AI agent for business: how to choose the first scenario
How to pick the first task for an AI agent: sales, support or corporate knowledge, what to check in your data and what an AI audit costs
A first AI agent for business takes over one repetitive task, works with data it can access and hands questions that need a decision to a person. To choose that task, review the process in sales, customer support or corporate knowledge. The AKORDO catalogue has an AI audit and quick launch for this: $600-1,000, an indicative 2-4 weeks.
Task, data and the limit of responsibility
Describe the scenario with three answers: which repetitive action the agent performs, where it gets information and at what point it hands the conversation or task to a person. If one of these questions has no answer, start with a process review.
Under the AKORDO catalogue's principle, an AI manager takes repetitive questions off the team and passes to a person whatever needs a live decision. So agree the agent's limit of responsibility before setup.
Sales, support or knowledge: what to check first
The catalogue splits AI services by the situation they address. Compare them with yours.
| Scenario | When it fits | What to check in the data |
|---|---|---|
| 24/7 AI sales manager | Leads wait for a reply or write outside working hours | Where enquiries are stored and who sees the client history |
| 24/7 AI customer support | Support is swamped by repeat questions | Whether up-to-date answers to typical questions exist |
| Corporate knowledge AI agent | Knowledge is scattered across files and people | Who owns the documents and how often they are updated |
For each row, find out whether the agent will get access to the data it needs. Put a scenario without that access on hold.
An AI audit before the launch decision
If there is no clear scenario, start with an AI audit. In the AKORDO catalogue it is meant for a company that wants AI but does not know where to start.
That is how the case on an AI audit and roadmap for a fintech company was built: analysis of customer support and internal operations, the points where AI delivers the greatest economic effect, a phased AI roadmap and priority automation scenarios.
Acceptance criteria
Before launch, agree how the team will check the agent's work:
- which typical questions the agent answers on its own;
- which questions it hands to a person, and to whom;
- which sources it answers from and who updates those sources;
- how the team scores answers and where it records errors;
- what happens when the agent finds no answer.
Calculate savings after a test on real enquiries, when you have something to compare against.
What the cases show
In the case on an AI assistant for corporate knowledge, employees get answers in Slack. The assistant, built on OpenAI, finds them in Confluence through RAG search, n8n orchestrates the processes, and answer scoring helps improve the AI's work.
The case on AI systems for operational automation in a fintech company describes four AI systems in production: operational routing, anomaly detection, automation of repetitive integration steps and standardised documentation.
In the AI audit case, AI Support Agents remain a recommended direction from the audit. The case does not call them an implemented system, so read the roadmap as a plan and assess implementation separately.
The article on AI agents for business covers agents, teaching by demonstration and data control.
Budget guide
According to the AKORDO service catalogue:
| Service | Indicative cost | Indicative timeline |
|---|---|---|
| AI audit and quick launch | $600-1,000 | 2-4 weeks |
| 24/7 AI sales manager | $1,300-2,200 | 2-4 weeks |
| 24/7 AI customer support | $1,100-2,000 | 2-5 weeks |
| Corporate knowledge AI agent | $1,600-3,300 | 3-6 weeks |
The AI sales and service managers package starts from $1,700 and includes the AI audit with quick launch and the 24/7 AI sales manager. AKORDO quotes the exact amount after a free consultation. The client pays for licences, API, hosting and telephony separately, and catalogue timelines are indicative and not contractual.
Questions before you start
Where do you start without a scenario?
With an AI audit and a process review. In the catalogue it is a separate service: $600-1,000, an indicative 2-4 weeks.
Are licences and APIs included in the price?
No. Licences, APIs, hosting and telephony are paid separately by the client.
Will the agent replace managers?
Under the catalogue's principle, an AI manager takes repetitive questions off the team and passes to a person whatever needs a live decision. Agree before launch who takes over a conversation from the agent, and when.
Discuss your first scenario through the AI solutions service or a free AKORDO consultation.