AI Fit check: an AI readiness assessment.
We look at how your business runs and the tools it uses, find where AI and automation would genuinely help, and give you a written plan with a price for anything worth building.
Book a free 30-minute callWhat is a Fit check?
A Fit check is our AI readiness assessment, and the first stage of working with Propel. Some call it an AI audit. We look at how your business actually runs and the tools it already uses, find where AI and automation would genuinely help and where they wouldn’t, and give you a written plan with a price for anything worth building. It’s priced in writing before we start, and there’s no commitment to build.
What we look at.
We start with the work, not the software. Every Fit check covers these four things.
How the work actually runs
We talk to the people doing the work, not only the people managing it, and follow a typical job or order from the first enquiry to the invoice.
What it tells youWhere the time goes, and where details get re-typed, chased or lost.
The tools you already use
Your job management, booking and accounts software, plus the spreadsheets, inboxes and messages that fill the gaps between them.
What it tells youWhat your software could already do with better set-up, and what it could pass on instead of someone re-typing it.
Where AI would help, and where it wouldn’t
Tasks that need reading, writing or judgement, like drafting a reply or summarising a job, can suit AI. Tasks that follow fixed rules usually need plain automation. Some need neither.
What it tells youWhich jobs are worth changing, what suits each one, and which to leave alone.
Who stays in charge
Where judgement matters, what goes out to customers, and who signs things off today.
What it tells youWhere a person checks the work. A person approves anything that goes to a customer.
What you get.
An AI roadmap you can act on with us, on your own or not at all. For the bigger picture, see AI strategy.
- A written plan, in plain English
- Where AI and automation would help, and where they wouldn’t
- Where we’d start, and why
- How it would work with the tools you already have
- A price for anything worth building
- No commitment to build
How a Fit check works.
From the first call to the written plan, step by step.
- 1A free 30-minute call on Google Meet about how your business runs. Nothing to prepare.
- 2We tell you what a Fit check would cover and what it costs, before any work starts.
- 3We talk to the people doing the work and look at the tools, spreadsheets and messages they use. Most of this happens remotely.
- 4You get the written plan, with a price for anything worth building.
- 5You decide what happens next. Building it is scoped and priced separately.
How long it takes
It depends on how many people and tools are involved. We agree the timing when we agree the price, so you know when to expect the plan.
What it costs
It depends on how much there is to look at. After the call, we tell you the price in writing, and nothing starts until you agree. More on how the cost works.
Who it suits.
Owner-managed UK businesses, from a handful of people to a couple of hundred, where an office keeps work moving on site, on the road or on the shop floor.
- You think AI could help but aren’t sure where to start
- Your team types the same details into more than one system
- You want a straight answer before paying for a build
- You’d rather improve the tools you have than replace them
What a Fit check isn’t
- An AI compliance audit
- A self-scored online quiz
- A slide deck you’re left to implement yourself
Plain answers.
More in the full list of questions.
What is an AI readiness assessment?
An AI readiness assessment looks at how a business runs, the tools and information it already has and the people involved, to work out where AI would genuinely help and what would need to change first. Ours is called a Fit check, and it ends in a written plan with a price for anything worth building.
Is a Fit check the same as an AI audit?
It’s what most small businesses mean by an AI audit: a look at where AI and automation could save time in how the business runs. It isn’t a compliance audit of an AI system you already use, such as a check against the EU AI Act or ISO 42001. That’s a different service, and not one we offer.
Do we need to be ready for AI before a Fit check?
No. You don’t need tidy data, new software or an AI policy first. Working out where things stand, and what would need fixing before AI could help, is part of the Fit check.
What does a Fit check cost?
It depends on how much there is to look at, such as how many people, areas and tools are involved. After the free call, we tell you what a Fit check would cover and its price, in writing, before any work starts. The Fit check then prices anything worth building.
How long does a Fit check take?
It depends on how many people and tools are involved. We agree the timing when we agree the price, so you know when to expect the plan.
What do you need from us?
Some time with the people who do the work, access to the tools involved, and someone who can make decisions. We’ll say exactly what we need before we start.
Is the plan an AI roadmap?
In effect, yes. It sets out what’s worth changing, where we’d start and a price for anything worth building, in plain English rather than a slide deck.
Do we have to build what the plan recommends?
No. There’s no commitment to build. You can act on the plan with us, on your own, or not at all.
What if AI isn’t the answer?
Then we’ll say so. Plenty of problems are fixed by better set-up of software you already pay for, or by simple automation with no AI in it. The plan says which is which.
Can a Fit check be done remotely?
Yes. We’re based in Grimsby and work with businesses across the UK. Most of the work happens remotely, on calls and in the tools you already use. If seeing the work in person would help, we can talk about visiting.
How is this different from a free online AI readiness quiz?
A quiz scores your answers against a general checklist. A Fit check looks at your actual work and tools with the people who do the work, and ends in a plan and a price for your business. If you’d like to talk it through first, the 30-minute call is free.
What a Fit check can lead to.
We build what the plan says is worth building, around your tools. More on AI implementation, AI integration and AI automation, or how we work as an AI consultancy.
- AI assistants and agentsAI that drafts, sorts and summarises routine work, and agents that carry a task through several steps.
- Workflow automationThe routine steps between your tools happen on their own, so details are entered once.
- Custom AI softwareDashboards, planners and internal tools built around how you work, with AI where it helps.
- Ongoing supportWe monitor, fix and improve what we’ve built, and train your team, so it keeps working.
Book a free 30-minute call.
On Google Meet, with Jacob. Tell us about one job that takes more effort than it should, or how a normal week goes.
Pick a timeOr email jacob@propelai.co.uk