Where AI helps, and where it doesn’t.

Accounting firm. A 5–30 person firm: bookkeeping, tax and payroll.

1. 1AIDocument intakeWhat AI does: Reads emails and attachments, classifies them and files them in the client’s folder. What stays human: Deciding what to do with odd or incomplete documents.
2. 2AIChasing what’s missingWhat AI does: Compares against what the quarter needs and drafts the reminder. What stays human: Reviewing and sending it; the client relationship stays yours.
3. 3AIBookkeepingWhat AI does: Extracts invoice data and proposes the entry. What stays human: Validating unclear or unusual cases.
4. 4PersonTax returnsWhat AI does: Prepares checklists and flags figures that don’t add up. What stays human: Tax judgement and filing.
5. 5AIClient questionsWhat AI does: Sorts questions and drafts answers from your internal notes. What stays human: Approving every answer before it goes out.

Estate agency. An agency with 3–20 agents and domestic and foreign buyers.

1. 1PersonTaking on a propertyWhat AI does: Organises photos and documents and flags what’s missing. What stays human: The visit, the valuation and the relationship with the owner.
2. 2AIListing and translationsWhat AI does: Writes the listing from your notes and translates it. What stays human: Reviewing the text and the price.
3. 3AIFirst reply to a leadWhat AI does: Replies in their language within minutes, out of hours too, saying it’s an assistant. What stays human: Taking over when the lead is serious.
4. 4AIQualify and bookWhat AI does: Asks about budget, timing and financing, and offers viewing slots. What stays human: Doing the viewing and negotiating.
5. 5AISale paperworkWhat AI does: Keeps the document checklist per sale and chases what’s pending. What stays human: Legal advice, with the lawyer.

Holiday rentals. A holiday-rental manager with guests from many countries.

1. 1PersonBookingWhat AI does: Records the booking from Airbnb, Booking or your PMS. What stays human: Pricing and booking policy.
2. 2AIPre-arrival messagesWhat AI does: Sends instructions in the guest’s language and answers common questions. What stays human: Special cases and complaints.
3. 3AIGuest registrationWhat AI does: Collects and checks the data the mandatory registration needs. What stays human: Checking and submitting.
4. 4AIDuring the stayWhat AI does: Sorts issues and creates the task for maintenance. What stays human: Fixing the issue.
5. 5AICleaning and reviewsWhat AI does: Adjusts the cleaning schedule and drafts replies to reviews. What stays human: Approving what gets published.