Question 1

What is Smart Biz AI Hub?

Accepted Answer

Smart Biz AI Hub helps service businesses implement practical AI pilots — focused, short-term AI implementations that automate workflows, improve efficiency, and enhance customer experience. Pilots are designed for operators, not IT teams, and focus on measurable ROI.

Question 2

Who is Smart Biz AI Hub for?

Accepted Answer

Service businesses including consulting firms, professional services, agencies, accounting firms, legal services, and similar companies. If your business is people-powered and workflow-heavy, AI pilots can help automate and scale operations.

Question 3

What are the 5 pilot programs?

Accepted Answer

The five core pilots are: (1) Customer Support Automation, (2) Document Intelligence, (3) Follow-up Automation, (4) Knowledge Assistant, and (5) Reporting Automation. Each addresses a specific business workflow and delivers measurable outcomes.

Question 4

Which pilot should I start with?

Accepted Answer

Start with the pilot that addresses your highest-pain workflow. Use the AI Pilot Readiness Checklist to assess your organization's readiness. Most businesses see quick wins with customer support or document processing automation first.

Question 5

How long does a pilot take?

Accepted Answer

Typical AI pilots take 4-8 weeks from kickoff to measurable results. Simple automation pilots (reporting, follow-up) often complete in 3-4 weeks. More complex integrations (document intelligence, knowledge assistant) may take 6-8 weeks.

Question 6

What skills do we need?

Accepted Answer

Minimal technical skills required. We provide templates, documentation, and step-by-step implementation support. You need business process expertise, not AI expertise. We handle the AI side while you guide workflow optimization.

Question 7

What's the typical implementation process?

Accepted Answer

A proven six-step process: (1) Assessment — understand your workflows and readiness, (2) Design — define pilot scope and success metrics, (3) Build — implement the AI solution, (4) Test — validate with real data, (5) Deploy — go live with monitoring, (6) Optimize — measure results and improve.

Question 8

Can we run multiple pilots in parallel?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but sequential pilots are recommended initially. Sequential pilots let you learn from the first implementation and apply those learnings to subsequent pilots. Once you have experience, parallel pilots are more efficient.

Question 9

What if a pilot doesn't work?

Accepted Answer

That's valuable learning. If outcomes don't meet expectations, we investigate root causes — often it's a workflow definition issue or unrealistic expectations. We help you pivot to a better-fit pilot or refocus on a different workflow.

Question 10

How much do pilots cost?

Accepted Answer

Pricing varies by pilot complexity and scope. Simple automation pilots start around $5-15K. Complex integrations may be $20-50K. We provide transparent pricing based on scope. Most pilots show positive ROI within 3-6 months.

Question 11

How do we measure ROI?

Accepted Answer

Every pilot includes defined success metrics: time savings (hours/week), quality improvements (error reduction, consistency), revenue impact (customer retention, faster sales cycles), or cost reduction. We establish baselines before and measure outcomes 30, 60, and 90 days after go-live.

Question 12

What does success look like?

Accepted Answer

Success is defined per pilot with specific KPIs agreed upfront: faster response times for support triage, time savings for document processing, faster onboarding for knowledge assistants, improved retention for follow-up automation, and faster insights for reporting.

Question 13

Is our data secure?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All pilot implementations follow enterprise security standards: data encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access controls, audit logging, and compliance with relevant regulations (SOC2, GDPR, HIPAA as applicable). Your data never leaves your secure environment.

Question 14

How do pilots integrate with existing systems?

Accepted Answer

Pilots integrate with your existing tools (CRM, accounting software, support platforms, etc.). We use APIs for direct integration where available, or set up data pipelines for more complex scenarios. We work with your IT team to ensure security and compliance.

Question 15

How do I get started?

Accepted Answer

Complete the AI Pilot Readiness Checklist, then start the conversation through the contact form and tell us which workflow you'd fix first. We'll assess your readiness, recommend a starting pilot, and outline the implementation process.

Frequently asked questions

The basics

Implementation

Cost & ROI

Security & getting started

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