What Happens in an AI Operations Audit
Wondering what you actually get for $3,500? Here's a transparent walkthrough of our AI Operations Audit — from the discovery call to the working prototype we deliver in 3 business days.
The most common question we get: "What do I actually get from the audit?"
Fair question. $3,500 is real money, and most business owners have been burned by consultants who deliver a PDF of generic recommendations and disappear. Here's exactly what happens, step by step.
Before the audit: The 15-minute fit call
Every engagement starts with a free call. This isn't a sales pitch — it's a mutual qualification. We're figuring out:
- What your business does and where the operational pain points are
- Whether AI is the right solution (sometimes it isn't, and we'll tell you that)
- Whether we're the right fit to build it (we specialize in specific use cases — if yours is outside our wheelhouse, we'll say so)
This call takes 15 minutes. If we both agree there's something worth exploring, we schedule the audit.
Day 1: Discovery session
The audit kicks off with a focused working session — typically 60–90 minutes via video call. This isn't a casual conversation. We come prepared with questions specific to your industry and business model.
What we cover:
Operations mapping
We walk through your core business processes end to end. Not at the 30,000-foot level — at the "who does what, when, and how" level. We're looking for:
- Repetitive tasks consuming the most labor hours
- Handoff points where things fall through cracks
- Information bottlenecks (people waiting on data from other people)
- Manual processes that should be automated but aren't
Cost analysis
We quantify the labor cost of each manual process we identify. Not estimates — we work with your actual numbers. How many hours per week does your team spend on follow-up calls? What does that cost loaded? What's the error rate on manual data entry?
Technology inventory
What tools are you currently using? CRM, scheduling software, phone system, email platform, accounting system. We need to know what we're integrating with and where the data currently lives.
Constraint identification
What can't change? Regulatory requirements, existing contracts, tools you're locked into, processes that must stay human-in-the-loop. These constraints shape the architecture.
Days 2–3: Research sprint
After the discovery session, we go heads-down for 48 hours. This is where the real work happens.
Architecture design
Based on what we learned, we design the technical architecture for your AI system. This includes:
- Which processes to automate first (prioritized by ROI and implementation complexity)
- What AI models and tools to use
- How the system integrates with your existing stack
- Data flow diagrams showing how information moves through the system
- Infrastructure requirements (hosting, security, compliance considerations)
ROI modeling
We build a financial model specific to your business. Not generic "AI saves 40% of costs" claims — actual projections based on:
- Current labor costs for each process being automated
- Expected automation rate (we're conservative — usually 70–85%, not 100%)
- Implementation and ongoing management costs
- Timeline to positive ROI
Prototype development
This is what separates our audit from every other consultancy. We build a working prototype of your first automation.
If we're recommending an AI receptionist, you'll hear it answer a call using your business context. If we're recommending a lead follow-up system, you'll see it respond to a test submission. If we're recommending a reporting automation, you'll see it pull and format real data.
The prototype isn't production-ready — it's a proof of concept. But it's functional enough that you can see exactly what the finished system will do, how it will interact with callers or data, and whether it meets your standards.
The delivery call
On day 3 (or sooner), we schedule a delivery call to present everything. Here's what you receive:
1. Operations assessment
A clear summary of what we found — the processes with the highest automation potential, the estimated labor savings, and the recommended priority order.
2. Phase 1 build recommendation
A scoped proposal for your first AI system, including:
- Exactly what it does
- How it integrates with your existing tools
- Timeline for build and deployment (typically 1–2 weeks)
- Fixed pricing for the build
- Ongoing managed services pricing
3. Working prototype
A live demonstration of the first automation. You interact with it during the call. You ask questions, test edge cases, and see how it handles your specific scenarios.
4. Architecture documentation
Technical documentation of the proposed system architecture. This is yours to keep regardless of whether you proceed with a build.
After the delivery call
You have three options:
Proceed with the build. Your full $3,500 audit fee is credited toward the project cost. The foundation platform starts at $18,000, with additional modules at $5,000 each.
Take the documentation and build internally. Everything we delivered is yours. If you have an in-house team that can execute on the architecture, go for it.
Decide it's not the right time. No hard feelings. You have a 7-day money-back guarantee if the audit doesn't deliver what was promised.
What the audit is NOT
To be equally clear about what this isn't:
- It's not a generic "AI readiness assessment." We don't grade you on a maturity model and hand you a report card.
- It's not a slide deck. There are no PowerPoints, no filler, no "market landscape" pages.
- It's not a pitch for a $200K enterprise engagement. Our foundation platform is $18,000 with modules at $5,000 each. Typical first engagement is $26,000–$33,000. We're not upselling you into a six-month SOW.
- It's not theoretical. You see working technology, not concept diagrams.
Who the audit is for
The audit works best for businesses that:
- Are doing $100K–$500K/month in revenue (enough operational complexity to benefit from automation)
- Have identifiable manual processes consuming labor hours (phone answering, follow-up, scheduling, reporting, data entry)
- Want to move quickly (our timeline is days, not months)
- Prefer to see proof before committing to a larger engagement
If that sounds like your situation, book the 15-minute fit call and we'll figure out if the audit makes sense for you.
Related reading:
Want to see what AI can do for your business?
Book a free 15-minute call. We'll tell you exactly what's automatable — and what isn't.
Schedule a 15-Minute Fit Call