AI agent catalogue

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 cases, step by step

  Framing the opening of a depot Framing an urgent request Comparing two partners’ positions

  1. Example 1Framing the opening of a depotThe head of a 25-employee haulage firm is weighing up opening a second depot 80 km away, where two of its clients are setting up.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Restate the question to decide
     2. Set out the three options
     3. Describe their consequences
     4. List what is missing to decide
     5. ?Decisive figure missing?
     6. Propose decision criteria
     7. You decide

     ?Decisive figure missing (the expected volumes in the new area): the agent shows that the choice hinges on it and suggests you ask the two clients moving there.

  2. Example 2Framing an urgent requestA client of the haulage firm wants an answer within a week: it would hand over its Jura delivery rounds if the firm assigns three more lorries to them.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Frame the client’s request
     2. Set out the options, including saying no
     3. Describe their consequences
     4. ?Irreversible commitment?
     5. Write a one-page memo
     6. You decide before the deadline

     ?Irreversible commitment (buying three lorries, leasing a depot): the agent isolates it, puts a figure on what could not be undone and sets out a reversible option, such as hiring the lorries for a trial.

  3. Example 3Comparing two partners’ positionsThe haulage firm’s two partners disagree on renewing the fleet: four new lorries or six second-hand ones, on a budget of €400,000.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Gather both positions
     2. Turn them into two comparable options
     3. Cost their consequences
     4. ?Diverging criteria?
     5. Make the decision criteria explicit
     6. You decide together

     ?Diverging criteria (cost for one, reliability for the other): the agent shows that the disagreement is about criteria, not figures, and suggests you rank them together before deciding.

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  • Business domain: Advisory agents
  • Role: Business leader’s advisory agent
• 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 cases, step by step

  Giving a dissenting view on a contract Reviewing the answers to objections Preparing for a partner’s questions

  1. Example 1Giving a dissenting view on a contractBefore signing a three-year exclusive distribution contract, the manager of a 12-employee cosmetics brand asks for a dissenting view.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Read the plan and its rationale
     2. Spot the blind spots
     3. Argue against the preferred option
     4. Describe the failure scenarios
     5. List the awkward questions
     6. ?Risk with no safeguard?
     7. You decide

     ?Risk with no safeguard (all sales would depend on a single distributor): the agent puts it at the top of its view and lists the guarantees to secure before signing (minimum volumes, exit clause).

  2. Example 2Reviewing the answers to objectionsThe brand’s manager answers the dissenting view point by point and believes she has dealt with every objection.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Read the manager’s answers
     2. Test each answer against its objection
     3. ?Objection sidestepped?
     4. Drop the objections resolved
     5. Restate the open questions
     6. You decide

     ?Objection sidestepped: the agent stands by it and explains why the answer does not resolve it; it does not back down just to tell you you are right.

  3. Example 3Preparing for a partner’s questionsBefore presenting her plan to open a first shop in Lyon to her two partners, the manager wants to know the questions they will ask her.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Read the shop plan
     2. List a partner’s questions
     3. Look for the answers in the file
     4. ?Question with no answer?
     5. Describe a failure scenario
     6. You decide whether to present it

     ?Question with no answer in the file: the agent marks it as a point to prepare and lists the figures to gather before the meeting (rent, expected footfall, average basket).

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  • Business domain: Advisory agents
  • Role: Business leader’s advisory agent
• 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 cases, step by step

  Reviewing a forecast for the bank Checking the revised version Reviewing a memo to the partners

  1. Example 1Reviewing a forecast for the bankThe head of an 18-employee energy renovation firm is preparing the business plan and the three-year forecast he will submit to his bank.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Review the business plan
     2. Check that the figures agree
     3. ?Unsupported assumption?
     4. Annotate the pages concerned
     5. Write the review memo
     6. You decide whether to send it

     ?Unsupported assumption (turnover rising 40% a year, with no order book): the agent opens its memo with it and points to the data that could back it up.

  2. Example 2Checking the revised versionThe renovation firm’s bank asks for more cautious margin assumptions, and the head of the firm prepares a revised version of his forecast for it.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Review the bank’s comments
     2. Compare the two versions
     3. Check that each comment is addressed
     4. Check that the figures agree
     5. ?Old figure left behind?
     6. Write the review memo
     7. You send the file back

     ?Old figure left behind: the agent lists every page where it remains, with the corrected value, so that the file sent back to the bank holds together from start to finish.

  3. Example 3Reviewing a memo to the partnersThe head of the renovation firm is writing a six-page memo for his partners proposing a move into heat pumps for blocks of flats.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Review the memo
     2. Spot claims with no source
     3. Trace the conclusion back to the figures
     4. ?Conclusion poorly supported?
     5. Annotate the memo in the margin
     6. You sign off the final version

     ?Conclusion poorly supported (it does not follow from the figures presented): the agent shows where the reasoning skips a step and lists the data to add.

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  • Business domain: Advisory agents
  • Role: Business leader’s advisory agent
• 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 cases, step by step

  Recalling a recruitment freeze Flagging an unacknowledged U-turn Recovering a forgotten reason

  1. Example 1Recalling a recruitment freezeSix months after freezing recruitment, the management committee of a 60-employee logistics SME puts the subject back on its agenda.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Retrieve the freeze decision
     2. Recall its reasons
     3. Check the conditions set
     4. ?Conditions met?
     5. Flag the ones not yet met
     6. You decide in committee

     ?Conditions met: the agent shows this, with figures to back it up, and the committee can reopen recruitment knowing what has changed since the freeze.

  2. Example 2Flagging an unacknowledged U-turnThe minutes of the logistics SME’s last committee meeting approve an offer at a 5% margin, whereas a floor of 8% had been set in March.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Read the committee minutes
     2. Compare with past trade-offs
     3. ?U-turn acknowledged?
     4. Recall the March decision
     5. Flag the gap to the business leader
     6. You keep the offer or amend it

     ?U-turn acknowledged and explained in the minutes: the agent records it in the history with its reason, without an alert.

  3. Example 3Recovering a forgotten reasonA client suggests the logistics SME takes up refrigerated transport again, dropped two years ago, and nobody on the committee remembers why.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Go through the history of trade-offs
     2. Retrieve the decision to drop it
     3. ?Reason not found?
     4. Recall the reasons at the time
     5. Summarise the history on one page
     6. You decide whether to take it up again

     ?Reason not found: the agent gives what it has found (date, minutes, figures at the time) and offers to record, this time, the reason for the new decision.

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  • Business domain: Advisory agents
  • Role: Business leader’s 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 cases, step by step

  Preparing the monthly committee meeting Adding a last-minute topic Preparing a divisive item

  1. Example 1Preparing the monthly committee meetingThe management committee of an 80-employee manufacturing SME meets every month, and its five members put forward their topics ten days before the meeting.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Gather the topics put forward
     2. Separate out what needs deciding
     3. Propose the agenda
     4. Write a brief for each item
     5. ?Item poorly documented?
     6. Summarise the known positions
     7. You finalise the agenda

     ?Item for decision without the figures it needs: the agent flags it, lists what is missing and suggests making it an information item or postponing it.

  2. Example 2Adding a last-minute topicThe day before the committee meeting, the manufacturing SME’s sales director asks to add the response to a €400,000 tender, due within a week.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Read the request to add it
     2. ?Topic that can wait?
     3. Write a short brief
     4. Sum up the known positions
     5. Propose a revised agenda
     6. You accept the addition

     ?Topic that can wait: the agent suggests putting it on the next meeting’s agenda, with a brief prepared in the meantime, and the agenda stays as it is.

  3. Example 3Preparing a divisive itemAt the manufacturing SME’s next committee meeting, the production and sales departments are at odds over buying a second press brake for €280,000.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Gather the written positions
     2. Summarise each one evenly
     3. Isolate the points of disagreement
     4. ?Figures that differ?
     5. Frame the question to decide
     6. You decide in committee

     ?Figures that differ from one position to the other: the agent notes this in the brief, shows where each figure comes from and lists what both departments must check before the meeting.

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  • Business domain: Advisory agents
  • Role: Management committee advisory agent
• 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 cases, step by step

  Following up a committee’s decisions Flagging a decision not acted on Reviewing a request for postponement

  1. Example 1Following up a committee’s decisionsAfter the monthly committee meeting of a 50-employee building materials merchant, the agent goes through the minutes: seven decisions, five owners, deadlines of two to six weeks.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Extract the decisions from the minutes
     2. ?No owner named?
     3. Assign each one to its owner
     4. Send a reminder before each deadline
     5. Keep the progress tracker up to date
     6. You rule on the delays

     ?No owner named: the agent assigns the decision to no one and flags it to you straight away, so that you can name who carries it without waiting for the next meeting.

  2. Example 2Flagging a decision not acted onDecided two meetings ago, the renegotiation of the SME’s transport contract has not started, and the last reminder went unanswered.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Note two meetings with no progress
     2. Gather the history of reminders
     3. ?Obstacle reported?
     4. Alert the business leader
     5. Suggest adding it to the committee agenda
     6. You decide whether to add it

     ?Obstacle reported by the owner (budget not released, supplier unreachable): the agent attaches it to the alert, so that you deal with the cause rather than the delay.

  3. Example 3Reviewing a request for postponementThe SME’s purchasing manager asks for three more weeks to choose the new pallet supplier, a decision from the last committee meeting.

     3 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Read the postponement request
     2. Recall the decision and its deadline
     3. ?Other decisions affected?
     4. Summarise the effect of postponing
     5. You accept or refuse the postponement

     ?Postponement that holds up other decisions: the agent lists them with their owners and deadlines, so that you can rule with full knowledge of the facts.

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  • Business domain: Advisory agents
  • Role: Management committee advisory agent
• 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 cases, step by step

  Preparing the annual retreat Writing up the retreat’s work

  1. Example 1Preparing the annual retreatA month before the annual retreat of a 22-person communications agency, its four partners are expecting a shared working document.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 2 checks
     1. Gather the year’s figures
     2. ?Incomplete figures?
     3. Propose the key questions
     4. You choose the questions
     5. Collect the contributions
     6. Summarise into a working document
     7. You decide at the retreat

     ?Incomplete figures (margin per client, for example): the agent flags the gap in the document and says who can provide these figures before the retreat.

  2. Example 2Writing up the retreat’s workAfter a two-day retreat, the agency has notes from four partners and photos of six whiteboards, to be turned into a write-up.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Gather the notes and photos
     2. Group by key question
     3. ?Diverging conclusions?
     4. Separate decisions from ideas
     5. Draft the write-up
     6. You approve the conclusions

     ?Notes that disagree on a conclusion: the agent presents the versions side by side, without choosing, and marks it as a point for the partners to confirm.

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  • Business domain: Advisory agents
  • Role: Management committee 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 cases, step by step

  Commenting on the annual accounts Explaining a fall in profit Reading interim accounts

  1. Example 1Commenting on the annual accountsThe annual accounts of a 15-employee wine merchant with €6 million in turnover arrive from its accountant.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Compare with the previous year
     2. Comment on the main variances
     3. Calculate the key ratios
     4. Benchmark the ratios against the sector
     5. ?Ratio worsening?
     6. Write the analysis memo
     7. You decide on the measures

     ?Ratio worsening (working capital requirement rising sharply): the agent makes it its first warning point, shows the cause (stock, customer payment terms) and lists the questions for your accountant.

  2. Example 2Explaining a fall in profitThe wine merchant’s turnover is up 8%, but its profit is down 40%, and the manager wants to understand why before the meeting at the bank.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Break down the change in profit
     2. Go back to the detailed accounts
     3. ?Gap unexplained?
     4. Put a figure on each cause
     5. Write the explanation
     6. You decide

     ?Gap the accounts do not explain: the agent puts forward no explanation and lists the documents to ask your accountant for (stock breakdown, provisions).

  3. Example 3Reading interim accountsAt the end of the first half, the wine merchant asks for a reading of its interim accounts, drawn up without a physical stock count.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Compare with last year’s first half
     2. Calculate the key ratios
     3. Spot the estimated amounts
     4. ?Conclusion too fragile?
     5. Write up the warning points
     6. You decide whether to act or wait

     ?Conclusion resting on estimated stock: the agent presents it as an assumption, says how much it depends on that estimate and indicates what would need counting to confirm it.

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  • Business domain: Advisory agents
  • Role: Financial advisory agent
• 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 cases, step by step

  Preparing a loan application Answering the bank’s requests Preparing for a new investor

  1. Example 1Preparing a loan applicationA 30-employee precision engineering SME wants to borrow €450,000 for a machining centre, and meets its bank in three weeks.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Structure the loan application
     2. Gather the required documents
     3. Spot the weak points
     4. ?Weak point with no answer?
     5. Anticipate the banker’s questions
     6. You decide whether to apply

     ?Weak point with no answer (tight cash flow last year, for example): the agent highlights it and lists what could address it, so that you deal with it before the meeting.

  2. Example 2Answering the bank’s requestsAfter the first meeting, the SME’s bank wants a monthly cash flow forecast and more detail on two clients who account for 45% of turnover.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Read the bank’s requests
     2. Pull together the existing material
     3. ?Data not yet available?
     4. Prepare the answers
     5. Flag the sensitive answers
     6. You reply to the bank

     ?Data that does not exist yet (the monthly forecast): the agent lists what your accountant needs to produce it and suggests a timescale to give the bank.

  3. Example 3Preparing for a new investorTo fund a second workshop, the engineering SME is considering opening 20% of its capital to a regional investment fund.

     3 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Structure the file for the fund
     2. Anticipate the fund’s questions
     3. Spot the weak points
     4. ?Possible loss of control?
     5. You decide whether to proceed

     ?Possible loss of control (the fund’s right of veto, the terms of its exit): the agent flags it separately and advises consulting a lawyer before negotiating the shareholders’ agreement.

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  • Business domain: Advisory agents
  • Role: Financial advisory agent
• 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 cases, step by step

  Simulating the hire of a cook Simulating a downturn Simulating an investment

  1. Example 1Simulating the hire of a cookThe owner of a 60-cover restaurant wonders whether he can take on a second cook, at a fully loaded cost of around €3,300 a month.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Go over the margin and cash flow
     2. Set three levels of activity
     3. ?Weak assumption?
     4. Work out the effect on margin
     5. Work out the effect on cash flow
     6. Calculate the break-even in covers
     7. You decide on the hire

     ?Weak assumption (a rise in covers that past figures do not show): the agent shows how much the outcome depends on it and adds a cautious scenario.

  2. Example 2Simulating a downturnRoadworks are going to close the restaurant’s street for four months, and the owner fears losing a third of his covers.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Build three downturn scenarios
     2. Work out the effect on margin
     3. Work out the effect on cash flow
     4. ?Negative cash flow?
     5. Calculate the tipping point
     6. Summarise the three scenarios
     7. You choose the measures

     ?Negative cash flow in one scenario: the agent shows the month it drops below zero and the amount to cover, so that you can talk to your bank in good time.

  3. Example 3Simulating an investmentThe restaurant owner is unsure whether to invest €35,000, financed by a five-year loan, in a covered terrace open all year round.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Go over the quote and its financing
     2. Choose three levels of footfall
     3. Work out the effect on margin
     4. Calculate the payback time
     5. ?Payback too far off?
     6. You decide whether to invest

     ?Payback longer than the loan: the agent shows the number of diners needed to recoup your outlay and leaves you to judge whether it is achievable.

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  • Business domain: Advisory agents
  • Role: Financial 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 cases, step by step

  Assessing a threat to sue Assessing damage caused on a job Assessing an online review

  1. Example 1Assessing a threat to sueA client threatens to sue an 8-employee landscaping firm over a €24,000 garden delivered five weeks late.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Gather the quote and the correspondence
     2. Assess the nature of the risk
     3. Recall the clauses and the law
     4. Assess the severity
     5. ?Lawyer needed?
     6. Set out the possible options
     7. You decide on the response

     ?Lawyer needed (formal notice or summons received): the agent tells you so plainly and prepares a summary of the case for the lawyer, with the documents to pass on.

  2. Example 2Assessing damage caused on a jobWhile pruning trees, the landscaping firm damaged the conservatory of one of its client’s neighbours, who is claiming €9,000 for repairs.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Gather the facts and photos
     2. Assess the liability at stake
     3. Check the insurance cover
     4. ?Damage not covered?
     5. Recall the claim reporting deadline
     6. Compare the possible responses
     7. You choose the response

     ?Damage not covered (an exclusion in the insurance policy): the agent works out what you would have to pay yourself and tells you whether outside advice is needed.

  3. Example 3Assessing an online reviewA former client posts an online review accusing the landscaping firm of shoddy work and fraud.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Read the review and the client file
     2. Assess the nature of the risk
     3. Assess the severity
     4. ?Defamatory statements?
     5. Set out the options for a reply
     6. You decide whether to reply

     ?Statements that may amount to defamation: the agent points out that the time limit for taking action is three months and recommends consulting a lawyer before any reply.

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  • Business domain: Advisory agents
  • Role: Legal and risk advisory agent
• 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 cases, step by step

  Reading a commercial lease Reading a rental contract Reviewing a renegotiated version

  1. Example 1Reading a commercial leaseThe owner of a 6-employee bakery wants a reading of the nine-year commercial lease for his second shop, at €2,100 a month in rent, before signing it.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Translate the lease into plain language
     2. Calculate the real commitment period
     3. Spot the exit clauses
     4. List the recharged costs
     5. ?Unusual clause?
     6. Summarise the points of no return
     7. You decide whether to sign

     ?Unusual clause (a permitted use that rules out eating on the premises, for example): the agent quotes it word for word and advises having a lawyer review it before signing.

  2. Example 2Reading a rental contractA supplier offers the bakery a five-year oven rental, maintenance included, for €950 a month and a fourteen-page contract.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Summarise the commitment plainly
     2. Calculate the total commitment
     3. Spot the automatic renewal
     4. Note the liability caps
     5. ?Exit too costly?
     6. You negotiate or sign

     ?Exit too costly (all remaining rental payments due, i.e. €28,500 halfway through): the agent highlights this amount and lists the points to renegotiate before signing.

  3. Example 3Reviewing a renegotiated versionThe landlord sends back a new version of the bakery’s lease, which he says meets the owner’s three requests.

     3 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Compare with the previous version
     2. Check the three requests
     3. ?Unannounced change?
     4. Summarise what has changed
     5. You decide before signing

     ?Unannounced change (a modified rent indexation, for example): the agent flags it upfront, with the old and new wording side by side, before anything is signed.

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  • Business domain: Advisory agents
  • Role: Legal and risk advisory agent
• 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 cases, step by step

  Weighing up a social security reassessment Framing a commercial dispute Choosing advisers for an acquisition

  1. Example 1Weighing up a social security reassessmentAfter an inspection, a 35-employee cleaning SME receives a letter of findings from Urssaf, the social security collection agency, announcing a €27,000 reassessment.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Read the letter of findings
     2. Separate the reassessment items
     3. Spot what stays in-house
     4. ?All manageable in-house?
     5. Scope the lawyer’s brief
     6. Prepare the questions for the meeting
     7. You decide whether to instruct a lawyer

     ?All manageable in-house (straightforward items, less at stake than a lawyer would cost): the agent lists what your accountant can prepare to reply to Urssaf, with no outside advice.

  2. Example 2Framing a commercial disputeA former client takes the cleaning SME to the commercial court, claiming €40,000 for services it considers poorly performed.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Read the summons
     2. Gather the contract and correspondence
     3. ?Legal expenses insurance?
     4. Scope the lawyer’s brief
     5. List the documents for the lawyer
     6. You choose the lawyer

     ?Legal expenses insurance in place: the agent recalls the policy’s conditions of cover, so that you notify the insurer before choosing the lawyer.

  3. Example 3Choosing advisers for an acquisitionThe cleaning SME wants to buy the business of a 12-employee competitor and wonders whether a lawyer is worthwhile, on top of its accountant.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. List the steps of the acquisition
     2. Split the work between your advisers
     3. ?High-stakes point?
     4. Scope the lawyer’s brief
     5. Prepare the questions for the meeting
     6. You choose your advisers

     ?High-stakes point (taking over the twelve employment contracts, for example): the agent suggests giving it to the lawyer, even if the rest is handled with your accountant.

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  • Business domain: Advisory agents
  • Role: Legal and risk 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 cases, step by step

  Comparing two management software packages Replacing the practice’s server Reviewing a vendor price rise

  1. Example 1Comparing two management software packagesA twenty-person accountancy practice must choose between two management software packages; its current contract ends in six months.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Gather the two offers
     2. ?Offers complete?
     3. Calculate the five-year cost
     4. Assess how easy each is to leave
     5. Assess vendor lock-in
     6. Write a jargon-free memo
     7. You decide

     ?Incomplete offer: the agent lists what the vendor still has to price, from data migration to training, and waits for its answer before comparing costs.

  2. Example 2Replacing the practice’s serverThe practice’s server is reaching the end of its warranty; the partner is torn between replacing it for €12,000 and moving to an online service at €900 a month.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. List the software on the server
     2. ?All usable online?
     3. Cost each option over five years
     4. Assess provider lock-in
     5. Write the decision memo
     6. You decide

     ?Software with no online version: the agent adds a hybrid option, keeping a small server for that software alone, and costs it over five years too.

  3. Example 3Reviewing a vendor price riseTwo years later, the vendor of the software chosen by the practice announces a 30% increase at renewal, with three months’ notice.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Revisit the original decision memo
     2. Cost the effect of the increase
     3. Estimate the cost of switching
     4. ?Exit possible in time?
     5. Set out the options in plain language
     6. You decide

     ?Notice too short to switch: the agent costs one more year at the new price, used to prepare the exit.

  a task?decisionhuman check→ next step

  • Business domain: Advisory agents
  • Role: Technical advisory agent
• 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 cases, step by step

  Assessing the in-house software Revisiting priorities after an outage Prioritising projects within a budget

  1. Example 1Assessing the in-house softwareA services SME runs on twelve-year-old in-house software that only its provider still understands; the business leader wants to know what the risks are.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Map the tools and their links
     2. Gather the year’s incidents
     3. ?Documentation up to date?
     4. Rank the risks by severity
     5. Cost two years of doing nothing
     6. Propose the order of work
     7. You decide

     ?Documentation missing or out of date: the agent makes it the top risk and lists what to obtain from the provider before costing the rest.

  2. Example 2Revisiting priorities after an outageThe SME’s software goes down for two days in the middle of invoicing; the business leader asks whether its replacement should be brought forward.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Revisit the current-state review
     2. Cost the outage
     3. ?Risk already ranked?
     4. Revise the risk ranking
     5. Recalculate the cost of doing nothing
     6. You decide

     ?Risk missing from the current-state review: the agent adds it to the ranking and revises the whole order of work, not just this item.

  3. Example 3Prioritising projects within a budgetThe SME’s business leader has €40,000 for IT next year and receives five project requests from the teams.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Revisit the ranked risks
     2. Cost each requested project
     3. Rank by risk avoided
     4. ?Serious risk outside budget?
     5. Show what the budget covers
     6. You allocate the budget

     ?Serious risk outside budget: the agent puts it at the top of the memo, with the cost of deferring it a year, so that you decide whether to increase the budget.

  a task?decisionhuman check→ next step

  • Business domain: Advisory agents
  • Role: Technical advisory agent
• 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 cases, step by step

  Comparing three providers Reviewing software before subscribing Checking the chosen provider’s contract

  1. Example 1Comparing three providersA fifty-employee transport company must choose, from three candidates, the provider that will manage its IT estate for three years.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Build a common comparison grid
     2. Draft the questions to ask
     3. Enter the answers in the grid
     4. ?Answers comparable?
     5. Spot the clauses to watch
     6. Present the comparison
     7. You choose the provider

     ?Answers too vague to compare: the agent lists, candidate by candidate, the questions to ask again, and the comparison waits for their replies.

  2. Example 2Reviewing software before subscribingBefore subscribing to route-planning software at €450 a month, the transport company wants to know what it is committing to.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Read the offer and its terms
     2. Check the tool against your needs
     3. ?Data retrievable?
     4. Spot the warning signs
     5. Prepare questions for the vendor
     6. You decide whether to subscribe

     ?No provision for getting your data out: the agent opens its memo with this point, along with the question to put to the vendor before any commitment.

  3. Example 3Checking the chosen provider’s contractThe provider the transport company has in mind sends its contract, with a three-year commitment and data migration billed separately.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Read the proposed contract
     2. Compare with the answers given
     3. ?Contract matches the answers?
     4. Spot the warning signs
     5. Frame the questions to ask
     6. You decide whether to sign

     ?Gap between contract and answers: the agent sets each gap against the answer given, so that you can raise it before signing.

  a task?decisionhuman check→ next step

  • Business domain: Advisory agents
  • Role: Technical 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 cases, step by step

  Hiring, subcontracting or turning work down Costing a subcontractor’s offer Estimating an unclear workload

  1. Example 1Hiring, subcontracting or turning work downA twelve-engineer consultancy has a four-month backlog and is starting to turn down requests for proposals; the business leader must choose how to absorb the workload.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Measure the backlog
     2. ?Lasting workload?
     3. Cost the three routes
     4. Calculate their payback time
     5. Assess the risk of each
     6. Set out the tipping points
     7. You decide

     ?Workload not confirmed beyond three months: the agent costs what a hire would mean if activity fell back, against the other two routes.

  2. Example 2Costing a subcontractor’s offerThe subcontractor the engineering consultancy has in mind offers €650 a day, but only three days a week.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Add the offer to the comparison
     2. Measure the capacity gained
     3. Recalculate the margin per project
     4. ?Negative margin?
     5. Compare with the cost of hiring
     6. You decide

     ?Negative margin on small projects: the agent shows, project by project, what it would cost to subcontract them rather than turn them down.

  3. Example 3Estimating an unclear workloadThe engineering consultancy’s workload plan has not been kept up since the spring; the business leader sees lead times lengthening without knowing how many days of work they are short.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Gather projects and deadlines
     2. ?Workload quantifiable?
     3. Estimate the workload per project
     4. Cost the three routes
     5. Flag the assumptions used
     6. You decide

     ?Workload impossible to quantify: the agent lists what needs gathering (signed projects, estimated days, deadlines) and compares the three routes on wide ranges.

  a task?decisionhuman check→ next step

  • Business domain: Advisory agents
  • Role: Operations advisory agent
• 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 cases, step by step

  Reviewing an order in peak season Weighing up a low-margin job Assessing a first charging-point job

  1. Example 1Reviewing an order in peak seasonIn June, a fifteen-employee electrical contractor receives an €85,000 order to fit out a warehouse, for delivery in September.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Check against the workload plan
     2. ?Fits the workload plan?
     3. Estimate the expected margin
     4. Assess the delivery risk
     5. Cost saying no
     6. Show the effect on current jobs
     7. You accept or decline the job

     ?Workload plan full in September: the agent shows which current jobs would slip, by how many days, and for which clients.

  2. Example 2Weighing up a low-margin jobA property developer offers the electrical contractor a package of 60 homes, at a price the business leader considers tight.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Recalculate the expected margin
     2. ?Margin below your threshold?
     3. Check against the workload plan
     4. Work out the real cost of saying no
     5. Set out the options and their effects
     6. You decide

     ?Margin below your threshold: the agent says so upfront and shows how many teams the job would tie up, and for how many months.

  3. Example 3Assessing a first charging-point jobThe electrical contractor is offered the installation of charging points in a 40-space car park, a type of job it has never done.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Check against the workload plan
     2. Estimate the expected margin
     3. ?Certification held?
     4. Assess the delivery risk
     5. Work out the real cost of saying no
     6. You decide

     ?Certification missing: the agent costs two routes (obtaining it or subcontracting that part), with their timing and cost.

  a task?decisionhuman check→ next step

  • Business domain: Advisory agents
  • Role: Operations advisory agent
• 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 cases, step by step

  Bringing payroll in-house Outsourcing the bookkeeping

  1. Example 1Bringing payroll in-houseA thirty-five-employee SME has outsourced its payroll to an outside firm for ten years, for €9,000 a year, and is wondering whether to bring it back in-house.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Work out the full current cost
     2. ?Payroll skills in-house?
     3. Cost bringing it in-house
     4. List the skills to acquire
     5. Assess the dependence created
     6. Write the comparison memo
     7. You decide

     ?No payroll skills in-house: the agent adds a hire or training to the cost of bringing it in-house, plus the risk of everything resting on one person.

  2. Example 2Outsourcing the bookkeepingThe SME’s accountant retires in six months; the business leader is torn between replacing her and handing the bookkeeping to an accountancy firm.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Cost each route over three years
     2. Assess the dependence created
     3. ?Possible to go back?
     4. Describe the effect on skills
     5. Write the comparison memo
     6. You decide

     ?Hard to go back once the accountant has left: the agent costs what it would take to bring the accounts back in-house if the firm does not work out.

  a task?decisionhuman check→ next step

  • Business domain: Advisory agents
  • Role: Operations 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, business 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 cases, step by step

  Preparing a 6% price increase Considering matching a lower price Pricing a new product

  1. Example 1Preparing a 6% price increaseA twenty-five-employee furniture maker is considering a 6% price increase on 1 January, after a year of rising timber prices.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Work out the effect on margin
     2. Estimate the possible volume loss
     3. Calculate the tolerable volume loss
     4. Compare with market prices
     5. ?Above the market?
     6. Suggest wording for the announcement
     7. You set the price and the wording

     ?Price above the market: the agent shows the most exposed product lines and costs an increase limited to those that can bear it.

  2. Example 2Considering matching a lower priceThe manufacturer is losing sales on its chair range to a competitor 15% cheaper, and is considering matching its price.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Compare with market prices
     2. Work out the effect on margin
     3. Calculate the volume to win back
     4. ?Volume achievable?
     5. Cost keeping the price
     6. You set the price

     ?Volume to win back out of reach: the agent shows what the cut would cost over a year if sales did not come back.

  3. Example 3Pricing a new productThe manufacturer is launching a solid oak table and must price it with no sales history for this model.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Gather market prices
     2. Work out the margin at each price
     3. Calculate the sales needed
     4. ?Comparable model in the range?
     5. Compare with the closest model’s sales
     6. Propose three price points
     7. You set the price

     ?No comparable model: with nothing to base a sales estimate on, the agent also gives the price that stays profitable with half the expected sales.

  a task?decisionhuman check→ next step

  • Business domain: Advisory agents
  • Role: Offer and pricing advisory agent
• 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 cases, step by step

  Reviewing a 15% discount Assessing a discount for volume Handling a discount already promised

  1. Example 1Reviewing a 15% discountA major customer of a packaging wholesaler asks for a 15% discount on a €40,000 order; the salesperson must reply within 48 hours.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Calculate the remaining margin
     2. ?Below the refusal threshold?
     3. Look up discounts already granted
     4. Assess the precedent set
     5. Suggest something in return
     6. Your salesperson decides

     ?Margin below the refusal threshold: the agent calculates the highest discount that stays above it, and what to ask the customer for in return.

  2. Example 2Assessing a discount for volumeA customer of the wholesaler offers to commit to €150,000 of purchases a year, in exchange for an 8% discount on all its orders.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Calculate the remaining margin
     2. Compare with the customer’s past purchases
     3. ?Commitment credible?
     4. Assess the precedent set
     5. Propose discount tiers
     6. You decide

     ?Commitment far above past purchases: the agent suggests a year-end rebate instead, calculated on the volume actually bought.

  3. Example 3Handling a discount already promisedOne of the wholesaler’s salespeople has promised a new customer a 12% discount, although the company’s price grid caps discounts at 8%.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Gather the terms of the promise
     2. ?Promise in writing?
     3. Calculate the remaining margin
     4. Assess the precedent set
     5. Suggest something in return
     6. You decide

     ?Promise made in writing: as it may bind you, the agent costs what keeping it would mean over a year, against renegotiating with something in return.

  a task?decisionhuman check→ next step

  • Business domain: Advisory agents
  • Role: Offer and pricing advisory agent
• 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 cases, step by step

  Reviewing the product range Considering a mid-tier plan Reviewing slow-selling options

  1. Example 1Reviewing the product rangeA twenty-person software publisher has piled up four plans and eleven options over eight years, without ever reviewing them together.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Gather offers, prices and sales
     2. ?Sales per option known?
     3. Check the tiers are consistent
     4. Spot options never sold
     5. Spot gaps in the range
     6. Present the inconsistencies
     7. You decide on the changes

     ?Sales not tracked per option: the agent limits the review to the plans and lists what would need tracking to judge the options.

  2. Example 2Considering a mid-tier planThe publisher’s sales team is asking for a mid-tier plan: small customers hesitate between the €49 and the €149 monthly plans.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Measure the gap between tiers
     2. ?A real gap in the range?
     3. Describe the missing tier
     4. Estimate customers who would downgrade
     5. Work out the effect on revenue
     6. You decide on the plan

     ?Gap justified by usage: an extra tier would mostly suit €149 customers, and the agent costs the revenue lost if they moved down to it.

  3. Example 3Reviewing slow-selling optionsThe review shows three options each sold to fewer than five customers; the publisher’s business leader is considering withdrawing them.

     3 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Work out what they bring in
     2. Estimate what they cost to maintain
     3. ?Option guaranteed by contract?
     4. Compare withdrawal with bundling
     5. You decide on withdrawal

     ?Option guaranteed by current contracts: the agent lists the customers concerned and their end dates, so that you set a withdrawal date that honours them.

  a task?decisionhuman check→ next step

  • Business domain: Advisory agents
  • Role: Offer and pricing advisory 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 cases, step by step

  Sorting the shared inbox in the morning Following up an unanswered message Filing incoming attachments

  1. Example 1Sorting the shared inbox in the morningIn an estate agency, the shared inbox receives around sixty messages every night; the agent sorts them before the team arrives.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Sort messages by intent
     2. ?Urgent message?
     3. Answer document requests
     4. Draft replies to the rest
     5. You review the drafts
     6. Send the reviewed replies

     ?Urgent message (water damage, a signing scheduled for the same day): the agent flags it straight away to the person on duty, before anything else.

  2. Example 2Following up an unanswered messageSix days ago, the agency asked a plumber for a quote for a property it manages, and has had no reply.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Spot unanswered messages
     2. ?Already answered elsewhere?
     3. Draft the reminder
     4. You approve the reminder
     5. Send the reminder
     6. Schedule the next check

     ?Reply already received in another thread: the agent links it to the file and does not send a reminder.

  3. Example 3Filing incoming attachmentsA tenant emails three attachments, including the home insurance certificate the agency asks them for every year.

     4 tasks, 1 decision
     1. Read the attachments
     2. Find the tenant’s file
     3. ?Certificate up to date?
     4. Save the documents to the file
     5. Acknowledge receipt to the tenant

     ?Certificate expired or illegible: the agent drafts a message asking for a new one, which your team reviews before sending.

  a task?decisionhuman check→ next step

  • Business domain: Cross-functional agents
  • Role: Email assistant agent
• 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 cases, step by step

  Routing a quote request Handling a breakdown voicemail Chasing a request left open

  1. Example 1Routing a quote requestA heat pump installer receives around forty enquiries a week, by email, web form and phone; a homeowner asks for a quote through the website form.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Capture the form request
     2. ?Already received another way?
     3. Qualify the project
     4. Acknowledge receipt to the customer
     5. Route to the technical sales rep
     6. You set the date of the visit
     7. Track until closed

     ?Same request already received by phone: the agent merges the two records and tells the customer their request is already being handled.

  2. Example 2Handling a breakdown voicemailOne Saturday, one of the installer’s customers leaves a voicemail: their heat pump goes into fault mode several times a day.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Transcribe the voicemail
     2. Qualify the request
     3. ?Urgent situation?
     4. Acknowledge receipt to the customer
     5. Route to after-sales service
     6. You schedule the call-out
     7. Track until closed

     ?Urgent situation (no heating with a vulnerable person at home, frost forecast): the agent immediately alerts the on-call technician, with a summary of the message and the customer’s number.

  3. Example 3Chasing a request left openA quote request passed to the technical sales rep eight days ago is still unanswered, although the installer has set itself a five-day deadline.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Spot the request left open
     2. Trace the exchanges
     3. ?Person in charge available?
     4. Chase the person in charge
     5. Draft a progress update for the customer
     6. You approve the message
     7. Send the progress update

     ?Person in charge away: the agent suggests reassigning the request and lets you choose who takes it over.

  a task?decisionhuman check→ next step

  • Business domain: Cross-functional agents
  • Role: Email assistant 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 cases, step by step

  Circulating the site meeting minutes Sending minutes to a client

  1. Example 1Circulating the site meeting minutesA structural works contractor holds its site meeting every Tuesday with team leaders and subcontractors, who agree to it being recorded; the minutes must go out within the hour.

     5 tasks, 1 decision
     1. Transcribe the meeting
     2. Summarise the discussion
     3. Extract decisions and actions
     4. ?Action with no owner?
     5. Send to attendees
     6. Create the follow-up tasks

     ?Action with no owner or no deadline: the agent flags it to the meeting chair before sending, without making anything up.

  2. Example 2Sending minutes to a clientWith everyone’s consent, the contractor records the kick-off video call for a project with the client and their architect; the minutes will set out each party’s commitments.

     5 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Transcribe the video call
     2. Extract decisions and commitments
     3. ?Point unresolved?
     4. Write the minutes
     5. You review before sending
     6. Send to attendees
     7. Create the internal tasks

     ?Point still disputed: the agent marks it “to be decided”, without drawing a conclusion, and flags it at the top of the minutes.

  a task?decisionhuman check→ next step

  • Business domain: Cross-functional agents
  • Role: Meeting secretary agent
• 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 cases, step by step

  Preparing a client meeting Preparing the team meeting

  1. Example 1Preparing a client meetingAt a thermal engineering consultancy, a project manager is meeting a client again tomorrow about progress on their project; the agent prepares the briefing note.

     4 tasks, 1 decision
     1. Gather the file history
     2. Find the commitments made
     3. ?Open complaint?
     4. Suggest an agenda
     5. Send the briefing note

     ?Open complaint on the file: the agent puts it at the top of the note, so the project manager does not find out about it in the meeting.

  2. Example 2Preparing the team meetingEvery Monday, the consultancy brings its six engineers together; on Friday, the agent prepares the meeting from the previous week’s minutes.

     4 tasks, 1 decision
     1. Reread the previous minutes
     2. List the commitments made
     3. ?Deadline passed?
     4. Propose the agenda
     5. Send the note to the chair

     ?Commitment past its deadline: the agent puts it as the first item on the agenda, with its planned date.

  a task?decisionhuman check→ next step

  • Business domain: Cross-functional agents
  • Role: Meeting secretary 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 cases, step by step

  Filing the day’s post Filing a document with no reference

  1. Example 1Filing the day’s postA land surveying practice receives around thirty plans, quotes and letters every day; the agent files them as they arrive.

     4 tasks, 1 decision
     1. Read the incoming document
     2. Note the client, date and reference
     3. ?Duplicate document?
     4. Rename according to the house rule
     5. File in the client folder

     ?Duplicate or near-identical version of a document already filed: the agent does not file it and flags both versions to your team.

  2. Example 2Filing a document with no referenceThe practice receives an annotated boundary plan from a notary’s office, with no file reference in the message.

     4 tasks, 1 decision
     1. Read the plan and the message
     2. Look for the matching file
     3. ?File found?
     4. Rename according to the house rule
     5. File in the client folder

     ?No matching file: the agent puts the document on hold and asks your team where to file it, without creating a folder at random.

  a task?decisionhuman check→ next step

  • Business domain: Cross-functional agents
  • Role: Records management agent
• 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 cases, step by step

  Finding a procedure Extracting a clause from a contract Summarising several documents

  1. Example 1Finding a procedureAt a packaging machinery manufacturer, a technician has to commission a machine at a customer’s site; they ask their question in everyday language.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Identify the machine model
     2. Search its manuals
     3. ?Conflicting versions?
     4. Quote the exact passage
     5. Give the document version
     6. You apply the procedure

     ?Two versions of the manual contradict each other: the agent quotes both passages, with their dates, and leaves you to check with the technical manager.

  2. Example 2Extracting a clause from a contractA delivery is ten days late: the manufacturer’s sales manager wants to know what penalty is set out in the framework agreement signed with this customer three years ago.

     3 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Find the contract and its addenda
     2. Extract the applicable clause
     3. ?Clause amended by addendum?
     4. Cite the source and page
     5. You decide what happens next

     ?Clause amended by an addendum: the agent quotes both wordings, indicates the more recent one and leaves you to draw the conclusions.

  3. Example 3Summarising several documentsBefore modifying a machine, the manufacturer’s design office wants to know what the manual, the risk assessment and three service reports say about it.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Gather the relevant documents
     2. Extract the key points
     3. ?Document missing?
     4. Write the summary
     5. Cite each source
     6. You decide on the modification

     ?Document referred to but not found: the agent flags it at the top of the summary, without filling the gap with a guess.

  a task?decisionhuman check→ next step

  • Business domain: Cross-functional agents
  • Role: Records management agent
• 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 cases, step by step

  Correcting a contradiction Flagging an outdated document

  1. Example 1Correcting a contradictionIn a service SME, two internal procedures give different refund periods: 14 days in one, 30 days in the other.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Compare the procedures
     2. Spot the contradiction
     3. ?Reference document found?
     4. Propose the corrected version
     5. Submit to the document owner
     6. You approve the correction

     ?No document settles it: the agent presents both versions to the document owner, without proposing a correction.

  2. Example 2Flagging an outdated documentIn the SME’s knowledge base, the customer reception procedure still mentions a booking tool dropped six months ago.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Spot unreviewed articles
     2. Compare with recent documents
     3. ?Document still useful?
     4. Propose the update
     5. Submit to the document owner
     6. You approve the update

     ?Document no longer relevant: the agent suggests archiving it rather than updating it, and the owner decides.

  a task?decisionhuman check→ next step

  • Business domain: Cross-functional agents
  • Role: Records management 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 cases, step by step

  Preparing the Monday summary Flagging a call for tenders

  1. Example 1Preparing the Monday summaryThe head of a medical equipment distributor wants one page every Monday on the company’s competitors, published tenders and price changes.

     5 tasks, 1 decision
     1. Gather the week’s sources
     2. Filter by relevance
     3. Sort by theme
     4. ?Unconfirmed information?
     5. Write the one-page summary
     6. Send to the business leader

     ?Unconfirmed information from a single source: the agent flags it as such in the summary, without presenting it as established.

  2. Example 2Flagging a call for tendersOne Wednesday, a regional hospital group publishes a call for tenders for rehabilitation equipment, with bids due within three weeks.

     4 tasks, 1 decision
     1. Spot the publication
     2. Note the subject, lots and deadline
     3. ?Lots in your ranges?
     4. Summarise the notice in five lines
     5. Alert the business leader the same day

     ?Lots outside your product ranges: the agent does not raise an alert and keeps the notice for the Monday summary.

  a task?decisionhuman check→ next step

  • Business domain: Cross-functional agents
  • Role: Monitoring agent
• 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 cases, step by step

  Analysing a new regulation Alerting ahead of a deadline

  1. Example 1Analysing a new regulationA road haulier with around forty lorries tracks the rules on driving hours and low-emission zones; a new order extends the zone in its metropolitan area.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Spot the new text
     2. Cross-check it against internal procedures
     3. ?Scope unclear?
     4. Summarise the impact on delivery rounds
     5. Submit the impact note
     6. You decide on the changes

     ?Scope of the text unclear: the agent says so in the note, quotes the passages concerned and suggests consulting your adviser before making any change.

  2. Example 2Alerting ahead of a deadlineA new low-emission zone restriction comes into force in three months and affects some of the haulier’s lorries.

     4 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Track the dates of entry into force
     2. ?Deadline postponed?
     3. List the procedures affected
     4. Alert the operations manager
     5. You decide on the action plan
     6. Schedule the next reminders

     ?Deadline postponed by a new text: the agent corrects the date, informs the operations manager and moves the reminders back.

  a task?decisionhuman check→ next step

  • Business domain: Cross-functional agents
  • Role: Monitoring 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 cases, step by step

  Answering about a stove that cuts out Handling a warranty claim

  1. Example 1Answering about a stove that cuts outA pellet stove manufacturer receives around fifty questions every day; a customer writes that their stove switches itself off, with no further detail.

     6 tasks, 1 decision
     1. Qualify the request
     2. Ask for the model and the code displayed
     3. Search the knowledge base
     4. ?Fault outside its scope?
     5. Send the steps to follow
     6. Close the request
     7. Ask the customer for feedback

     ?Fault outside its scope or safety at stake: the agent hands over to your technician, with the conversation and the information already gathered.

  2. Example 2Handling a warranty claimA customer of the manufacturer asks whether replacing the circuit board of their stove, bought twenty months ago, is covered by the warranty.

     6 tasks, 1 decision, 1 check
     1. Qualify the request
     2. Ask for the purchase invoice
     3. Check the warranty conditions
     4. ?Conditions met?
     5. Prepare the warranty approval
     6. You approve the warranty cover
     7. Send the reply to the customer
     8. Close the request

     ?Conditions not met or in doubt: the agent does not refuse anything and passes the file to your team, who decide on the response.

  a task?decisionhuman check→ next step

  • Business domain: Customer relations and support
  • Role: Level 1 support agent
• 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 cases, step by step

  Transferring a customer who keeps chasing Routing an out-of-scope question

  1. Example 1Transferring a customer who keeps chasingAt a point-of-sale software publisher, a retailer writes for the third time in a week about the same receipt printing problem.

     4 tasks, 1 decision
     1. Link the three messages
     2. Summarise the request history
     3. ?Known incident?
     4. Transfer to the account manager
     5. Alert the support team

     ?Known incident (a faulty update, for example): the agent links the request to the open incident and notifies the person handling it, with the customer’s history.

  2. Example 2Routing an out-of-scope questionA retailer asks about the link between their till and their card terminal, a case the knowledge base does not cover.

     5 tasks, 1 decision
     1. Look for the answer in the knowledge base
     2. Assess how reliable the answer is
     3. ?Sales request?
     4. Summarise the request
     5. Transfer to the right technician
     6. Tell the customer about the transfer

     ?Sales request (an extra module, a quote): the agent passes it to the customer’s salesperson rather than to support, with the same summary.

  a task?decisionhuman check→ next step

  • Business domain: Customer relations and support
  • Role: Level 1 support agent
• 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 cases, step by step

  Answering a tracking request Warning of a delivery delay Handling a parcel marked delivered but missing

  1. Example 1Answering a tracking requestAn online seller of spare parts for garden machinery receives around thirty “Where is my order?” messages every day; a customer is waiting for their carburettor.

     4 tasks, 1 decision
     1. Find the customer’s order
     2. Check with the carrier
     3. ?Parcel held up or lost?
     4. Reply to the customer
     5. Close the request

     ?Parcel held up or reported lost: the agent passes it to your team, with the carrier’s tracking, to decide whether to send a replacement.

  2. Example 2Warning of a delivery delayThe carrier announces a two-day delay on around fifteen parcels that left the seller’s warehouse the day before.

     4 tasks, 1 decision
     1. Spot the delayed parcels
     2. Find the customers affected
     3. ?Delay beyond the threshold?
     4. Tell each one the new date
     5. Track until delivered

     ?Delay beyond the threshold set by your rules: the agent offers the customer the agreed options, waiting or cancelling free of charge, and passes any cancellation to your team, who issue the refund.

  3. Example 3Handling a parcel marked delivered but missingA customer of the seller says they have not received a parcel that the carrier shows as delivered two days ago.

     5 tasks, 1 decision
     1. Find the customer’s order
     2. Check with the carrier
     3. Get the proof of delivery
     4. ?Clear proof of delivery?
     5. Say where it was left
     6. Close once the parcel is found

     ?Proof of delivery missing or doubtful: the agent passes the file to your team, who decide on a replacement or a refund.

  a task?decisionhuman check→ next step

  • Business domain: Customer relations and support
  • Role: Level 1 support agent