A clear, candid read on your business and a plan you can act on. A survey and discovery, delivered as a strategic report and a live playback.
The problem
But nobody has given you an objective read on where you actually are, what is realistic for a business your size, or where to start. So you either do nothing, or you spend on the wrong thing: a tool nobody adopts, a course when the real blocker is your process, a build before the basics are in.
You want a plan you can trust before you commit. That is what this is.
What it is
We assess your business across the five things that decide whether AI actually works: your people, your tools, your processes, your data, and your direction and safety. Then we tell you plainly where you sit on the AI Ladder, what is really holding you back, and exactly what to do next, in order.
Whether your team can actually use AI day to day, and use it safely and confidently.
What you already pay for, what you actually use, and whether it fits how you work.
The routines, handoffs and repetitive jobs where AI could take real work off your plate.
Whether your information is organised and accessible enough for AI to do anything useful with it.
A clear plan for where you are heading, and the guardrails to adopt AI responsibly.
What you receive
The report
Your position on the AI Ladder, a clear scorecard, the gaps, and a sequenced roadmap for the climb. Plain English, board-ready, and yours to keep.
The playback
We walk your leadership through the findings and the path, answer the hard questions, and agree the right next step together.
Every finding is grounded in what we saw and heard.
The AI Ladder
We place you where you actually are and map the climb. The top of the Ladder is a custom system built around your business, and if that is where you are heading, we can build it.
A custom system built around how your business works. A real edge.
Repeatable jobs run with little effort.
AI is built into your workflows and connected to your own information.
AI is a regular tool, with shared prompts and good habits.
A few people use ChatGPT now and then. Most businesses are here.
Heard the hype, not using it yet.
How it works
We agree what to look at, who to speak to, and a date for the playback. We keep the demand on your time light from the start.
An AI-led discovery, short stakeholder interviews, and a review of your tools, documents and how you handle data. Evidence, not opinion.
We rate the five dimensions against a defensible rubric, grounded in what we saw and heard, and place you on the AI Ladder.
We find the single biggest thing holding you back, the gaps to your next rung, and the strongest opportunities worth acting on.
A decision-ready strategic report, written for a leader in plain English, with your scorecard, the gaps, and a sequenced roadmap. Finalised personally by Adam.
A live session walking your leadership through the findings and the path, and agreeing a clear, costed next step.
Sized to your business
From £800 + VAT
The assessment scales with the size of your business, from a focused, accessible read for a small team to a full strategic review for a larger one. For large or unusually complex businesses, a premium Deep-dive adds a team-wide survey, process mapping and a board-level playback.
You will know the exact price on a short scoping call, before you commit to anything.
Why it pays for itself
The next pound you spend on AI goes on the right thing, in the right order. And if the assessment points to a custom build worth doing, the fee credits in full against it.
If the plan shows a skills gap, you can add our AI Foundations training separately, priced in its own right. See how assess, train and build fit together on How We Help.
Why Crackle
We build AI systems for UK small businesses for a living, so we know what actually moves the needle in a real business, not theory from a textbook. Plain English, board-ready, and built around you.
Questions
No. It is a candid assessment. Sometimes the right answer is to fix your process first, or that you do not need a big build yet. We tell you straight.
No. The whole point is that you do not. We do the work and explain it plainly.
An hour or two of leadership time for interviews, access to a few systems and documents, and a date for the playback. We keep it light.
You get the report and a clear, costed next step. That might be training, some hands-on help, or a custom build. Your call, no pressure.
Start with a short scoping call. We will agree what to look at and what it would cost, and you will have a clear read on your business within weeks.
