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Should you hire an AI consultant?

By AskGeeks editors · Updated · About AskGeeks

Many small businesses can get started with AI on their own. Outside help makes sense for bigger projects, such as connecting systems or building tools on your data.

You probably do not need help to

  • Draft emails, posts, descriptions and documents.
  • Summarise meetings and documents.
  • Set up a simple internal assistant from your own files.

Our playbooks cover these step by step.

Help can be worth it for

  • Connecting AI to your systems: CRM, booking software, help desk.
  • Automations that run without a person checking each step.
  • Projects involving regulated data.

Questions to ask any consultant

  1. Can you show me work you have done for businesses like mine, with results I can verify?
  2. What will it cost, in total, and what is included?
  3. What will it cost each month to run after you finish: software, usage and support?
  4. Who owns what you build, and can I run it without you?
  5. How will my customers’ data be handled, and by which providers?
  6. How will we measure whether it worked?

Red flags

  • No prices until after several calls.
  • Promises of specific savings before they have looked at your business.
  • Locking you into their own platform with no way out.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an AI consultant cost?

It varies widely. Ask for a fixed total, what is included, and the monthly running costs after the project ends.

Questions from readers

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