AI automation
How to Identify an AI Automation Opportunity Worth Pursuing
Start with one repeated task, a known information source and an accountable process owner. Define the current workflow, the intended change and the evidence that would justify continuing.
Write the workflow before choosing technology
Describe what starts the task, who performs it, which systems hold the inputs and what a completed result looks like. Include missing records, ambiguous requests and cases that need an authorized decision. A task that mainly copies structured values between systems may be better suited to a deterministic integration than an AI assistant.
For an enquiry-routing pilot, an illustrative scope is to collect contact details and the requested service, suggest an enquiry category, and hand the record to a team member for review. Booking confirmation, pricing commitments and unusual requests can remain with responsible staff.
Record a baseline and review criteria
Choose measures the process owner can collect before and during the pilot. Examples include time spent reviewing an enquiry, incomplete records and correctly routed requests after review. Document each definition so the before and after figures are comparable.
Separate the volume processed from the quality of the result. More automated records do not help if they create more correction work. Record manual follow-up and exceptions alongside any time saved.
- Process owner and review responsibility
- Source systems and permitted information
- Current handling time and correction work
- Acceptable outputs and escalation conditions
- Pilot review date and decision criteria
Test representative requests and exceptions
Use authorized examples covering incomplete enquiries, conflicting information, unsupported questions and integration failures. Decide which outputs need approval and how uncertainty is signalled. Agree acceptance checks before implementation.
For enquiry routing, verify required fields, escalation of unsupported commitments, duplicate prevention and visibility of failed transfers. Avoid choosing an arbitrary accuracy percentage without defining the cases and consequences of an error.
Decide whether to extend the pilot
Review baseline measures, correction work and staff feedback together. If an integration is unreliable, resolve it before expanding. If approved source information is missing, improve the knowledge base instead of expecting the assistant to fill gaps.
Record what worked, what remains uncertain and who owns the next change. A bounded pilot should help the team decide whether to improve, extend or stop the workflow.