights must be explicit. No cloud platform is provisioned by exploring this example.

Use a bounded pilot to make the decision

The £750 AI Workflow Review is a standalone assessment. The standard £3,000 total pilot includes that review, one workflow, one existing product or supported integration route and up to 5 initial users. It includes an agreed sample of 12–20 cases, a reusable synthetic failure set, one defined adjustment cycle, two short training sessions, findings and handover.

Target elapsed duration is two to four weeks, dependent on access, samples and feedback. Bespoke CRM connectors, extensive data remediation, multiple workflows and a firm-wide policy programme are additional scope. A disappointing result should lead to an honest decision to adjust or stop, without automatic commitment to a larger build.

Fees exclude VAT where applicable. Software, cloud and third-party integration costs are additional. If the pilot is agreed as the first milestone of a larger workspace programme, its fee is part of that programme; unrelated completed engagements are not automatically credited.