Look for repetitive, rules-based work
The best first candidates are tasks that happen often, follow recognizable patterns and currently consume skilled people's time: answering common customer questions, qualifying inbound inquiries, preparing routine documents or moving data between systems.
Score opportunities before building anything
For each candidate, estimate how often it happens, how much time it takes, how costly mistakes would be and how clean the underlying information is. High-frequency, low-risk tasks with reliable data are the safest place to start.
- Volume: how many times per week does this happen?
- Effort: how long does it take each time?
- Risk: what happens if the output is wrong?
- Data: is the information it needs accurate and accessible?
Pilot one workflow and measure it
Run a focused pilot on a single workflow with a clear before-and-after measure, such as response time or hours spent. Keep a person in the loop where judgement matters, and review results before expanding.
Plan for adoption, not just deployment
Automation only pays off when people use it. Document how the new workflow works, train the team, assign an owner and schedule regular reviews so the system keeps improving as the business changes.
