Start with the work, not the tool
Most owners start by asking "which AI tool should we buy?" That's the wrong first question. The right one is: what does my team do over and over that a computer could do? The tool comes after.
Step 1: List the work that repeats
For one week, ask everyone on your team to jot down anything they do more than a few times. Don't filter. Common answers:
- Answering the same customer questions by email or phone
- Copying details from one system into another
- Chasing people for forms, signatures or payments
- Building the same report every Monday
- Booking, rescheduling and sending reminders
Step 2: Pick one task with three signs
The best first task has all three of these:
- It happens often. Daily or weekly, not once a quarter.
- It follows rules. You could explain it to a new hire in a page.
- Mistakes are easy to catch. A person can glance at the result before it goes out.
Customer questions, reminders and reports usually pass. Anything that needs real judgment, like pricing a custom job, is better kept with a person for now.
Step 3: Put a number on it
Before you spend anything, work out what the task costs you today. Multiply the hours it takes each week by what that person's time costs. That number tells you how much a fix is worth, and it keeps any sales pitch honest.
Step 4: Try a small working sample
Don't sign up for a big project first. Ask for a small working version of one task, running on your real examples, within days. If it doesn't save time in the sample, it won't save time at scale.
Step 5: Keep a person in charge
Good AI setups have checks built in: replies reviewed before they go out, anything important sent to a person to approve, customers told when they're talking to AI, and an off switch. If a provider can't explain their checks in plain words, keep looking.
Keeping customer data safe in BC
Most private businesses in British Columbia are covered by the province's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), which sets rules for how you collect, use and share customers' personal information. Two simple habits help:
- Keep personal details out of outside AI services wherever you can. A well-built system only sends what it needs.
- Keep the accounts and the data in your business's name, not a provider's.
This is a starting point, not legal advice. If you handle sensitive information, check with your advisor.
Funding: training your team
The B.C. Employer Training Grant helps BC employers pay for staff training. The province describes it as covering 80% of eligible training costs, up to $10,000 per employee. It can help when you're training your team to use new tools. Rules and intake dates change, so check the current criteria on WorkBC before you plan around it.
The short version
List what repeats. Pick one task that happens often, follows rules and is easy to check. Put a number on it. Test a small sample. Keep a person in charge. That's how most small teams get their first real win with AI.