Which business processes should we automate with AI first?

A scoring method

List candidate processes and score each from 1 to 5 on: how often it happens, how many hours it takes, how consistent the inputs are, how easy errors are to spot, and how low the risk is if something goes wrong. Multiply or add the scores and start with the top two or three.

Also ask who owns the process. An automation without an owner inside the business tends to decay unnoticed.

Common quick wins for SMEs

Replying to every new enquiry within minutes, day or night, often has the clearest payoff because slow replies lose leads. Bookkeeping capture and payment chasing come next for most companies, followed by moving data between forms, CRM, accounting and spreadsheets so nobody retypes it.