“We should do something with AI.” At the next meeting, the same sentence returns. Nobody has chosen the first job, so nobody can say what help is needed.
A useful way out is to finish a different sentence: “Every week, someone has to…” Perhaps the ending is “copy enquiries between two inboxes” or “find the latest agreement before answering a customer”. Now there is work to examine.
When choosing AI consulting in Saxony, start at that point. Some teams need an introduction, some need a decision and some need a working solution. Pharen provides consulting and implementation near Leipzig; that does not mean every starting question needs a paid project with us.
When you need orientation
You want to understand what AI can do and which problems might suit a first trial. Fundamentals, examples and a discussion of your work may help more than an implementation package.
The KI-Hub Sachsen-Thüringen describes support for small and medium-sized businesses learning about AI, exploring opportunities and developing initial projects. Check the relevant contacts and current formats.
The Zukunftszentrum Sachsen and Digitalagentur Sachsen are also starting points for further orientation. Establish what each offer covers, whom it serves and how it relates to your question. A general support offer does not automatically include building a complete application.
When the problem is clear but the solution is not
Consider a company whose customer enquiries keep getting lost between inboxes. The question is now more specific: does it need a new application, a connection between existing systems or a clear owner first?
Consulting should distinguish those possibilities. It may conclude that a simple change without AI is sufficient. If the current CRM already supports the required step, rebuilding it elsewhere would need a good reason.
The useful output is an understandable recommendation. It should explain the assumptions checked, the alternative rejected and the question that remains before implementation. A list of possible AI use cases does not provide that decision.
When something needs to be built
Implementation requires data access, knowledge of the process and time to test it. An internal team may provide those things. A service provider can help when capacity or relevant experience is missing.
Bound the first project around one complete piece of work. For an enquiry, that could be intake, preparation, ownership and response. Handling a missing field belongs to the agreed outcome too.
The article on preparing an agency meeting explains what to bring once you are ready to discuss implementation.
Apply the funding question to a defined scope
A funding percentage looks concrete. Without scope, it can still mislead. Programmes may treat consulting, software, hardware and training differently. Location, business size and the project start date may also matter.
For Saxon digitalisation projects, use the SAB programme information. BAFA publishes separate information on business consulting. Check current availability and the conditions for your project before committing to an order. An old article or a vendor’s assurance cannot substitute for that check.
The earlier distinction now helps. You can explain whether you are buying orientation, advice or implementation. The programme owner can consider actual work rather than a general desire to “use AI.”
A more useful first sentence
After orientation, the opening sentence should be more precise. Instead of “We should do something with AI,” it might become: “Our enquiries get lost between two inboxes. We want to test whether a shared intake with clear ownership helps.”
A support organisation can respond to that. An internal team can plan a trial. An agency can write an assessable proposal. You now know enough about the work to choose the help it needs.
How the first trial could look in Pharen Hub
For the scattered enquiries, Pharen Hub Lists can hold the source, status and next action together. Workflows coordinates preparation and review. Consulting establishes how the inboxes should feed that record and which existing systems stay. That turns the product into a possible implementation of the recommendation, rather than making it the answer before the problem is understood.
Tell us which recurring job you want to change so we can discuss the appropriate next step.
