How much do AI consulting services cost?

Discovery is $99. Implementation and retainers are scoped after that call. You should expect a written scope and price before any build work starts — not an open-ended hourly retainer disguised as strategy.

How long does an AI consulting engagement take?

Discovery is a single working session plus a written follow-up. A Starter implementation is a fixed-scope first workflow, not a multi-quarter transformation program. Longer work is sequenced after that first proof is operating.

AI Consulting Services for Business: What You Actually Get

Q: What comes out of Discovery?

A recommended engagement type, a first-workflow sketch, constraints (data, access, compliance), and a clear yes/no on whether to proceed. You leave with a scope outline and price path — not a 40-page strategy deck.

Buyers do not fail at AI because they picked the wrong model. They fail because they bought a program before they bought a first workflow. AI consulting services exist to prevent that: decide what to build, what not to build, and what “done” looks like before implementation spend starts.

If the first workflow is already an agent, read autonomous AI agents next. If you only need a commercial starting point, go to pricing / Discovery.

When to hire

Hire a partner when at least two of these are true:

You have a real queue or process (support, ops, sales admin, finance ops) — not a wish list of “AI use cases.”
Internal teams can give access and a decision-maker, but they cannot spare a dedicated owner for the next several weeks.
You have already tried a tool or a pilot and it stalled at integration, governance, or adoption.
You need a written scope and SLA path that finance and IT can both accept.

Do not hire a partner to “explore AI.” That is an internal workshop. Hire when you need someone accountable for a first production path — including the decision to stop if the workflow is not ready.

Engagement scope

A useful consulting engagement is narrow. Ours is built around four deliverables, not a catalog of workshops:

Problem statement: the job to be done, the system of record, and the person who owns the exception.
Constraints: data access, identity, compliance, and what must stay human.
First-workflow design: steps, tools, handoffs, and a definition of done you can test.
Commercial path: Discovery → Starter implementation, or a clear “not yet” if the inputs are missing.

What is out of scope until Starter is agreed: platform selection theater, multi-year roadmaps, and any claim that a pilot will “transform the business.” If you need an agent after the design is solid, that work sits on the agents track, not inside an open consulting retainer.

Discovery→Starter

The sequence is fixed so you are not paying for implementation while the problem is still fuzzy.

Discovery ($99)

A paid 30-minute call. We review the situation, name the first workflow (or say there isn’t one yet), and outline the engagement type. You get a written follow-up: recommended next step, assumptions, and what we would need to quote Starter. Details live on pricing.

Starter

A fixed-scope first implementation: one workflow, named integrations, named approval gates, and a handoff. Starter is how you prove the operating model. It is not a discounted “phase 1” that hides the rest of the price.

What “proof” means here

Proof is operational, not a vanity metric. The workflow runs in your environment, your team can see the log, and there is an SLA or runbook for what happens when it fails. We do not invent ROI percentages. If you need a number for a board pack, you measure it after the workflow has a baseline — during a defined evaluation window, not from a slide.

DIY vs partner

DIY is the right call when you already have a technical owner, access to the systems, and a single workflow you can ship without a committee. A partner is the right call when those pieces are split across teams — or when the risk is integration and operations, not model choice.

DIY: you own design, build, and the on-call. Faster if the team is already staffed. Slower if the first integration is also the first time anyone has done this.
Partner: you own policy and approvals. The partner owns delivery and the operating layer until you take it, or until you keep it as a managed service.

The honest split is written down. If a vendor cannot tell you who does the work after week two, you are buying a slide deck. Service detail is on AI consulting services.

FAQs

How much does it cost?

Discovery is $99. Starter and any retainer are quoted after that call, in writing, with scope attached. If a vendor will only say “it depends” after three meetings, keep shopping.

How long does it take?

Discovery is one session plus a written follow-up. Starter is a fixed-scope first workflow — weeks, not a multi-quarter program. Anything larger is sequenced after that workflow is operating.

What comes out of Discovery?

A recommended engagement type, a first-workflow sketch, the constraints that would block it, and a yes/no on proceeding. You should leave with a scope outline and a price path — not a 40-page strategy deck.