AI audit · Kent and UK-wide

An AI readiness review that leaves something working

For most small firms, the most useful review is one that ends with something working. This one ends with three jobs already set up on your own work, then a written plan within three working days. It's called the AI Kick-Start: half a day at your premises for £395, credited against Managed AI set-up, or a build quoted at £1,000 or more, taken within 60 days. Start with the ten-question check below.

£395 · half a day

Ring for a free 15-minute call07500 511462Book the AI Kick-Start

Based in Kent, working with businesses across the UK: on site in Kent, by video anywhere else.

Ten questions to answer before you spend anything

Answer yes, no or don't know. Nobody sees this but you, so be honest.

  • Do staff paste customer emails, names or order details into ChatGPT or another free AI tool?If you're not sure, ask.
  • Is anyone using a personal AI account for work?
  • Do you know which AI features come with software you already pay for?Office, accounts and booking software keep adding it.
  • Does someone spend time each week copying information from one system to another?Enquiry forms into spreadsheets, notes into job sheets.
  • Do you write similar emails, quotes or letters several times a week?
  • Is there anything written down telling staff what they may put into AI tools?A few lines on one page counts.
  • If AI put a wrong price or date in a customer email, would someone catch it before it was sent?
  • Are you paying for an AI subscription that nobody really uses?
  • Do new enquiries sometimes wait more than a working day for a first reply?
  • Could a new starter find your current prices, policies and templates without asking anyone?

What your answers mean

Yes to 1 or 2, or no to 6: AI is already in your business without rules. That's common, and it's the first thing to fix, with an AI policy written for your business.

Yes to 4, 5 or 9: there are probably quick wins, because repetitive writing and copying suit current AI tools. No to 7 means a human check has to be designed in from the start.

No to 3, or yes to 8: money may be going on software you already have. No to 10: consider custom AI assistants built on your own documents.

Lots of "don't know" answers? When the government asked businesses what holds them back from AI, the barrier named most often, by 71%, was not having found a use for it (DSIT AI Adoption Research, January 2026). Finding those uses is what the half day is for.

The four things we look at on the day

1

The jobs that repeat

We watch a normal morning of admin: enquiries, quotes, invoices, rotas, chasing. Anything done the same way ten times a week goes on the list.

2

Software you already pay for

Microsoft 365 business plans include Copilot Chat at no extra cost, and every Google Workspace business plan includes Gemini in Gmail. We check what you have first.

3

Where your data goes

Which tools hold customer or staff details, which accounts are personal, and whether a tool may train on your content. UK GDPR applies, so we note each risk plainly.

4

AI already in use

Someone may already use a chatbot on their phone for work. We ask, without blame, what for: it shows what's worth setting up properly.

How the half day runs

  1. Before we arrive

    A 15-minute call to agree which jobs and people we'll spend time with, and which software you use. Nothing else to prepare.

  2. On site

    We go through the four areas above, then pick three quick wins and set them up on your real work, on your own accounts, before we leave.

  3. Within three working days

    The written plan arrives by email. We can talk it through on a call, with no pressure to buy anything further.

What the written plan contains

  • The three quick winsWhat was set up, where it lives, and how anyone in the team can use it.
  • Further jobs, rankedOther tasks AI could help with, ordered by time saved against effort to set up.
  • Your software, line by lineWhat you pay for, what AI it includes, and anything you could cancel.
  • Data risks and fixesWhere personal data meets AI tools, with a simple change for each.
  • Costs of any next stepA fixed price or written quote for anything that needs building, alongside how you could do it yourself.

Audit, readiness assessment or Kick-Start?

People search for all three and usually mean the same thing: someone looks at how the business runs and says where AI fits. Some firms use "AI audit" for a formal compliance review of an AI system. This isn't that. For the wider picture, see AI for your business, or read our free guide to AI for small business owners before we meet.

Weighing a bigger spend and want a document to decide from? The AI opportunity audit (£995) covers the whole business: interviews with up to five people and a written report within five working days, showing where AI saves time, what it costs and in what order. It includes no set-up work. Firms take one or the other, not both. You can book and pay for the audit online, or ask for an invoice.

The £395 comes off the next step

If you go ahead with Managed AI set-up, or a build quoted at £1,000 or more, within 60 days, the full Kick-Start fee is credited against it. If the plan shows you don't need anything more, that's a perfectly good result too.

Book the AI Kick-Start

Questions people ask

What is an AI readiness assessment?

A look at whether a business can use AI safely and usefully: its repetitive jobs, its software, its handling of personal data and what staff already do. The Kick-Start covers all four.

How much does an AI audit cost for a small business?

The Kick-Start is a fixed £395 for half a day on site. For larger firms that want a written report to decide from, the AI opportunity audit is £995, credited against a build or Managed AI set-up quoted at £2,000 or more if you go ahead within 60 days. No mileage in Canterbury, Whitstable, Herne Bay, Faversham or Thanet; elsewhere in Kent it's 45p a mile, agreed up front.

Is this a compliance audit or legal review?

No. We point out data protection risks in plain English and suggest practical fixes, but we're not lawyers. For legal questions, speak to a solicitor.

What if we don't want to go any further?

That's fine. You keep the plan and the quick wins, and the credit simply lapses after 60 days.

Ross Hayes
Ross Hayes

Who you'll work with

James Hayes Consulting is led by Ross Hayes, who builds software for his own businesses and uses AI tools in them every day. We set AI up on your real work, explain it in plain English, and tell you straight if something isn’t worth paying for.

Every project starts with a free 15-minute call, and prices are agreed in writing before you commit.

Ring for a free 15-minute call07500 511462Book a free call online

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