01 / FIRST AI PILOT
Choose a bounded task
Describe the trigger, approved information, expected output and exceptions. Preparing a draft response or a routine report is easier to assess than a broad objective such as improving sales. For the first trial, keep a person in charge of checking the work before it changes records or communicates with a customer.
02 / FIRST AI PILOT
Record the baseline
Observe a representative sample before introducing the pilot. Record time spent gathering information, preparing the result, reviewing it and correcting mistakes. Keep staff effort separate from customer waiting time. Choose the success measure before seeing the demonstration.
03 / FIRST AI PILOT
Count the full cost
Include human review, exception handling, maintenance, software and setup costs in the comparison. Time released is additional capacity, not automatically cash saved. Record an actual expense reduction separately, and revise the calculation when the observed results differ from the assumptions. The article’s worked numbers are illustrative.
04 / FIRST AI PILOT
Treat revenue as a separate question
If the pilot supports enquiries or follow-ups, track replies, qualified conversations, purchases and margin. Where practical, compare similar groups or periods. Record changes such as discounts or seasonal demand; increased sales after a pilot do not establish that the pilot caused the increase.
05 / FIRST AI PILOT
Keep an owner and a stop rule
Give the owner a way to pause the pilot and return to the earlier process. Agree when to review accuracy, staff effort, customer experience and ongoing cost. An incorrect customer detail, an opt-out or a cost above the agreed limit should trigger review rather than unattended continuation.
06 / FIRST AI PILOT
Find a starting point
Jemeen’s free AI readiness assessment provides an indicative self-assessment from your answers. It is a starting point for choosing work to examine more closely, rather than a benchmark against other businesses. No payment is taken and marketing messages are optional.
Read the full article
How to choose your first AI pilot and measure whether it pays, published by Jemeen on Substack.
This guide describes a planning method. Its examples are illustrative; no customer outcome or saving is claimed.