Business process audit: what to check before AI

The most common problem I find in an AI audit is that the data simply isn't being collected. AI, like any other system, needs digital data to work with. Start with what matters most: time, resources and customers

Often the problem isn't that a business has no AI. It's that the owner can't see where losses occur. AI can help track processes, but first you have to give it data sources

Put simply, you don't have to change everything at the start. Give AI access so it can begin counting and building a database. The earlier you do that, the sooner you can make informed changes and scale the business

My agents constantly analyze just about everything: every conversation, client calls, cash flow and development. They also monitor the health of the system and much more

Which data should you look for first?

Start with the customer journey. Where does an inquiry arrive, who receives it and what happens next? If messages exist only in employees' private chats, it can be difficult to see how many inquiries led to a result and how many went unanswered

Then look at time and resources. Which tasks repeat, how long do they take and what do they cost? Compare the records you have for tasks, payments and outcomes. Gaps are a finding too: they show what you still need to start recording

Data may be scattered across spreadsheets, a CRM, calendars, messages or a task system. First find out what's already being saved and whether those records can be connected. AI won't reconstruct unknown events just because you've connected it to a system

What happens after collection?

Choose a process you want to see from beginning to end and decide which events to record. For inquiries, that might mean the date of a message, whether someone replied and the next step. Consistent records make it easier to spot gaps and ask questions about specific situations

Only give access to the information needed for the task you've chosen. Before connecting a service, check who can see the data and whether you have the right to share it, especially when it includes client messages and calls

A business AI audit can help identify what information is already available and what's missing for analysis. From there, it's easier to decide which process to change first and how to check the result