What happens when you work with an AI consultant in Northampton for the first time: the first conversation, the four stages, what to prepare and how to judge success.
A first project with an AI consultant in Northampton should start with a free conversation about one problem in your business, move to a written proposal setting out the scope, fee and timeline, and then run through four stages: discover, design, build and validate, then launch and hand over. A focused pilot usually takes weeks rather than months. You stay involved throughout, and at the end you should own what was built and know whether it helped. Here is what each part looks like in practice with 3rd Eye AI.
The first conversation
The first conversation is free and carries no obligation. It can happen at your premises in Northampton, over a coffee in town, or on a video call. I will want to know three things: what the business does, which task is taking more time than it should, and which systems and data that task touches. You do not need to know anything about AI to have it.
By the end, we should both know whether there is a sensible first project. Sometimes the honest answer is that a tool you already pay for will do the job, or that the problem is a process one rather than a technology one. If there is a project, I write it up as a proposal with the scope, fee and timeline before any work starts.
The four stages, and what you do at each
- Discover. I learn how the task is done today: who does it, which systems they use, where time goes and where mistakes creep in. Your part is to give me time with the people who do the work and to share real examples, with personal details removed where possible.
- Design. I set out what the system will do, what it will not do, which data it can read and where a person reviews the output. Your part is to agree those boundaries in writing. Nothing is connected to your data until this is signed off.
- Build and validate. I build or configure the solution and test it against your real examples. Your part is to try it, say where the output is wrong or awkward, and decide whether it is good enough to use.
- Launch and hand over. It goes into daily use with the review points in place. You receive the prompts, workflows and documentation, and your team gets a short session on how it works and when to question it.
How each stage runs is set out in more detail on the approach page.
How long a first project takes
A focused pilot on one task usually takes weeks rather than months. The things that stretch it are much the same every time: more systems to connect, data that needs tidying first, and slow decisions about who approves what. The things that keep it short are a clear task, one data source and a named person on your side who can make decisions.
The proposal gives you a timeline for your specific project. If something changes the scope part way through, we agree the change in writing before carrying on.
What to prepare beforehand
You do not need to prepare much for the first conversation, but a little thought makes it more useful. A short checklist:
- One or two tasks you would like to take less time, with a rough idea of how often they happen.
- A description of how the task is done today, even a few bullet points.
- A list of the software involved, such as your CRM, accounts package, inbox or shared drive.
- A few example inputs and outputs, with personal details removed.
- A note of any data that must never leave the business or be used by an AI tool.
- The name of the person who would review the output and approve changes.
- What a good result would look like, in your own words.
Meeting in person or working remotely
3rd Eye AI is based in Wellingborough, so meeting in person is easy across Northamptonshire, including Northampton, Kettering, Corby and Rushden. Many businesses prefer the first conversation and the discovery work to happen face to face, because it is quicker to understand a task by watching someone do it. The build and review stages work well remotely, with calls and shared screens. Clients elsewhere in the UK can work with me entirely remotely.
There is more about working locally on the AI consultant in Northamptonshire page.
How to judge whether it worked
Agree how you will measure success before the build starts, and use your own numbers. The most useful measures are simple ones:
- Time spent on the task each week, before and after.
- How often the output needs correcting.
- Whether enquiries or requests are being missed or answered late.
- Whether the team actually uses it without being reminded.
- Whether you understand how it works and could change it.
If the pilot does not help, you have learnt that at a small cost and can stop. If it does, you have evidence for the next step. Either way, you should own the work and not be tied to one supplier to keep it running.
Who you would be working with
I am Davendra Patel, and 3rd Eye AI is a founder-led consultancy, so the person you meet is the person who does the work. It continues 3rd Eye Solutions, which built websites and software for businesses from 1997. More on how projects are scoped is on the AI consultancy page.
If you have a task in mind, get in touch to arrange a first conversation, in Northampton or wherever suits you.