Questions · Straight answers

16 questions from SME leaders about AI, and our straight answers

What it costs, what happens to your data, how to train the team, which tool to pick, what an agent may do on its own. Each answer starts with the answer, then gives a figure, a limit or a method, and the guide that goes further.

All the questions

What is the first concrete step to bring AI into my SME?

List the three to five repetitive tasks that take the most hours each week, before buying any tool.

How can an SME test AI without a big budget?

Test it on a single process for one month, not across the whole company.

What budget should we plan for an AI agent project?

An AI agent on a real process is quoted after a one-to-three-week scoping phase: a catalogue price would make no sense, because everything depends on the software to connect.

How long before AI shows a result?

Allow four to six weeks for a first measured result: half a day to prepare, 30 days of use on one process, then the measurement.

Is my data safe with AI tools?

Yes, if you use the business version of a tool and decide beforehand which data may go into it.

Should we train our staff on AI?

Yes, so that they use it safely and the licences actually get used.

Who should be in charge of AI in the company?

In an SME, not a dedicated role: one person from the existing team, the AI lead, for about an hour a week, with management setting the rules.

Which AI tool should my SME choose?

The one that fits where your documents live: Copilot if you work in Microsoft 365, Gemini if you are on Google Workspace, ChatGPT Business or Claude Team if you want a standalone workspace.

ChatGPT Free, Business or Enterprise: which should an SME choose?

For a team working with client data, choose ChatGPT Business: a workspace the company administers, content excluded from training by default, and a data processing agreement.

ChatGPT or Claude: which should my SME choose?

Neither is better at everything: both are good tools, and their ranking changes with every new version.

Should we buy an AI tool or build our own?

Buy, in the vast majority of cases.

Can AI handle my emails and write to my clients?

Yes, to prepare: AI sorts emails, summarises, finds the file and drafts the reply; a person checks and sends.

Can AI replace an accountant?

No: AI replaces neither judgement, nor responsibility, nor the client relationship.

Which AI tools suit a Swiss fiduciary firm?

Start from your software: a business assistant (Copilot if you work in Microsoft 365, otherwise ChatGPT Business or Claude Team) for letters, summaries and explanations to clients, and the automation built into your accounting software, such as Abacus or Bexio, for entering and matching documents.

How do you measure the return on investment of AI?

Measure hours, not impressions: time per task before AI, time after including review, multiplied by the fully loaded hourly cost, minus the full cost over the same period.

Does AI work without an internet connection?

No, for most tools used in SMEs: they run in the cloud and need a connection.

How much does AI cost a Swiss SME? ↗All our prices ↗The SME guides ↗