Skip to content
Free diagnostic

AI agent catalogue

The guide01

How to read the directory

Four levels, read like an organisation.

  • Domain

    A department

    Finance and administration

  • Role

    A job

    Accounts receivable clerk

    Business agent
  • Process

    A line in its job description

    Payment reminders and collection

    Process agent
  • Tasks

    Its daily actions

    Spotting unpaid invoices, writing the reminder, handing over

    Quick Start
The catalogue02

The directory

11 domains, 47 roles, 109 processes.

8 projects to start with

TOP use cases (quick wins)

The simplest to put in place, and the quickest to deliver a result.

Processes · 8

  1. 01Payment reminders and collectionFinance
    Why this one
    The only one that brings in cash, not just time
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Payment times cut by 25 to 35%
    Example use case
    An industrial maintenance SME has some forty overdue invoices. The agent detects them and prepares staged reminders, in a tone suited to each customer, which the accountant approves in one click; it also drafts the formal notice when needed.
  2. 02Qualifying incoming enquiriesSales
    Why this one
    Replying in two minutes rather than two days changes the conversion rate
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    First reply within 2 min, 24/7
    Example use case
    On a Saturday evening, an enquiry comes in on a joinery manufacturer’s website. The agent replies within two minutes, asks the right questions, completes the company record and sends a full brief to the sales rep for the area.
  3. 03Meeting minutesCross-functional
    Why this one
    No access to a business system, no risk, immediate adoption
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    20 to 30 min per meeting, 100% of actions tracked
    Example use case
    After the weekly site meeting, the agent sends the minutes to attendees within the hour: decisions taken, actions with their owner and deadline, created straight away in the tracking tool.
  4. 04Quote follow-upSales
    Why this one
    A forgotten quote is the most pointless loss an SME can make
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Quote conversion up 15 to 25%
    Example use case
    A joiner sends out around twenty quotes a month. The agent follows up every unanswered quote at seven, fifteen and thirty days, in a tone suited to the customer, and updates its status; a positive answer is passed on immediately.
  5. 05Supplier invoice processingFinance
    Why this one
    The best-documented case on the market, and the flow becomes structured with the e-invoicing reform
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    12 to 15 min per invoice cut to 2 to 3 min
    Example use case
    A builders’ merchant receives invoices by email, as scanned post and on the e-invoicing platform. The agent reads them, matches them with the purchase order and proposes the accounting entry; the accountant approves the discrepancies it flags.
  6. 06Handling routine requestsCustomer relations
    Why this one
    High volume, high repetition, escalation easy to define
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    45 to 65% of requests resolved without a person
    Example use case
    A pellet stove manufacturer gets the same questions about maintenance and warranty every day. The agent answers from the knowledge base, asks for missing information and hands over to a technician when the fault falls outside its scope.
  7. 07Inbox processingCross-functional
    Why this one
    The entry point for almost all of an SME’s work
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    30 to 50% of sorting time eliminated
    Example use case
    In an estate agency, the agent sorts the shared inbox every morning: it classifies by intent, flags urgent items, answers document requests and drafts replies for the rest, which the team reviews before sending.
  8. 08Bank reconciliationFinance
    Why this one
    Clean data, explicit rules, a gain measurable to the minute
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    4 hours a month cut to 30 min
    Example use case
    Each week, a communications agency’s agent imports the bank statements, matches the lines to invoices and suggests an explanation for ambiguous cases; the accountant approves and deals with the few remaining lines.
8 roles · 24 processes

Advisory agents

What does not do the work, but helps you decide

The business leader, and their committee when there is one. In a very small business, the leader decides alone, and that is precisely where the lack of challenge costs the most.

These agents do not do the work: they help you decide, and the decision remains human. They are only worth something when connected to your company’s documents, figures and decision history; without that, they are generic assistants.

Business leader’s advisory agent

The CEO Advisor. Replaces neither a partner nor an adviser, but makes permanently available what the head of a very small business never has: a contrary opinion.

Processes · 4

  • Decision preparation
    Main tasks
    Framing the problem, options set out with their consequences, identifying what is missing to decide, decision criteria made explicit
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    A decision framed in 1 hour instead of a week of mulling it over
    Example use case
    The head of a haulage firm is weighing up opening a second depot. The agent sets out three options with their consequences, lists the figures still missing and proposes decision criteria; the decision stays with the business leader.
  • Structured challenge
    Main tasks
    Identifying blind spots, arguments against the preferred option, failure scenarios, questions a board member would ask
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    A contrary opinion available at all times
    Example use case
    Before signing a large distribution deal, the manager of a cosmetics brand asks for a dissenting view. The agent lists the blind spots, the failure scenarios and the questions a demanding partner would ask.
  • Strategic document review
    Main tasks
    Reviewing a business plan, a memo or a forecast, checking internal consistency, spotting unsupported assumptions
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Weak assumptions spotted before sending to the funder
    Example use case
    A business owner is preparing a forecast for the bank. The agent rereads the business plan, checks that the figures agree from one page to the next and flags growth assumptions that no data supports.
  • Decision memory
    Main tasks
    History of trade-offs, reminders of what was decided and why, detecting unacknowledged U-turns
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Trade-offs found again with their rationale, U-turns detected
    Example use case
    Six months after freezing recruitment, the management team reopens the subject. The agent retrieves the decision, its reasons and the conditions set for revisiting it, and points out that those conditions have not yet been met.

Management committee advisory agent

The Executive Committee Advisor. Prepares, follows up, and stops the same topics coming back from one meeting to the next.

Processes · 3

  • Committee preparation
    Main tasks
    Agenda, briefing pack per item, summary of known positions, separating items for decision from items for information
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    2 to 4 hours of preparation per meeting
    Example use case
    Each month, the management committee of a manufacturing SME receives a pack prepared by the agent: the agenda, one brief per item, and a clear split between what needs deciding and what is for information.
  • Committee decision follow-up
    Main tasks
    Extracting decisions, assigning them, chasing owners, progress tracker, alert on decisions not implemented
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Decisions implemented instead of being discussed again
    Example use case
    After each committee meeting, the agent extracts the decisions, assigns each one to its owner and sends a reminder before the deadline. A decision left without follow-up for two meetings in a row is flagged to the business leader.
  • Strategic review preparation
    Main tasks
    Preparatory material, key questions, summary of contributions, feedback
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Material ready in 1 day instead of a week
    Example use case
    Ahead of a communications agency’s annual away day, the agent gathers the year’s figures, frames the key questions and summarises the partners’ contributions into a working document.

Financial advisory agent

The CFO Advisor. The role an SME never hires for and needs four times a year.

Processes · 3

  • Critical reading of the financial statements
    Main tasks
    Commentary on variances, ratio calculations, sector comparison, warning points
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Variances explained as soon as the accounts are out
    Example use case
    As soon as a wine merchant’s annual accounts come out, the agent comments on the variances from the previous year, calculates the key ratios and flags the worsening working capital requirement.
  • Preparing a financing application
    Main tasks
    Structure of the file, anticipating the banker’s or investor’s questions, spotting weak points
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    The funder’s objections anticipated before the meeting
    Example use case
    An engineering SME is applying for a loan to buy a new machine. The agent structures the application, anticipates the banker’s questions and identifies the weak points to address before the meeting.
  • Scenario simulation
    Main tasks
    Costed consequences of a hire, an investment, a downturn, tipping points
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Consequences costed before committing, not after
    Example use case
    A restaurant owner wonders whether they can take on a second cook. The agent works out the effect on margin and cash flow at three levels of activity, and shows the number of covers from which the hire pays for itself.

Legal and risk advisory agent

The Risk Advisor. An SME signs most of its commitments without any advice, because a lawyer costs too much for a twenty-minute question.

Processes · 3

  • Assessing a risky situation
    Main tasks
    Nature of the risk, applicable rules, possible options, assessment of severity, threshold beyond which outside advice is needed
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Knowing within 1 hour whether the situation is serious
    Example use case
    A client threatens to sue a landscaping firm over a project delivered late. The agent assesses the risk, recalls the applicable law and contract clauses, and says at what point a lawyer should be consulted.
  • Reading a commitment before signing
    Main tasks
    What you are committing to in plain language, points of no return, exit clauses, liability caps, real duration
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    A commitment understood before signing, not after
    Example use case
    Before signing a nine-year commercial lease, the owner of a bakery receives a plain-language reading from the agent: the real term, exit clauses, recharged costs and points of no return.
  • Deciding when to call in outside counsel
    Main tasks
    What can be handled in-house, what needs a lawyer, the scope to give them to keep the cost down, questions to prepare
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Fees concentrated where they matter
    Example use case
    An SME receives a social security contributions reassessment. The agent separates what can be handled in-house from what needs a lawyer, scopes the brief to give them and prepares the questions for the first meeting.

Technical advisory agent

The IT Advisor. For business leaders who decide on technical matters without being technical.

Processes · 3

  • Framing a technical choice
    Main tasks
    Options, total cost of ownership, reversibility, vendor lock-in, decision memo in non-technical language
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    A decision memo in 2 hours, comparable from one choice to the next
    Example use case
    An accountancy practice must choose between two management software packages. The agent compares their five-year cost, how easy they are to leave and the dependence on the vendor, in a note a non-specialist can read.
  • Architecture and technical debt review
    Main tasks
    Current state, ranked risks, prioritised work, cost of doing nothing
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Debt prioritised instead of endured
    Example use case
    A services SME runs on in-house software that is twelve years old. The agent takes stock, ranks the risks and estimates what doing nothing for two more years would cost.
  • Assessing a provider or a tool
    Main tasks
    Comparison grid, questions to ask, contractual and technical warning signs
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Like-for-like comparison, exit clauses spotted
    Example use case
    Before choosing an IT provider, a transport company receives from the agent a comparison grid common to all three candidates, the questions to ask them and the contract clauses to watch.

Operations advisory agent

The COO Advisor. Covers capacity decisions, the ones that make or break a service SME and are taken on instinct on a Sunday evening.

Processes · 3

  • Capacity decision
    Main tasks
    Hire, subcontract or turn down: a costed comparison of the three routes, tipping points, payback time, risk of each
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    A decision set out in writing instead of taken on instinct
    Example use case
    An engineering consultancy is swamped with requests. The agent compares, with figures, the three options — recruit, subcontract or turn work down — with their payback time and risk; the business leader decides.
  • Deciding whether to take on a deal
    Main tasks
    Fit with the workload plan, expected margin, delivery risk, real cost of saying no, effect on current deals
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Low-margin deals identified before they are signed
    Example use case
    An electrical contractor receives a large order in peak season. The agent checks the workload plan, estimates the margin and delivery risk, and shows the effect of the job on projects already under way.
  • Insourcing or outsourcing choice
    Main tasks
    Total cost of both routes, dependency created, reversibility, effect on in-house skills
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    The cost of dependency made visible before committing to it
    Example use case
    An SME has outsourced its payroll to an outside firm for ten years. The agent compares the total cost of both options, the dependence created and the skills needed to bring payroll in-house.

Offer and pricing advisory agent

The Pricing Advisor. Looks at what is being decided, not at what happened: analysing actual results is the job of the sales analyst agent, domain 2.

Processes · 3

  • Preparing a pricing decision
    Main tasks
    Effect of an increase or a decrease on margin and volume, tipping point, comparison with market bands, wording of the announcement
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    The effect of a price change costed before announcing it
    Example use case
    A furniture maker is considering a 6% price increase. The agent works out the effect on margin and volumes, compares it with market prices and suggests how to announce it to customers.
  • Deciding on a discount request
    Main tasks
    Remaining margin, precedent set, negotiable trade-off, threshold below which to refuse
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Discounts decided on margin, not on the urge to sign
    Example use case
    A major customer asks for a 15% discount on an order. The agent calculates the remaining margin, points out the precedent it would set and suggests something to ask for in return; the salesperson decides.
  • Product range structure review
    Main tasks
    Consistency of tiers, gaps between offers, products never sold, options that do not pay, gaps in the range
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Inconsistencies spotted before a client finds them
    Example use case
    A software publisher has piled up offers over the years. The agent spots the options never sold, inconsistent price gaps between tiers and holes in the range, before a customer notices them.

HR and organisation advisory agent

The CHRO Advisor. Scope strictly limited to preparing decisions. See appendix B.

Processes · 2

  • Preparing an organisational decision
    Main tasks
    Structural options, the consequences of each, cost and timeframe, including the option of doing nothing
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Options set out in writing before discussing them with the teams
    Example use case
    A forty-person SME is unsure whether to create an operations manager role. The agent sets out the options, including changing nothing, with their cost, timing and consequences for the team.
  • Preparing a difficult conversation
    Main tasks
    Framing the facts, separating facts from feelings, suggested flow, wording to avoid
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    A conversation prepared in 30 min, facts separated from feelings
    Example use case
    A manager has to have a firm conversation with an employee who is increasingly late. The agent helps separate facts from feelings, suggests how to run the meeting and flags phrasing to avoid.
5 roles · 10 processes

Cross-functional agents

What serves everyone, without belonging to any department

Everyone. It is the most profitable domain to open first, because it depends on no particular trade and touches every job.

Email assistant agent

Runs the inbox the way a secretariat would.

Processes · 2

  • Inbox processing
    Main tasks
    Sorting and filing by intent, spotting urgent items, answering recurring requests, drafting replies for the rest, saving attachments to the right folder, following up unanswered messages
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    30 to 50% of sorting time eliminated
    Example use case
    In an estate agency, the agent sorts the shared inbox every morning: it classifies by intent, flags urgent items, answers document requests and drafts replies for the rest, which the team reviews before sending.
  • Multichannel incoming request tracking
    Main tasks
    Bringing together email, forms and phone, qualifying, routing to the right person, acknowledging receipt, tracking until closed
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    No request lost any more, first reply within 2 min
    Example use case
    A heat pump installer receives enquiries by email, web form and phone. The agent brings them together, acknowledges receipt, routes each one to the right person and tracks it until it is closed.

Meeting secretary agent

Listens, writes, and keeps decisions alive.

Processes · 2

  • Meeting minutes
    Main tasks
    Transcription, structured summary, extracting decisions, extracting actions with owner and deadline, sending to participants, creating tasks in the tracking tool
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    20 to 30 min saved per meeting, 100% of actions tracked
    Example use case
    After the weekly site meeting, the agent sends the minutes to attendees within the hour: decisions taken, actions with their owner and deadline, created straight away in the tracking tool.
  • Meeting preparation
    Main tasks
    Gathering the file history, briefing note the day before, suggested agenda, reminder of commitments made at the previous meeting
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    15 to 20 min of preparation per meeting
    Example use case
    The day before a client meeting, the agent sends the account manager a briefing note: the history of the file, commitments made last time and a proposed agenda.

Records management agent

Files, finds and keeps up to date the company’s written material.

Processes · 3

  • Filing and archiving
    Main tasks
    Reading and classifying incoming documents, standardised renaming, filing into the folder structure, extracting metadata, detecting duplicates
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    80% of documents filed without intervention
    Example use case
    A land surveying practice receives plans, quotes and letters every day. The agent reads them, renames them according to the house rule, files them in the right client folder and flags duplicates.
  • Document search
    Main tasks
    Answering a question while citing the source documents, comparing versions, extracting a clause or a figure, summarising across several documents
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Search time divided by 5
    Example use case
    A technician is looking for a machine’s commissioning procedure. They ask their question in everyday language; the agent answers, quoting the exact passage of the manual and the version of the document.
  • Knowledge base upkeep
    Main tasks
    Detecting outdated documents, flagging contradictions between documents, proposing updates
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Contradictions detected before use, not after
    Example use case
    In a services SME, two procedures give different refund deadlines. The agent flags the contradiction, proposes the corrected version and submits it to the document’s owner.

Monitoring agent

Reads what nobody has time to read.

Processes · 2

  • Sector and competitive monitoring
    Main tasks
    Gathering sources, filtering by relevance, weekly summary, alert on events, sorting by theme
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    3 to 5 hours of reading a week replaced by a summary
    Example use case
    Every Monday, the head of a medical equipment distributor receives a one-page summary: competitors’ new products, published tenders, price changes. An alert goes out the same day if an event warrants it.
  • Regulatory monitoring
    Main tasks
    Tracking the rules that apply to the sector, deadline alerts, impact summary, cross-checking against internal procedures
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    No deadline missed, impact assessed within 48 hours
    Example use case
    A haulier tracks the rules on driving hours and low-emission zones. The agent spots each new text, summarises its impact on internal procedures and submits the note to the operations manager.

Writing agent

Turns rough notes into presentable documents.

Process · 1

  • Document production
    Main tasks
    Formatting rough notes, writing to an in-house template, adapting the tone to the recipient, proofreading and correcting, translation
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    40 to 50% of writing time
    Example use case
    A consultant comes back from a meeting with three pages of notes. The agent turns them into a proposal in the firm’s template, in a tone suited to the recipient; the consultant reviews and sends it.
4 roles · 8 processes

Customer relations and support

The department that answers when the customer calls

In a very small business, it is the business leader or the assistant. In an SME of more than thirty people, it is a dedicated team.

Level 1 support agent

Handles the repetitive volume, hands over the rest.

Processes · 3

  • Handling routine requests
    Main tasks
    Qualifying the request, answering from the knowledge base, asking for missing information, closing, measuring satisfaction
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    45 to 65% of requests resolved without a person
    Example use case
    A pellet stove manufacturer gets the same questions about maintenance and warranty every day. The agent answers from the knowledge base, asks for missing information and hands over to a technician when the fault falls outside its scope.
  • Escalation and routing
    Main tasks
    Detecting out-of-scope cases, confidence score on the answer, transfer to the right person with a summary, alert on an unhappy customer
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    First response time under 2 min, no orphan requests
    Example use case
    A customer writes for the third time, in an increasingly sharp tone. The agent detects it, passes the request to the account manager with a summary of the history, and alerts the team.
  • Order and delivery tracking
    Main tasks
    Answering tracking requests, querying the carrier, proactive delay notification, offering a solution within a set framework
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    55 to 70% of tracking requests handled automatically
    Example use case
    “Where is my order?”: at a spare parts seller, the agent checks with the carrier, answers the customer, and lets them know unprompted when a delivery is running late.

Switchboard agent

Picks up when nobody else can.

Processes · 2

  • Call answering
    Main tasks
    Always picking up, qualifying the call, taking structured messages, transferring to the right person, booking appointments
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    100% of calls answered, including out of hours
    Example use case
    In a garage, nobody answers when the mechanics are under a vehicle. The agent takes every call, qualifies the request, books appointments into the schedule and leaves a structured message for everything else.
  • Reminders and confirmations
    Main tasks
    Confirming appointments, reminder the day before, handling cancellations and rescheduling
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Missed appointments reduced by 20 to 30%
    Example use case
    The day before each appointment, a beauty salon’s agent sends a reminder, records cancellations and immediately offers the freed slot to clients on the waiting list.

Complaints handling agent

The most delicate role in the domain. Never leave it alone.

Processes · 2

  • Handling a complaint
    Main tasks
    Qualification and severity level, reconstructing the customer history, proposing a goodwill gesture within a set framework, drafting the reply, following up until resolved
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Handling time halved
    Example use case
    A kitchen retailer’s customer reports a unit damaged on delivery. The agent reconstructs the history, assesses the severity and proposes a goodwill gesture within the agreed limits; the customer service manager approves the reply before it goes out.
  • Contact reason analysis
    Main tasks
    Classifying contact reasons, detecting recurring themes, monthly report, proposing a fix to documentation or product
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    The 3 main causes identified from the first month
    Example use case
    Each month, an online clothing shop’s agent classifies the reasons for contact and shows that sizing questions dominate. It suggests improving the size guide on the product pages.

Customer satisfaction agent

Makes the customer’s voice count in the figures.

Process · 1

  • Collecting and using reviews
    Main tasks
    Asking for feedback after a job, multichannel collection, replying to public reviews, alert on negative reviews, quarterly summary
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Number of reviews collected doubled
    Example use case
    After each job, a plumber’s agent asks the customer for a review, drafts replies to published reviews and alerts the owner as soon as a negative review appears; the owner approves public replies.
4 roles · 11 processes

Sales and business development

The department that fills the order book

In a very small business, it is the business leader, and it is almost always the most overloaded job in the company.

Lead qualification agent

Replies within two minutes, at any hour, to every incoming enquiry.

Processes · 2

  • Qualifying incoming enquiries
    Main tasks
    Analysing the form, enriching the company record, qualifying questions by message, scoring, routing to the right salesperson, full brief
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    First reply within 2 min, 24/7
    Example use case
    On a Saturday evening, an enquiry comes in on a joinery manufacturer’s website. The agent replies within two minutes, asks the right questions, completes the company record and sends a full brief to the sales rep for the area.
  • Appointment booking
    Main tasks
    Offering slots based on calendars, confirmation, sending the invitation, reminder, rescheduling
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    2 to 4 rounds of messages eliminated per appointment
    Example use case
    A prospect wants to meet a wealth management adviser. The agent offers three slots from the diary, sends the invitation, sends a reminder the day before and reschedules if needed.

Prospecting assistant agent

Does the research work nobody likes doing.

Processes · 3

  • Building the target list
    Main tasks
    Searching against criteria, enriching from the website and legal data, deduplication, import into the CRM
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    5 times more qualified targets for the same time spent
    Example use case
    An industrial cleaning company is looking for warehouses over 5,000 m² in its region. The agent builds the list from public data, enriches it and removes duplicates; the sales rep approves it before it goes into the CRM.
  • Prospecting sequence
    Main tasks
    Personalised writing, sequenced sending, detecting and sorting replies, scheduled follow-up, exit from the sequence
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Number of contacts tripled, without hiring
    Example use case
    A software publisher for dental practices is prospecting two hundred practices. The agent writes personalised messages that the sales rep approves, sends them in waves, sorts the replies and removes those who decline from the sequence.
  • Signal detection
    Main tasks
    Monitoring events (hiring, relocation, fundraising, call for tenders), alert, suggested opening line
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Same-day alert on trigger events
    Example use case
    An office removals firm monitors local news. When an SME in its area announces new headquarters, the agent alerts the sales rep the same day, with a suggested opening line.

Sales cycle assistant agent

The role that gives the most time back to the head of a very small business.

Processes · 4

  • Quote production
    Main tasks
    Extracting the need from the exchange, picking the lines from the catalogue, calculating, generating the document, sending
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Quotes issued in under an hour instead of half a day
    Example use case
    After a customer call, an electrical equipment distributor asks the agent for a quote. It extracts the need from the conversation, selects the catalogue references, calculates the price and prepares the document; the sales rep checks it before sending.
  • Quote follow-up
    Main tasks
    Detecting unanswered quotes, personalised follow-up at three intervals, escalation, status update
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Quote conversion up 15 to 25%
    Example use case
    A joiner sends out around twenty quotes a month. The agent follows up every unanswered quote at seven, fifteen and thirty days, in a tone suited to the customer, and updates its status; a positive answer is passed on immediately.
  • CRM upkeep
    Main tasks
    Call report, updating the stages, creating follow-up tasks, detecting dormant opportunities
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    2 to 3 hours a week per salesperson
    Example use case
    After each call, the sales rep dictates three sentences. The agent writes the call note in the CRM, moves the deal forward a stage and creates the follow-up task; it also flags opportunities with no activity for a month.
  • Appointment preparation
    Main tasks
    Client brief, history, open points of tension, questions to ask, documents to bring
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    20 to 30 min of preparation per appointment
    Example use case
    Before visiting a long-standing customer, the agent prepares a one-page brief: the year’s orders, an open dispute, questions to ask and documents to take along.

Sales analyst agent

Prepares the decision, does not make it.

Processes · 2

  • Pipeline management
    Main tasks
    Weekly report, detecting stalled deals, forecasting signatures, alert on variance from budget
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Stalled deals detected 2 to 3 weeks earlier
    Example use case
    Every Monday, the head of a consultancy receives an update on open deals: those stalled for three weeks, the quarter’s signing forecast and the gap to budget. They decide which to chase.
  • Loss analysis
    Main tasks
    Classifying loss reasons, detecting trends, quarterly report
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Loss reasons established objectively instead of guessed
    Example use case
    A window manufacturer is losing quotes without knowing why. The agent classifies the reasons for loss recorded by the sales team and brings out, quarter after quarter, the ones that keep recurring.
3 roles · 6 processes

Marketing and communication

The department that lets people know the company exists

In a very small business, it is the business leader in the evening, or nobody. It is the domain where generative AI came in first.

Content production agent

Produces the first draft, never the final version.

Processes · 3

  • Editorial production
    Main tasks
    Suggesting topics, writing a first draft in line with the editorial guidelines, adapting by channel, turning it into short formats, scheduling
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    40 to 50% of writing time
    Example use case
    A travel agency wants to publish two articles a month. The agent suggests topics, writes a first draft in line with the editorial guidelines and turns it into short posts; someone on the team rewrites and publishes.
  • Social media publishing
    Main tasks
    Formatting, scheduling, multichannel publishing, replying to simple comments, audience report
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    A steady publishing rhythm kept up without spending your evenings on it
    Example use case
    A craft brewery posts three times a week. The agent formats the posts, schedules them on each network once approved, answers simple comments and reports on audience every month.
  • Newsletter
    Main tasks
    Selecting content, writing, segmenting the list, sending, open-rate report
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    2 to 4 hours per send
    Example use case
    A garden centre sends its customers a monthly newsletter. The agent picks the content, writes it and adapts it for retail and trade customers; the manager reviews it before it goes out.

Online presence agent

Keeps up to date what the public sees.

Processes · 2

  • Listings and local search
    Main tasks
    Updating business listings, keeping information consistent across platforms, replying to reviews, posting news
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Reviews answered within 24 hours, consistent information everywhere
    Example use case
    A chain of four hair salons changes its summer opening hours. The agent updates every online listing in one go, checks they match and drafts replies to new reviews, which the manager approves.
  • Reputation monitoring
    Main tasks
    Monitoring mentions, alert on negative signals, suggested reply
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Alert within 1 hour on any negative mention
    Example use case
    An independent hotel is mentioned in an article or on a forum. The agent picks it up, alerts management within the hour if the tone is negative and suggests a reply.

Marketing analyst agent

Pulls together what is scattered across six tools.

Process · 1

  • Performance reporting
    Main tasks
    Multi-source consolidation, calculating indicators, report with commentary, alert on a drop-off
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    1 day a month of consolidation eliminated
    Example use case
    A fashion brand tracks its sales across six tools. Each month, the agent consolidates the figures, calculates the indicators and comments on what has changed; it raises an alert if a campaign drops off.
5 roles · 13 processes

Finance and administration

The department that counts, collects and pays

In a very small business, it is the business leader and their chartered accountant. It is the most mature domain on the market, the one where gains are easiest to prove, and the one the e-invoicing reform is putting under pressure.

Accounts payable agent

The best-documented use case on the market.

Processes · 3

  • Supplier invoice processing
    Main tasks
    Multichannel receipt, data extraction, consistency check against the order, accounting allocation, routing for approval, filing in the accounting tool
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    12 to 15 min per invoice cut to 2 to 3 min
    Example use case
    A builders’ merchant receives invoices by email, as scanned post and on the e-invoicing platform. The agent reads them, matches them with the purchase order and proposes the accounting entry; the accountant approves the discrepancies it flags.
  • Checks and matching
    Main tasks
    Matching invoice, order and receipt, detecting price discrepancies, detecting duplicates, alert
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Data entry errors reduced by more than 80%
    Example use case
    A contract catering SME checks every invoice against the order and the delivery note. The agent spots that a supplier has invoiced the same delivery twice, at the wrong price, and flags it before payment.
  • Payment preparation
    Main tasks
    Building the payment schedule, preparing the payment file, due-date alert. Executing the payment remains human, without exception
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Supplier late-payment penalties eliminated
    Example use case
    Every Friday, a building firm’s agent prepares the supplier payment schedule and the week’s transfer file. The manager reviews it and makes the payments personally from the bank.

Accounts receivable agent

The one that brings in cash, not just time.

Processes · 3

  • Customer invoicing
    Main tasks
    Generating from orders or time spent, checking, sending, filing on the approved platform
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Invoices issued on the day of delivery
    Example use case
    An engineering consultancy bills by time spent. At month-end, the agent generates invoices from the timesheets, checks them and prepares them for the approved e-invoicing platform; the business leader approves them before they are issued.
  • Payment reminders and collection
    Main tasks
    Detecting unpaid invoices, graduated reminders at three intervals, tone adapted to the customer’s history, escalation, preparing the formal notice
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Payment times cut by 25 to 35%, i.e. 8 to 15 days
    Example use case
    An industrial maintenance SME has some forty overdue invoices. The agent detects them and prepares staged reminders, in a tone suited to each customer, which the accountant approves in one click; it also drafts the formal notice when needed.
  • Receivables monitoring
    Main tasks
    Aged balance with commentary, alert on deterioration, risk score per customer
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    A deteriorating account detected 1 to 2 months earlier
    Example use case
    A food wholesaler sees a regular customer taking longer and longer to pay. The agent picks it up in the aged balance, raises the customer’s risk score and alerts the business leader before the next delivery.

Bookkeeping assistant agent

Prepares the chartered accountant’s work.

Processes · 3

  • Bank reconciliation
    Main tasks
    Importing entries, automatic matching, reasoned proposal on ambiguous cases, flagging unmatched items
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    60 to 70% of lines matched automatically, 4 hours cut to 30 min
    Example use case
    Each week, a communications agency’s agent imports the bank statements, matches the lines to invoices and suggests an explanation for ambiguous cases; the accountant approves and deals with the few remaining lines.
  • Year-end close preparation
    Main tasks
    Detecting missing documents, filing supporting documents, draft statements, list of points to decide
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Close speeded up by 20 to 30%
    Example use case
    A month before year-end, a trading SME’s agent lists the missing documents, files the receipts and prepares the draft statements and the list of points to settle with the chartered accountant.
  • Expense claims
    Main tasks
    Reading the receipt, checking compliance with the internal policy, allocation, routing for approval
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Processing a claim cut from 10 min to 2 min
    Example use case
    A sales rep photographs a restaurant receipt. The agent reads it, checks it complies with the expenses policy, codes it and sends it to the manager, who approves it in one click.

Management controller agent

The role most SMEs cannot afford to hire.

Processes · 3

  • Management reporting
    Main tasks
    Consolidation, calculating indicators, commentary on variances, monthly circulation
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Reporting available at D+3 instead of D+15
    Example use case
    On the 3rd of the month, the head of a transport SME receives their management report: revenue, margin by activity, commented variances from budget. They keep control of the analysis and the decisions.
  • Cash monitoring
    Main tasks
    30, 60 and 90-day forecast, alert on cash strain, collection simulation
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Cash strain anticipated 3 to 4 weeks ahead
    Example use case
    A civil engineering contractor forecasts its cash at 30, 60 and 90 days. The agent flags a shortfall expected in seven weeks and simulates the effect of bringing a receipt forward; the business leader chooses the response.
  • Profitability monitoring
    Main tasks
    Margin per deal or per customer, detecting drift, alert
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Negative-margin deals detected while running, not afterwards
    Example use case
    A kitchen installer tracks the margin on every job in progress. The agent raises an alert as soon as a job drifts — extra hours, materials reordered — so that action can be taken before the final invoice.

E-invoicing agent

A new role, created by the reform.

Process · 1

  • Receiving electronic invoices
    Main tasks
    Receipt from the approved platform, format check, accounting integration, managing life-cycle statuses, archiving
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Compliance with the obligation to receive e-invoices, without re-keying
    Example use case
    Following the e-invoicing reform, an SME receives its invoices through its approved platform. The agent checks their format, posts them to the accounts, updates their status and archives them; the accountant deals with rejections.
4 roles · 8 processes

Human resources

The department that recruits, onboards and administers

In an SME of fewer than fifty people, it is the business leader or an all-round assistant. A domain to handle with care: part of it is high-risk under the regulation.

HR assistant agent

Answers the questions everyone asks.

Processes · 2

  • Answering routine questions
    Main tasks
    Leave, expense claims, health insurance, internal procedures, answers sourced from the company’s documents, escalation of special cases
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    50 to 65% of HR questions answered without anyone being called on
    Example use case
    “How many days’ leave do I have left?”, “How do I claim back my travel pass?”: in a sixty-person SME, the agent answers by quoting the internal document and passes unusual cases to the person in charge of HR.
  • Personnel administration
    Main tasks
    Producing certificates, tracking mandatory documents, alerts on due dates for medical checks, certifications or licences
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    No mandatory deadline missed
    Example use case
    A transport company tracks its drivers’ licences, certifications and medical check-ups. The agent sends an alert two months before each deadline and prepares the notices, which the assistant approves.

Onboarding coordinator agent

The most cross-functional process in the company.

Processes · 2

  • Onboarding a new starter
    Main tasks
    Checklist, requesting access creation, sending documents to sign, scheduling meetings, check-ins at seven, thirty and ninety days
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Onboarding admin time reduced by 40 to 50%
    Example use case
    A new hire starts on Monday at an architecture practice. The agent has already requested their access, sent the documents to sign, scheduled their first meetings and set up check-ins at seven, thirty and ninety days.
  • An employee leaving
    Main tasks
    Exit checklist, revoking access, recovering equipment, preparing the exit interview
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Access revoked the same day, equipment tracked
    Example use case
    On an employee’s last day, the agent works through the leaving checklist: it has their access revoked, arranges the return of the laptop and badge, and prepares the exit interview.

Recruitment assistant agent

Scope deliberately limited to administration and writing. See appendix B.

Processes · 3

  • Writing and posting job ads
    Main tasks
    Writing the ad from the job description, checking for discriminatory language, posting on several channels
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Ad published in 1 hour instead of half a day
    Example use case
    A logistics SME is recruiting a forklift driver. The agent writes the advert from the job description, checks no wording is discriminatory and posts it on several sites, after the manager has reviewed it.
  • Application administration
    Main tasks
    Acknowledging receipt, scheduling interviews, replying to unsuccessful candidates, maintaining the talent pool
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    100% of candidates receive a reply
    Example use case
    For an accountant vacancy, the agent acknowledges each application, schedules the interviews chosen by the manager and replies to each unsuccessful candidate. It never screens applications.
  • Interview preparation
    Main tasks
    Question grid built from the job description, factual summary of the candidate’s background, write-up after the interview
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Grid ready in 10 min, consistent write-ups
    Example use case
    Before a job interview, the agent prepares a set of questions drawn from the job description and a factual summary of the candidate’s career. The assessment remains the recruiter’s.

Training management agent

Where public money can be recovered.

Process · 1

  • Training plan
    Main tasks
    Identifying needs, finding training providers, putting together the funding application, tracking deadlines, invitations
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Applications submitted on time, funding recovered
    Example use case
    A construction SME wants to train six employees in a new standard. The agent gathers the needs, finds training providers, puts together the funding application for the sector’s skills funding body and tracks the filing deadlines.
3 roles · 7 processes

Legal and compliance

The department that reads what nobody reads

In an SME, it does not exist: it is the business leader, their lawyer on a case-by-case basis, and many contracts signed without review.

Contract analyst agent

The use case with the greatest leverage in the domain.

Processes · 3

  • Reviewing an incoming contract
    Main tasks
    Extracting the clauses, comparing them with the company’s reference position, flagging deviations, suggesting a counter-proposal, summary note for the decision-maker
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    2 to 3 times more contracts reviewed with the same headcount
    Example use case
    A key account sends its purchasing terms to a subcontracting SME. The agent compares them with the company’s standard position, flags the gaps — penalties, liability, payment terms — and suggests a counter-proposal to the business leader.
  • Producing standard contracts
    Main tasks
    Generating from a template and variables, checking mandatory wording, signature workflow
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Standard contract generated in 15 min
    Example use case
    A temping agency draws up assignment contracts every week. The agent produces them from the template and the file’s details, checks the mandatory clauses and starts the e-signature once the contract is approved.
  • Contract portfolio tracking
    Main tasks
    Extracting key dates, alert on automatic renewal, alert on notice periods, register of commitments
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    No more unwanted automatic renewals
    Example use case
    An SME has signed dozens of leasing, maintenance and subscription contracts. The agent extracts the key dates and sends an alert three months before each notice period, so that no contract renews without a decision.

Compliance lead agent

A role being created in every SME, driven by the European regulation.

Processes · 3

  • Register of processing activities and AI systems
    Main tasks
    Inventory, keeping the register, detecting undeclared uses, alert on deviations
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Register kept up to date continuously, undeclared uses brought to light
    Example use case
    A services SME keeps its GDPR register and an inventory of its AI tools. The agent keeps it up to date, spots that a team is using a new undeclared tool and flags it to the person responsible, who decides what to do.
  • Answering client questionnaires
    Main tasks
    Searching the file of evidence, pre-filling, flagging unanswered questions
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Questionnaire pre-filled in 1 hour instead of 2 days
    Example use case
    A major customer sends its supplier a security questionnaire of a hundred and twenty questions. The agent pre-fills it from the company’s evidence file and flags the questions left unanswered.
  • Applied regulatory monitoring
    Main tasks
    Tracking the rules, assessing the impact on practices, compliance plan
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Impact of a new rule assessed within 48 hours
    Example use case
    A new decree changes the labelling rules for a food supplement maker. The agent assesses the impact on its practices and proposes a compliance plan to the business leader.

Claims and disputes agent

Useful as soon as there are claims, warranties or reservations.

Process · 1

  • Building the file
    Main tasks
    Gathering documents, chronology of the facts, summary, preparing the letter
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Time to build the file divided by 3
    Example use case
    Water damage on a site leads to an insurance claim. The agent gathers the documents, reconstructs the timeline and prepares the letter to the insurer, which the business leader reviews and signs.
5 roles · 9 processes

Operations, purchasing and logistics

The department that delivers what has been sold

The core business. It is also the most varied domain: what follows changes shape depending on whether the company manufactures, distributes, installs or repairs.

Order management agent

Removes the re-keying between the customer and the management software.

Processes · 2

  • Processing customer orders
    Main tasks
    Reading the order whatever its format, consistency check, entry into the management software, confirmation to the customer, triggering preparation
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    50 to 60% of the time spent processing an order
    Example use case
    A packaging supplier receives orders by email, as PDFs and by phone. The agent reads them, checks them, enters them in the management system and confirms to the customer; the team approves unusual orders.
  • Delivery tracking
    Main tasks
    Tracking the stages, detecting delays, proactive notification to the customer, proposing a new schedule
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Delays reported to the customer before they notice
    Example use case
    A bespoke furniture maker tracks each order from workshop to delivery. The agent spots that an order will be a week late and informs the customer with a new date, before they start to worry.

Purchasing agent

Prepares the purchasing decision, never carries it out alone.

Processes · 2

  • Supplier consultation
    Main tasks
    Writing the request, sending to several suppliers, follow-up, comparison table of offers
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Comparison ready in 1 hour instead of a day
    Example use case
    To buy a new forklift, the agent writes the request, sends it to five suppliers, chases them and delivers a comparison table of the offers. The buyer chooses.
  • Supplier monitoring
    Main tasks
    Checking mandatory documents (certificates, insurance, certifications), alert on expiry, tracking lead times and disputes, performance rating
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    No expired certificate on file
    Example use case
    A maintenance company uses around thirty subcontractors. The agent checks their certificates and insurance, raises an alert before each expiry and chases the subcontractor; the purchasing manager approves any suspensions.

Stock management agent

Sees the stock-out before it happens.

Processes · 2

  • Replenishment
    Main tasks
    Monitoring thresholds, forecasting consumption, suggesting orders, alert on imminent stock-out
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Stock-outs reduced by 30 to 45%
    Example use case
    An agricultural parts distributor is approaching harvest season. The agent forecasts consumption, spots the items that will run short and proposes orders, which the storekeeper approves.
  • Stocktaking and discrepancies
    Main tasks
    Matching theoretical and physical stock, analysing discrepancies, suggesting adjustments
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Discrepancies analysed in hours instead of days
    Example use case
    After a wholesaler’s annual stock count, the agent reconciles the counted stock with the book stock, analyses the variances by product family and proposes adjustments to the logistics manager.

Scheduling agent

The most valuable role in field-service trades.

Process · 1

  • Scheduling jobs
    Main tasks
    Assigning by skill and availability, optimising rounds, rescheduling when something comes up, notifying teams and customers
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Scheduling time reduced by 60 to 75%, mileage by 10 to 15%
    Example use case
    A heating company has twelve technicians on the road. The agent assigns jobs according to skills and distances, reschedules when a technician is held up and notifies customers; the planner approves the next day’s rounds.

Quality manager agent

Turns incidents into company memory.

Processes · 2

  • Handling non-conformities
    Main tasks
    Recording, classifying, searching the history for similar cases, proposing corrective action, tracking until closed
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Similar cases found instantly, fewer repeat incidents
    Example use case
    A machining workshop records a part out of tolerance. The agent finds similar cases in the history and the action that worked, proposes the corrective action and tracks it to closure; the quality manager approves it.
  • Quality documentation
    Main tasks
    Updating procedures, checking document consistency, audit preparation
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Audit prepared in 2 days instead of 2 weeks
    Example use case
    Three weeks before the certification audit, a food-processing SME’s agent checks the procedures are consistent, spots the ones that are out of date and prepares the audit file.
3 roles · 7 processes

Technology and information systems

The department that keeps the tools running

In an SME, it is an outside provider and an employee who knows a bit about it.

Level 1 IT support agent

The rate of resolution without a person is the highest of all domains.

Processes · 2

  • Handling internal requests
    Main tasks
    Qualifying, documented answer, step-by-step guided procedure, escalation, keeping the incident history
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    40 to 60% of requests resolved without a technician
    Example use case
    “I can’t print any more”: in a fifty-person SME, the agent guides the employee step by step, resolves most requests of this kind and passes those it cannot handle to the IT provider, with the history.
  • Access management
    Main tasks
    Creation requests, checking the rights granted, periodic review, revocation on departure
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Orphan accounts removed, quarterly review carried out
    Example use case
    Each quarter, a law firm’s agent lists everyone’s access to the firm’s tools, spots accounts that are no longer used and proposes revocations to the partner in charge.

Development assistant agent

For companies that produce software.

Processes · 3

  • Code review
    Main tasks
    Detecting regressions, checking conventions, suggesting fixes, summarising the pull request
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Review time reduced by 30 to 40%
    Example use case
    At a ten-developer software company, the agent reviews every merge request: it summarises the change, flags a likely regression and suggests a fix. The reviewing developer keeps the decision.
  • Technical documentation
    Main tasks
    Generating from the code, updating, detecting gaps between the code and the documentation
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Documentation kept up to date instead of having to be redone
    Example use case
    A software publisher updates its application every week. The agent spots gaps between the code and the documentation and proposes the update, which the team approves before publishing.
  • Incident handling
    Main tasks
    Correlating alerts, incident summary, searching the history, suggesting a probable cause
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Diagnosis time reduced by 30 to 50%
    Example use case
    One night, an online shop’s website slows down. The agent correlates the alerts, finds a similar incident in the history and suggests a probable cause; the on-call engineer confirms and fixes it.

Data management agent

An invisible role, often the prerequisite for all the others.

Processes · 2

  • Data cleansing
    Main tasks
    Detecting duplicates, standardising formats, completing from external sources, checking consistency between tools
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Duplicates reduced by 70 to 85%, a usable database
    Example use case
    A distributor’s customer file contains many duplicates and incomplete addresses. The agent detects them, standardises formats, fills gaps from public registers and submits merges for approval.
  • Cross-tool synchronisation
    Main tasks
    Propagating updates, detecting sync gaps, log of discrepancies
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Double entry between tools eliminated
    Example use case
    When a customer changes address in an SME’s CRM, the agent updates the invoicing and delivery tools, and logs any discrepancy it cannot resolve on its own.
3 roles · 6 processes

Management and steering

The department that decides

The business leader, always. It is the domain where the agent comes closest to a personal assistant.

Executive assistant agent

Gives the business leader back one to two hours a day.

Processes · 2

  • Diary and priority management
    Main tasks
    Deciding on meeting requests according to given rules, preparing the week, reminders of commitments, daily briefing
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    1 to 2 hours a day given back to the business leader
    Example use case
    The head of an SME receives a dozen meeting requests a week. The agent sorts them according to their rules, prepares the week ahead on Friday and sends a one-page brief every morning; they approve the sensitive calls.
  • Decision follow-up
    Main tasks
    Extracting the decisions taken, tracking deadlines, chasing owners, progress tracker
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Decisions followed up instead of forgotten
    Example use case
    The agent tracks the decisions taken at management meetings: owner, deadline, a reminder before it falls due, and an up-to-date progress table for the next meeting.

Management reporting analyst agent

Builds the dashboard nobody has time to keep up.

Processes · 2

  • Management dashboard
    Main tasks
    Multi-source consolidation, calculating indicators, commentary, alert when a threshold is crossed
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    1 to 2 days a month of consolidation eliminated
    Example use case
    The owner of a group of three bakeries receives a commented dashboard every Monday: sales by shop, margin, hours worked. An alert goes out if an indicator crosses its threshold.
  • Preparing governance meetings
    Main tasks
    Meeting pack, summary of items, decision history, minutes
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Meeting pack ready in 1 hour
    Example use case
    Before a cooperative’s general meeting, the agent prepares the pack: a summary of the items, the history of past decisions and a draft set of minutes.

Tender management agent

Decisive in sectors where public procurement matters.

Processes · 2

  • Detecting and sorting calls for tenders
    Main tasks
    Monitoring the platforms, filtering against criteria, alert, decision memo
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    No relevant call for tenders missed
    Example use case
    A landscaping contractor bids for public contracts in its region. The agent monitors the platforms, filters by its criteria and sends a decision note for each relevant contract.
  • Building the bid file
    Main tasks
    Analysing the specifications, extracting the requirements, document checklist, reusing previous technical proposals, completeness check
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    A tender file analysed in under 1 hour instead of 1 to 2 days
    Example use case
    For a school renovation tender, the agent analyses the specifications, lists the requirements and documents to provide, and reuses relevant passages from previous bids. The team writes and signs the response.

Source: our directory of business uses, reviewed every six months. The benefits are market orders of magnitude, to be measured in your company; the examples illustrate typical situations and are not client references.

First steps03

Where to start

Five questions to choose a first project.

CriterionThe question to ask
Volume and repetitionDoes it come round at least several times a week, in a comparable form?
Accessible dataIs the information in a tool that can provide it, or in someone’s head?
Tolerance for errorIf the agent gets it wrong once in twenty times, what happens?
Measurable gainCan we say, before we start, what we will measure and where the figure stands today?
ReversibilityCan we stop the agent tomorrow morning and go back to how things were, without damage?

The eight projects that meet them best open the directory: TOP use cases (quick wins).

Sectors04

What changes with your sector

In some trades, a process changes so much that it deserves its own line.

Construction, civil engineering, trades

Fewer than ten per cent of companies in the sector use AI, and more than ninety per cent have fewer than ten employees. The lever is never the worksite itself, always the paperwork around it.

Processes · 6

  • Answering calls during a job
    Main tasks
    Picking up, qualifying the project, taking a message, scheduled call-back
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    100% of calls answered, quotes lost for lack of a reply eliminated
    Example use case
    A plumbing and heating engineer is on site all day. The agent answers in their place, qualifies the caller’s project, takes a structured message and schedules a call-back at the end of the day.
  • Estimating and quoting
    Main tasks
    Extracting the need, measurements from site-visit notes, structured quote, sending. The price is still approved by the tradesperson, without exception
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Handling a quote cut from 4 hours to under 1 hour
    Example use case
    Back from a site visit, a tiler dictates their notes. The agent works out the measurements, prepares a structured quote and sends it to the customer once the tradesperson has approved the price.
  • Analysing a tender file
    Main tasks
    Reading the specifications, detecting contradictions between documents, extracting the requirements, checklist
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Analysis in under 1 hour instead of 1 to 2 days
    Example use case
    A structural works contractor receives a three-hundred-page tender pack. The agent extracts the requirements, spots a contradiction between the technical specification and the drawings, and provides the checklist of documents.
  • Technical proposal
    Main tasks
    Reusing previous technical proposals, adapting to the tender, completeness check
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Proposal produced in 1 day instead of 3
    Example use case
    For a new tender, the agent takes the best passages from the company’s previous technical proposals, adapts them to the tender and checks no required section is missing.
  • Site report
    Main tasks
    Voice dictation on site, structuring, annotated photos, circulation
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Report dictated and circulated the same evening
    Example use case
    The site manager dictates observations on site, with photos. The agent structures the report, annotates the photos and circulates it to everyone involved the same evening.
  • Subcontracting document tracking
    Main tasks
    Checking certificates, alert on expiry, chasing subcontractors
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    No expired certificate, joint-liability risk avoided
    Example use case
    A general contractor works with around fifteen subcontractors. The agent checks their certificates every six months, raises an alert before they expire and chases the subcontractor concerned.
Accounting firms and the professions

The paradox of the sector: those who advise SMEs on their cash rarely chase their own fees.

Processes · 4

  • Sorting the firm’s inbox
    Main tasks
    Classifying by client and by engagement, detecting requests outside the engagement, draft reply
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    1 to 2 hours a day per staff member
    Example use case
    In an accountancy firm, the agent sorts each message by client and engagement, spots requests that fall outside the engagement letter and drafts a reply for the staff member.
  • Collecting client documents
    Main tasks
    Detecting missing documents, chasing the client, automatic filing
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Fewer production delays, systematic reminders
    Example use case
    As the year-end approaches, the agent spots the statements and invoices missing from each file, chases the clients concerned and files the documents as soon as they arrive.
  • Chasing fees
    Main tasks
    Detecting unpaid fees on recurring engagements, graduated reminders
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    The firm’s payment times reduced by 20 to 30%
    Example use case
    A law firm bills its business clients for recurring work. The agent spots unpaid fees and sends staged reminders, in a tone suited to each client.
  • Year-end accounts preparation
    Main tasks
    Draft statements, list of points to decide, consistency checks
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Points to decide identified before the review
    Example use case
    Before reviewing a file, the agent prepares the draft statements, runs the consistency checks and lists the points to settle, so the staff member starts with what matters.
E-commerce and distribution

High volume, structured data, tolerance for error that varies by stage.

Processes · 4

  • Order tracking and after-sales service
    Main tasks
    Answering tracking requests, handling delays, offering a solution
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    55 to 70% of requests handled without a person
    Example use case
    An online hiking gear shop gets questions about deliveries every day. The agent answers them, handles delays and offers a solution within the agreed limits; sensitive cases go to the team.
  • Returns processing
    Main tasks
    Qualifying the return, triggering the refund or exchange, returning items to stock
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Refund time halved
    Example use case
    A customer sends back a pair of shoes that are too small. The agent qualifies the return, triggers the exchange and puts the item back into stock on receipt.
  • Product pages
    Main tasks
    Writing, translating, enriching, checking consistency across channels
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Time to go online divided by 3
    Example use case
    An online delicatessen adds forty products. The agent writes the product pages from the supplier’s data, translates them and checks they are the same on the website and on marketplaces.
  • Price and stock monitoring
    Main tasks
    Competitive monitoring, alert on stock-outs, suggested replenishment
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Stock-outs detected before sales stop
    Example use case
    A household appliance retailer tracks competitors’ prices and its own stock. The agent sends an alert when a best-selling item is about to run out and proposes a reorder.
Industry and manufacturing

A domain where large groups act as the laboratory. For an SME, the gain is in documentation before it is industrial.

Processes · 4

  • Processing multi-format orders
    Main tasks
    Reading orders in PDF, email or file, entering them into the management software
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Data entry errors reduced by more than 80%
    Example use case
    A foundry receives orders as PDFs, by email and as spreadsheets. The agent reads them all and enters them in the management system; the team only checks the orders it flags.
  • Technical and standards documentation
    Main tasks
    Searching the standards, checking document compliance, updating procedures
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Standards searches in minutes instead of hours
    Example use case
    A pressure equipment manufacturer needs to check a requirement in a standard. The agent finds the relevant passage, checks the internal procedure complies with it and proposes the update.
  • Handling non-conformities
    Main tasks
    Recording, searching for similar cases, proposing corrective action
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Repeat issues identified, corrective actions tracked
    Example use case
    A batch of parts is rejected by a customer. The agent records the non-conformity, finds similar cases from the last three years and proposes the corrective action, which the quality manager approves.
  • Maintenance preparation
    Main tasks
    History of interventions, preventive scheduling, due-date alert
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Fewer unplanned stoppages, preventive maintenance actually scheduled
    Example use case
    In a cutting workshop, the agent gathers each machine’s history, plans preventive maintenance and sends an alert before each due date, to avoid a breakdown mid-production.
Real estate and property management

A high volume of incoming requests and contractual documents.

Processes · 4

  • Qualifying requests
    Main tasks
    Sorting tenant or buyer applications on objective, declared criteria
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Incomplete files filtered out upstream
    Example use case
    A letting agency receives fifty applications for a flat. The agent checks they are complete against the stated objective criteria and flags incomplete ones; choosing the tenant remains a human decision.
  • Building files
    Main tasks
    Gathering documents, completeness check, reminders
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Time to build a file reduced by 40 to 50%
    Example use case
    For a sale, the agent gathers the property surveys, the co-ownership rules and the minutes of owners’ meetings, checks nothing is missing and chases the seller for any absent documents.
  • Handling repair requests
    Main tasks
    Qualifying, putting in touch with the tradesperson, following up until resolved
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Time to put people in touch divided by 3
    Example use case
    A tenant reports a leak. The agent assesses the urgency, contacts the agency’s usual plumber and follows the job through to completion, keeping the tenant informed.
  • Lease tracking
    Main tasks
    Deadlines, rent reviews, notice periods, alerts
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    No rent review or notice period missed
    Example use case
    A property manager oversees three hundred leases. The agent calculates rent reviews on each anniversary date, tracks notice periods and sends advance alerts, so that no deadline is missed.
Health and social care

The most constrained domain. Any health data requires certified hosting and particular caution.

Processes · 4

  • Appointment booking and reminders
    Main tasks
    Scheduling, confirmation, reminder, handling cancellations
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Missed appointments reduced by 20 to 30%
    Example use case
    A radiology centre confirms every appointment the day before. The agent sends the reminder, records cancellations and offers the freed slot to the next patient on the waiting list.
  • Administrative file building
    Main tasks
    Gathering documents, completeness check, reminders
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Missing documents detected before the appointment
    Example use case
    Before admission to a care facility, the agent checks the administrative file is complete — ID, health insurance card, top-up insurance — and chases the family for missing documents.
  • Transcribing and structuring notes
    Main tasks
    Dictation, structuring to a template, never any clinical interpretation
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    Data entry time reduced by 50 to 60%
    Example use case
    A doctor dictates notes after the consultation. The agent structures them using the practice’s template, without any clinical interpretation; the doctor reviews and approves them.
  • Tracking regulatory obligations
    Main tasks
    Training deadlines, certifications, inspections
    Expected benefit (market order of magnitude, to be measured in your company)
    No certification deadline missed
    Example use case
    A social care facility tracks its staff’s mandatory training and certifications. The agent sends an alert before each deadline and prepares the registrations.
Tailor-made05

Your case is not listed?

That is normal: a directory describes shared cases, not companies. Three situations fall outside it, and they are often the most interesting.

  • Specific to your trade

    A pricing method, a compliance rule specific to your sector, an approval circuit that exists nowhere else.

  • Spanning several departments

    From order to payment, from quote to worksite: it fits in no single line because it touches five.

  • Written down nowhere

    It lives in the head of the business leader or of a key person. These are the highest-value projects, and the longest to frame.

Same method, same price grid, same rule: no irreversible action without human approval. The Flash Diagnostic shows whether your case lends itself to it.

Safeguards06

What we will not leave an agent to do alone

Knowing how to say no is part of the job.

  • Paying or transferring money

    It is irreversible: the agent prepares, a person executes. No exception is worth the risk.

  • Screening job applications

    The European AI regulation classifies it as high-risk. We do not offer it as things stand.

  • Publishing without review

    A public mistake costs more than the time saved: a person proofreads before it goes out.

Who decides what, and how you stay in control · What the European AI regulation changes for you

Flash Diagnostic · free

Start with a one-hour interview, free of charge.

A questionnaire that takes under 10 minutes, a one-hour interview, then within 72 hours a written report: what you can stop doing by hand, the time saved and the order of magnitude of the budget. If an off-the-shelf tool is enough, we will tell you.

Request my Flash Diagnostic — free Another question? Write to us