Choosing an AI Consultant for a Small UK Business
Choose an AI consultant by testing four things: whether they ask about your work before naming tools, whether the scope is written down, whether they can explain testing and approval, and who will actually do the building. Dean Keating is one option, based in Horndean, Hampshire and working remotely across the UK, and it is reasonable to compare several.
Four tests for a first call
- Your process first. A good consultant asks how the work is done today before suggesting software.
- Written scope. You should be able to read what is included, what is not, and what you must provide.
- Testing and approval. Ask how the work will be checked on real examples, and which steps wait for your approval.
- Named responsibility. Ask who builds, who monitors and who you contact when something goes wrong.
Advice only, or advice and build?
Some consultants produce a report and leave the building to you. Others also install the workflow. Neither is wrong, but the difference changes what you are buying. If you have nobody to carry out recommendations, advice alone may sit in a drawer. The page on a consultant who installs covers that choice in more detail.
Hypothetical worked example
Imagine a three-van removals firm that receives quote requests with addresses and dates. The owner speaks to two consultants. The first opens with a list of tools. The second asks how quotes are priced today, who decides, and what happens to requests from outside the usual area. The second then proposes a narrow job: summarise each request for the estimator, flag missing details, and draft a reply that the estimator approves. The owner picks the second because the proposal follows the firm’s own process and names the approval step. This scenario is invented for illustration.
Red flags
- Promises of guaranteed bookings, savings or rankings.
- A proposal that would be the same for any business.
- No mention of access, accounts or who owns them.
- Pressure to agree a cost before the scope exists.
Where Dean fits
Dean works remotely anywhere in the UK and can visit Hampshire and the immediate surrounding area by agreement. Costs are agreed after the scope is clear. Call 07810 666662 or use WhatsApp on 07418 627304 if you want to compare notes.
Questions people ask
Do I need a consultant near me?
Not necessarily. Most of the work happens in your online tools and can be done remotely. Meeting in person is a convenience that may be arranged in Hampshire and the immediate area, not a requirement.
What should the written scope include?
The workflow being built, the tools and access needed, the steps that need your approval, how it will be tested, what support follows, and the agreed cost.
How can I judge a consultant if I do not understand AI?
Judge the questions they ask about your business and how clearly they explain risks. If they cannot explain a step in plain words, ask them to try again.
Should I talk to more than one?
Yes. Comparing two or three proposals against the four tests above usually makes the differences obvious.
Keep reading
See scoping a commercial problem with an AI business consultant and agency versus consultant accountability. All guides are in the AI business guides, and the service itself is described on the AI coaching, consultancy and installation page.
Discuss your own workflow.
Bring one repeated task. Costs are agreed after the scope is clear, and no result is promised in advance.
Book your AI discovery callPrefer to talk first? Call Dean: 07810 666662 Message Dean on WhatsApp: 07418 627304
Tapping WhatsApp opens a message asking for a discussion. No time is booked until we agree one.