AI agents for business: 7 jobs that pay for themselves, and 5 to skip

01Where does AI pay off in a small business?

Software vendors now sell an AI agent for almost everything. A few of those agents pay for themselves within months. Most never do, and the reason is the job, not the AI.

AI pays off when a job passes three tests:

• The work arrives messy. Requests come in as emails, PDFs, calls, chat or half-filled forms.
• The work needs judgement. The right next step depends on each case.
• The work happens often. The job comes up every day, not a few times a month.

When a job passes all three tests, an agent earns its cost. When the steps are the same every time, a workflow with AI at a few steps is cheaper and more predictable.

New to AI agents? Start with the plain answer: What is an AI agent, and does your business actually need one? ›

02Which jobs give the biggest return?

Seven examples follow, one for each main kind of work in a small business. Many other jobs are worth building too, but these seven come up most often.

Every example names the kind of build, what runs without you and what a person decides. Every example also links to our demo console, so you can watch the job run for a demo business.

Only three of the seven examples need a true agent. The other four are workflows with AI, which cost less to build and run.

• Finding and researching new customers: an agent. The agent finds companies that look like your best customers. The agent then works out why each company might need you now and drafts a first email. You decide who gets contacted, and you approve each email until the agent has earned your trust. See it run ›
• Answering customer questions: an agent at the front, a workflow behind it. The agent reads each request and answers the routine questions from your help pages and order system. Anything else goes to a person with a short summary. A person decides refunds, complaints and anything unusual. See it run ›
• Answering the phone and booking work: an agent on the call. The agent answers the call and works out what the caller needs. A workflow then books the job onto the right person’s day. A person handles emergencies and any call the agent isn’t sure about. See it run ›
• Quotes, invoices and paperwork: a workflow with AI that reads. AI reads each invoice or purchase order and checks it against what you ordered. The workflow then enters the document into your accounting system. Payment reminders go out on a schedule, with no AI needed. A person decides anything that doesn’t match. See it run ›
• Getting new clients started: a workflow with AI at a few steps. The workflow sends the welcome, the forms and the reminders. AI checks that the documents a client sends are complete. You decide the scope and run the kickoff call. See it run ›
• Bringing past customers back: a workflow with AI choosing and drafting. AI picks which past customers to contact and when. AI also drafts each message from what the customer bought before. You decide the offers and the discounts. See it run ›
• Writing and publishing content: a workflow with AI drafting. AI drafts posts from your own material and checks each draft against the author’s voice. The workflow then schedules the approved pieces. An editor decides what goes out. See it run ›

Some of these jobs already have an agent inside tools you may use. HubSpot and Salesforce both offer prospecting agents, and Intercom’s Fin answers support questions. When a job lives entirely inside one of those tools, try the built-in agent first. When a job crosses several tools, the path between the tools is the part worth building.

03Which agents should you skip?

Five kinds of agent rarely pay off in a small business, however good the demo looks.

• An agent that can only talk. A chatbot that answers but can’t book, record or pass anything on leaves the real work waiting for a person.
• An agent for tidy work. When the input is a form and the steps never change, plain rules do the job for less.
• An agent for a rare job. A job that happens a few times a month won’t save enough time to cover the build.
• An agent that acts unchecked. Until an agent has a track record with you, a person should approve anything a customer sees or your books record.
• An agent without your data. An agent that can’t see your prices, orders and history gives generic answers in your name.

04Which job should you start with?

Choose your kind of business and the jobs it runs, then tell the check how many hours a week each one takes your team today. The check shows what each job costs you a month, and which one to start with.

05How do you stay in control of AI in these jobs?

You set the limits before anything runs. For each job, we agree with you what the AI may do on its own and what always comes to a person. We also agree what the AI can read and what it can change.

Every step is logged, so you can see what happened and why. The cases a person decides become the rules for next time.

More on trust, data and your team: What is an AI agent, and does your business actually need one? ›

06What do these builds cost?

Rented agents cost about $1 to $2 per conversation, and the bill grows with your volume. We build the whole process from $5,000, plus about $45 to $70 a month to run it.

On average, a build pays for itself in about 12 weeks. If a build wouldn’t pay for itself within a year, we don’t propose it.

Work out your price and payback in our calculator ›Your team, your hours, your tools, and what moves the price.

For the full comparison of renting, building your own and having one built, read How much does an AI agent cost? ›

07Why should you take our word for it?

You shouldn’t have to. We put the evidence where you can check it.

• You can watch all seven jobs run today. Our demo console runs each job for a demo business, including what each step cost. Your own free prototype would be built around your process and your tools.
• Our prices are published. The calculator shows what moves the price. Work out yours in our calculator ›
• We say which jobs need an agent. Three of the seven examples need one. The other four are workflows with AI, and we price them that way.
• You own what we build. The code, the data and the accounts are yours.

08Where should you start?

Start with the job at the top of your list in the check above. We’ll build a free, clickable prototype of that job around your own tools. The prototype comes with a fixed price and the payback worked out on your numbers.

The other jobs on your list stay useful. When the first build is handed over, you get a short map of what to build next. Every piece on the map has its own price and payback, and you choose what to build and when.