How do we take advantage of AI? And where do we even begin?

Kati Hvidtfeldt • December 9, 2025

Where Do We Start With AI? The New Assessment That Finally Gives CIOs a Clear Answer

Across every industry, executives are asking the same urgent questions:
“How do we take advantage of AI? And where do we even begin?”


AI agents, copilots, automation layers, and decision engines are reshaping how companies operate. Yet for most organizations, the biggest barrier to AI adoption isn’t budget, talent, or technology.


It’s not knowing what to do first.


CIOs and transformation leaders are stuck between pressure from the board (“What’s our AI plan?”), eager business units (“We need AI for this!”), and the reality of data problems, broken processes, and unclear ownership. It’s no surprise that early AI experiments often deliver disappointing results.


HandsFree ERP has seen this pattern for years with ERP and data transformation projects and now it’s repeating itself in AI.

This is exactly why we are bringing forward a new solution:


An AI & Agentic Scenario Assessment that shows companies where AI will actually move the needle.


The Problem: AI Excitement Without AI Direction

In a recent demo, we explored how organizations can use this new assessment tool to map their environment and uncover practical, high-value AI projects.


The biggest insight is simple:
Most companies want AI, but they haven’t defined their needs, their bottlenecks, or their readiness.


The assessment solves this by breaking down the journey into structured steps:


1. Identify the Real Operational Pain Points

Start with the process you want to improve like customer service, operations, finance, logistics, or sales.
Enter real workloads like:

  • Case volumes
  • Hours spent resolving issues
  • Delays, errors, or manual work


The tool then uses AI to suggest likely pain points that teams face - prioritization gaps, training issues, manual handoffs, poor integrations, slow resolution, or inconsistent tracking.


Suddenly, you’re no longer guessing where the friction is.
The system surfaces it for you.


2. Map Out Systems and Data Readiness

Next, the assessment captures the ecosystem:

  • CRM systems like Salesforce
  • ERP platforms
  • Data sources
  • Compliance information
  • User volumes
  • Integration maturity


It also evaluates your data readiness, one of the biggest predictors of success.

This ensures the recommendations are grounded in your actual environment, not generic advice.

 

3. Generate a Prioritized List of AI Opportunities

This is where the assessment becomes transformational.

Based on the pain points and system landscape, the agent generates a list of AI and agentic solutions tailored to your organization. Each is ranked by:

  • Expected business value
  • Time to value
  • Potential impact
  • Technical feasibility
  • Alignment with your data and system landscape


These outcomes leverage Microsoft’s AI templates and proven use cases—no vaporware, no experiments for the sake of experiments.


You walk away with the real AI roadmap your organization needs.



Why This Matters for CIOs Right Now

Every enterprise is under pressure to “do something with AI,” but without clarity, many leaders fall into common pitfalls:

❌ Launching isolated AI pilots that never scale
❌ Applying AI to broken processes and failing twice
❌ Investing in tools without a cohesive strategy
❌ Disconnected innovation across departments
❌ Overestimating data readiness
❌ Underestimating change management


This assessment eliminates the guesswork and gives executives a clear, logical, structured starting point - grounded in business value, not hype.


It answers the questions boards are asking:

  • Where can AI help us right now?
  • What is the ROI?
  • What data gaps must be fixed?
  • Which projects should we prioritize?
  • What is the roadmap for the next 6–12 months?


No more “AI strategy TBD.”
No more PowerPoint wish lists.
No more scattered experiments.



AI Success Requires the Same Foundation as ERP Success


At HandsFree ERP, we’ve spent years helping organizations recover struggling ERP implementations because the foundations weren’t right:

  • Bad data
  • Broken processes
  • Shadow systems
  • Lack of ownership
  • Missing governance


AI is no different.
If those issues are not resolved, AI will fail in the same way ERP projects do.

This assessment surfaces those hidden issues early—before you spend millions building solutions on shaky ground.



Introducing the $5,000 AI Assessment & Agentic Proposal


A board-ready AI roadmap in weeks, not months.

We are now offering a focused, rapid AI assessment designed specifically for CIOs and executive teams who need:

🔹 A clear starting point
🔹 A prioritized list of AI opportunities
🔹 A realistic understanding of data and process readiness
🔹 An actionable roadmap
🔹 An executive proposal ready for Q1 and budget cycles


For $5,000, you receive:

  • Full AI & Agentic Scenario Assessment
  • Evaluation of up to 3 core business processes
  • Data and system readiness scoring
  • Prioritized AI project list
  • Time-to-value and ROI insights
  • A formal AI Proposal you can present to your board


This is the smartest, lowest-risk step an enterprise can take to move from AI interest to AI action.


Final Word: This Is Your Moment to Lead

AI is accelerating faster than any technology cycle before it.
Your competitors are already experimenting.
Your board already expects a plan.
Your teams are already exploring tools.

The leaders who succeed will be the ones who move first—with clarity, structure, and a roadmap rooted in business value.

 

Your AI strategy won’t build itself, but we can build it with you.


HandsFree ERP is dedicated to supporting clients with their ERP initiatives, enabling companies to seamlessly connect users with their ERP partners. By utilizing skilled professionals, streamlined processes, and cutting-edge tools, HandsFree ERP significantly boosts the success rates of ERP projects.

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