Quick answer
Pick someone who starts with your business, not the tech. A good AI consultant looks at how you work, picks one or two jobs worth handing to AI, gives you a fixed price in writing, sets everything up in accounts you own, and stays to support it. Walk away from anyone who can't explain where your information goes or what happens if you leave.
What an AI consultant actually does
A good one does four things, in this order:
- Looks at your week. Where does your time go? Which jobs are repeated, boring and easy to check?
- Picks the right jobs. One or two jobs where AI will save real time, not a list of fifty ideas.
- Sets it up. Connects AI to the apps you already use, like Gmail, Outlook, Xero or your booking system, with clear rules about what it can and can't do.
- Trains you and looks after it. Shows your team how to use it, fixes things when they break, and improves it over time.
Some consultants only give advice, and some only build. For a small business it's usually easiest to find one that does both, so you're not stuck with a plan and nobody to carry it out.
How the costs usually work
Most AI projects have up to three costs:
- Setting it up: the consultant's fee for planning and building. Ask for this as a fixed price, in writing, before any work starts.
- Looking after it: an optional monthly fee for support, fixes and improvements.
- The AI itself: the AI company's own bill, like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Claude or Gemini. This should be in your business's name and paid by you directly, so you can see exactly what you're paying.
Want the numbers for the AI part? Read what AI really costs a small NZ business.
Red flags
- Lots of jargon. If they can't explain it in plain English, they probably can't explain it to your team either.
- Accounts in their name. Your AI accounts, data and automations should belong to your business.
- Vague pricing. Open-ended hourly rates with no cap, or no price until the work is done.
- Big promises. "AI will replace your staff" or guaranteed results. AI is very good at some jobs and bad at others.
- No answer about your data. They should be able to tell you which AI they'll use, where your information is stored, and how that fits with the Privacy Act 2020.
- Long lock-in contracts. You should be able to leave and keep what was built.
- Build and disappear. AI setups need small tweaks as your business changes. Ask who looks after it.
10 questions to ask before you hire one
- Which jobs in my business would you start with, and why?
- Is the price fixed and in writing before you start?
- Whose name will the accounts be in?
- Which AI will you use, and where will my information be stored?
- How does this fit with the Privacy Act 2020, especially for customer information?
- What will the AI do on its own, and what will wait for my OK?
- What happens when it gets something wrong?
- Who looks after it once it's built, and how quickly do you respond?
- Can I switch it off or leave, and what do I keep if I do?
- Can we start with one small job and add more later?
A good consultant will be happy to answer all ten in your first chat. For more on the privacy side, read our guide on AI, client information and the NZ Privacy Act.
Local, or online?
Lots of AI work can be done by video. But for the first chat, it really helps to have someone sit with you and see how your day actually runs: the inbox, the phone, the paperwork on the desk. If you're in Auckland or Hamilton and the Waikato, we'll come to you.
How we answer these questions
Fair's fair. Here's how we work: a free 30-minute chat, then a fixed price in writing. Accounts are set up in your business's name. We tell you which AI we'll use and where your information goes. Anything important waits for your OK. We look after it once it's built, and you can cancel the care plan with 30 days' notice and keep everything. See how it works.