Business automation consulting that tells you what to fix first
DigitalStaff's AI and business automation consulting starts with how your business actually runs, not with a software pitch. Start with a paid Discovery to get the plan. Then keep us on as monthly Advisory while your team builds, or have us build it too.
You don't have an AI problem. You have a priorities problem.
Companies don't stall on automation because the tools are bad. They stall because they automate whatever is loudest: the process someone complained about in Monday's meeting, not the one quietly costing $40,000 a year.
Six months later there are eleven small automations, no measurable ROI, and a team wondering why the effort isn't showing up in the numbers. Our job is to point that effort, and your budget, at the right targets.
What AI and automation consulting actually involves
No slide decks about the future of AI. As your automation consultant, we look at how work moves through your business today, then tell you where software should take over, where a person should stay in the loop, and where nothing needs to change.
Map how the work really happens
We sit down with the people who do the work and trace every step, handoff, and spreadsheet. The process on paper is rarely the one your team runs.
Rank what's worth automating
Each opportunity is scored on hours saved, the cost of errors, and effort, so the first build is the one that pays back fastest.
Decide where AI fits, and where it doesn't
AI is good at reading messy inputs like emails, PDFs, and invoices. Rules-based automation is better at moving clean data between systems. Some processes need both. Some need neither.
Pick tools without a sales pitch
We're platform-agnostic: Make, Zapier, Power Automate, UiPath, or custom code, chosen for what you already pay for and what your team can maintain.
Get a second opinion on a vendor proposal
Before you sign, we break down what the platform actually does, what it would take to build instead, and whether you need it at all.
Rescue a stalled project
When a build has stalled or run over budget, we review what exists and tell you whether to finish it, fix it, or stop spending on it.
A month of Advisory, in practice
Strategy can sound abstract. Here is what a typical month can look like. It's an example, not a specific client's results.
-
Week 1 · What we decide together
The strategy session
A 90-minute working session with your team. We review what shipped last month, what changed in the business, and re-rank the roadmap. At an Ontario accounting firm in January, that might mean moving client document chasing to the top before T1 season.
Your team leaves knowing the next two builds and why.
-
Week 2 · Build vs. buy, answered
A vendor pitches you a platform
A software rep quotes your operations manager a five-figure annual licence for something your team could put together from tools you already pay for. You forward us the pitch. We break down what it actually does and what it would take to build.
A buy-or-build decision made on numbers, not on a sales deck.
-
Week 3 · Async access at work
Your developer hits a wall
Your developer is stuck on how to handle a QuickBooks edge case without breaking month-end. They message us between sessions instead of guessing.
Help when they are stuck, not at next month's meeting.
-
Week 4 · What we maintain
The roadmap stays alive
A new hire in operations flags a manual process nobody had written down. We score it against everything else on the roadmap and slot it where the ROI says it belongs.
A living roadmap, not a slide from last quarter.
Your team's velocity doesn't change. What changes is that every build lands somewhere the ROI justifies it.
One monthly fee keeps your automation effort pointed at ROI
This is the Advisory tier on our pricing page. Strategy and roadmap, no build. Everything runs on your infrastructure and your team owns every deliverable.
- A monthly 90-minute strategy session with your leadership and builders
- A maintained Automation Prioritization Roadmap, ranked by ROI
- Build vs. buy guidance whenever a tool or vendor decision comes up
- Async access between sessions for questions your team hits mid-build
- A quarterly review of roadmap progress against the plan
Advisory
Your prioritization roadmap
90 min
Monthly session
Yours
Every deliverable
Async
Between sessions
Not sure which fits? One call settles it.
Discovery vs. Advisory vs. Fractional CAO
All three are legitimate options. The right one depends on whether you need a plan, a guide for the team you have, or a team that builds.
Advisory You have the team. You need the map.
- What it is
- A monthly strategy engagement
- Who does the building
- Your team, or us as a fixed-price Project Build
- What you get
- A strategy session every month, a maintained roadmap, build vs. buy calls, and answers between sessions
- Cost model
- Flat monthly fee, no lock-in
Discovery You want the plan and the numbers first
- What it is
- A one-time engagement: the Process Assessment or the Discovery Sprint
- Who does the building
- Nobody yet. You get the plan first
- What you get
- Ranked opportunities and an ROI estimate per process. The Sprint adds a fixed price for each build worth doing
- Cost model
- Fixed price, one-time
Fractional CAO Strategy, building, and running in one place
- What it is
- Monthly strategy, building, and operations in one engagement
- Who does the building
- We do
- What you get
- Everything in Advisory, plus 1 to 2 automations shipped each month, hosted and monitored
- Cost model
- Flat monthly fee, all-in
| Criteria | Discovery | Advisory | Fractional CAO |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A one-time engagement: the Process Assessment or the Discovery Sprint | A monthly strategy engagement | Monthly strategy, building, and operations in one engagement |
| Who does the building | Nobody yet. You get the plan first | Your team, or us as a fixed-price Project Build | We do |
| What you get | Ranked opportunities and an ROI estimate per process. The Sprint adds a fixed price for each build worth doing | A strategy session every month, a maintained roadmap, build vs. buy calls, and answers between sessions | Everything in Advisory, plus 1 to 2 automations shipped each month, hosted and monitored |
| Cost model | Fixed price, one-time | Flat monthly fee, no lock-in | Flat monthly fee, all-in |
| Best when… | You want a plan and real numbers before committing to anything | You have people who can build and need them pointed at the right work | You want strategy, building, and running handled in one place |
Be honest about your team before choosing. Advisory works when someone has time to build. If your "internal builder" is one person doing automation off the side of their desk, say so on the call, and we'll suggest the mix that will actually move. Prices for all three are on the pricing page.
Three ways businesses arrive at this page
Your best next step depends on who you have and what's already built.
"We have builders, but no plan"
That's Advisory. Book a call and bring the person who does your building. We'll tell you honestly whether the fit is there.
"We have nobody technical"
That's most small businesses, and it's not a problem. Start with a paid Discovery to get the plan, then have us build what's worth building at a fixed price. If you'd rather hand over strategy and building for one monthly fee, that's the Fractional Chief Automation Officer.
"We just want a plan, not a retainer"
Start with a one-time Discovery. You get the full prioritization roadmap, then decide if you want us to keep it current.
On working with Oscar ONeill, DigitalStaff's founder
“Oscar has helped me problem solve and find solutions for specific tasks saving me a lot of time. He provided me with the instruction I needed to implement the solutions on my own.”
Gerda Zonruiter
Senior Research and Evaluation Consultant, Centre for Organizational Effectiveness
Guidance your team can act on without us in the room. That's the standard Advisory is held to.
Frequently asked questions
What actually happens in the monthly Advisory session?
It is a 90-minute working session, not a status call. We review what your team shipped, what changed in the business, and what got harder or easier. Then we re-rank the roadmap together and agree on the next builds. Your team leaves with decisions, not homework.
What is the Automation Prioritization Roadmap?
A living document that ranks every automation opportunity in your business by ROI, effort, and risk. It is the operating document for your internal team: what to build next, what to buy instead, and what to ignore. We maintain it as your business changes.
Do you build anything under Advisory?
No, and that is the point. Advisory is strategy only: your team does the building on your infrastructure. If a build comes along that your team cannot take on, we can quote it as a fixed-price Project Build without changing your plan.
How is Advisory different from the Fractional CAO?
Advisory is the map: strategy, a maintained roadmap, and guidance while your team builds. The Fractional Chief Automation Officer is the map plus the driver: strategy, building, deployment, monitoring, and maintenance under one monthly fee.
Will you push us toward expensive software?
No. We are platform-agnostic and often recommend tools like Make, Zapier, or Power Automate over expensive enterprise platforms. We do not take kickbacks from any platform, so the recommendation is whatever fits your business and your budget.
What does it cost?
Discovery is a fixed price. Advisory and the Fractional CAO are flat monthly fees. There is no hourly billing and no lock-in. Current prices for every way of working with us are on the pricing page, so there is one source of truth.
Can we move to a different plan later?
Yes, anytime and without penalties. Some Advisory clients hand us the building later and move to the Fractional CAO. Others have us take over hosting and maintenance under Managed Automation once their portfolio grows. The roadmap comes with you either way.
We don't have anyone technical. Where do we start?
With a paid Discovery. Plenty of small businesses have no developer, and you do not need one to get started. Discovery shows you what is worth automating and what each build would cost. From there, we can build it for you at a fixed price, or the Fractional CAO can take on strategy and building for one monthly fee.