Guide

AI consulting: examples from practice

How AI consulting is actually used in the daily operations of small businesses — concrete workflows instead of product promises, including the cases where it didn't work.

Request assessment ↗AI consulting

Quote on request2 to 3 weeksAs of 2026

In short

In practice, AI consulting almost always starts with exactly one workflow, not with an overall concept. The most common reason for failed AI projects is not the technology, but a use case that misses the actual work. Expansion only happens once the first step demonstrably works in real operations.

01 — Practice

What this looks like in concrete terms

Observation from practice

The most common reason for failed AI projects is not the technology, but a use case that misses the actual work.

A typical entry looks like this: the business names the one workflow that bothers them most. One hour to clarify whether and where there's anything to gain. Free of charge.

After go-live, we don't expand immediately but observe. You get a document and an hour where we go through it. Whether you continue working with us afterward is open.

02 — Fit

When it's worth it

The process in question occurs at least weekly.
It follows rules you can write down — even if there are exceptions.
Today it's manual work that no one enjoys doing.
There's one person who decides, not three who need to coordinate.
You can name what would tell you it worked.

03 — Scope

When we advise against it

The process is still changing. As long as you're adjusting the process itself, manual work is more flexible and cheaper.
Exceptions outweigh standard cases. Then you're automating exceptions, and that gets expensive.
There's no data foundation. Without digitally available source data, the basis is missing.
Volume is too low. With five transactions a month, no system pays off — not even an affordable one.
The real bottleneck lies elsewhere. If you don't have enough inquiries, you don't need faster processing.

04 — Questions

Frequently asked questions

What if nothing makes sense for us?

Then that's what the report says. It happens, especially with businesses that have very few recurring processes or no digital data foundation. An honest no is cheaper than a project that runs aground.

Isn't this just a disguised sales event?

The recommendation regularly includes items you can implement yourselves or with your existing service provider, as well as cases we advise against. The document is yours and works without us too.

Isn't a conversation with management enough?

No, that's the most common reason for a list that doesn't work later. The people who do the processes daily know the exceptions that an outside perspective never sees.

What does it cost us if nothing comes of it in the end?

Only the agreed price for the workshop and document — there's no success fee and no hidden follow-up obligation. The preliminary conversation is free and is meant to catch exactly these kinds of mismatched inquiries beforehand.

Who should be at the workshop?

At least one person from management and two to three who do the affected processes daily. Without the second group, you get a list that doesn't work in practice.

What funding is available in Austria?

Options include KMU.DIGITAL and aws digitalization funding — current terms at kmudigital.at and aws.at. Both require the application to be approved before awarding the contract — that's why we bring it up early and not at the end.

How does this differ from consulting by the Chamber of Commerce?

The Chamber offerings provide a good overview of funding options and basics. We go a step further and look at your specific processes and systems — with effort estimates that we ourselves would have to meet.

05 — Next

AI consulting by region

Next step

Send us a few sentences about your project.

We read every inquiry ourselves and respond personally. No sales team, no callback form into the void.

Send inquiry ↗ office@pipeline-solutions.at OR +43 681 207 64 203