This market rewards velocity and proof. AI is no longer differentiated by “we use LLMs” — it’s differentiated by whether you can deliver reliable outcomes faster than competitors, with unit economics that hold up.
Below is a practical playbook you can apply to most SaaS and service businesses. It focuses on what wins: clear decision rules, operational control, and instrumentation that turns learning into a compounding advantage.
The core idea #
AI creates durable value when it does one (or more) of the following:
- Expands capability: customers can do something they couldn’t do before.
- Reduces time-to-value: onboarding, setup, or adoption friction collapses.
- Reduces cost-to-serve: fewer manual steps, fewer escalations, lower rework.
- Improves decision quality: better prioritization, fewer mistakes, faster iteration.
If you can’t map the work to one of these, you’re likely building a demo.
A simple framework (use this in planning) #
1) Pick the highest-leverage workflow #
Good candidates share four traits:
- High frequency
- Clear success criteria
- Structured inputs/outputs
- Measurable business impact
Start with workflows where failure is tolerable, then graduate to higher-stakes areas once reliability and controls are proven.
2) Define the “proof stack” #
To win in a crowded market, you need artifacts that stand up in a buyer’s head and a CFO’s spreadsheet:
- A baseline (“before”) and a target (“after”)
- An evaluation set (real cases, not toy prompts)
- A monitoring plan (what you watch weekly)
- A rollback plan (how you reduce risk)
3) Instrument the loop #
Instrumentation turns AI into a compounding system:
- Capture inputs (intent, context, tool calls, retrieval hits)
- Capture outputs (result, latency, user follow-up, escalation)
- Capture outcomes (activation, retention, revenue, cost-to-serve)
Then create a learning backlog: the smallest set of fixes that move outcomes.
What to do this week (actionable checklist) #
- Choose one workflow where automation pays back in 30–60 days.
- Define 2–3 metrics that map to outcomes (not vanity).
- Create a “golden set” of cases and a pass/fail bar.
- Ship a narrow version, measure, iterate weekly.
If you want a second set of eyes on the workflow selection and metrics, start here: Book a Strategy Call.