Where small firms should start with an AI employee
Where small firms should start with an AI employee
You do not hire a person and hand them every job on day one. You start them somewhere, build trust, then widen the lane. An AI employee is the same. Here is the order that works for most small firms.
Start with the inbox
The fastest win is email. Connect Gmail or Outlook and let the free email drafter read for context and write replies in your voice. Nothing sends without your say-so, so the risk is near zero and the time back is real.
Add your meetings
Once the inbox feels good, bring it into your calls. It joins as a teammate, answers questions live, and hands you the summary, the action items, and the transcript afterward. Zoom is live today; Microsoft Teams and Google Meet are coming.
Let it remember
Connect the tools where your work actually lives: your calendar, your documents, your CRM. Each connection makes its answers sharper, because it is grounding them in your business instead of guessing.
The goal is not to automate everything. It is to take the follow-through off your plate.
Turn on approvals before you turn it loose
As you give it more to do, lean on the approval queue. Anything client-facing waits for one tap, and every action it takes is logged. You get the lift without losing the wheel.
What to skip at first
- Do not connect every tool on day one. Add them as you need them.
- Do not let it message clients on its own until you trust the drafts.
- Do not expect it to read your mind. Give it the docs you would give a new hire.
Start narrow, widen as you trust it, and within a few weeks the busywork that used to sit on you is just handled.
"It gives me back about 8 hours a week. The follow-ups go out without me, and I only step in when something needs a person."
President, DDReps
Read enough. Try it.
Connect Gmail or Outlook and the free email drafter starts in your voice. No card.
