Three Practical AI Models
Most useful business AI falls into three buckets—numbers, images, and languages. If you match the right bucket to the right job, you’ll get quick, low-risk wins.
1) Numbers models: decisions from spreadsheets and systems
What they are: AI that works with tabular data (sales, costs, stock levels) and time-series (cashflow, bookings).
Cashflow forecasting: Tools like Xero Analytics Plus project bank balances from your actuals so you can plan payroll and supplier payments with fewer surprises.
Faster reporting in Excel: Microsoft Copilot for Excel turns plain-English prompts into pivot tables, charts, and variance explanations—handy when you’re closing the month or preparing board packs.
Stock & demand signals: Basic models spot products drifting into overstock or frequent stock-outs so you can adjust ordering before it hurts margin.
Services example:
You run a plumbing business with seasonal demand. A numbers model looks at last year’s jobs, this year’s quotes, and weather seasonality to forecast staffing and inventory. You schedule overtime only when the data supports it—lifting utilisation without burning cash.
Retail example:
You sell homeware online. The model flags three SKUs that consistently oversell on Mondays (post-weekend browsing). You move replenishment to Friday and reduce express-freight costs.
Ask us to implement the forecasting and reorder-point example for your business.
2) Images models: understanding and creating visuals
What they are: Computer vision (recognising what’s in a photo) and generative imaging (creating or enhancing images).
Product photos that sell: Use Canva’s AI features to remove backgrounds and generate consistent lighting for listings and brochures—no studio required.
Receipt and document capture: Snap a photo; OCR turns it into text your systems can file and search (“find all receipts over $500”).
Basic quality checks: A quick phone photo of finished work (joinery, landscaping, catering trays) can be checked against a visual checklist to reduce rework.
Construction trade example:
Your foreperson photographs each completed job. An image workflow checks for common defects (missing sealant lines, paint bleed). You fix issues before the client walkthrough, lifting NPS and referrals.
E-commerce example:
You standardise 200 legacy product shots with AI background cleanup and uniform angles. Conversion improves because the store finally looks consistent.
Ask us to set up the photo-to-file workflow from the example for your team.
3) Language models: reading, writing, and translating
What they are: AI that works with words—drafting, summarising, translating, and answering questions.
Common wins for SMEs:
Meeting accessibility & accuracy: Microsoft Teams live captions and translation improve understanding for diverse teams and create searchable summaries.
Customer comms: Draft professional replies to enquiries, proposals, and policies in your tone, then you review and send.
Knowledge at the front line: A private Q&A bot (fed your policies and SOPs) helps staff answer “What’s our warranty policy?” without hunting through folders.
A relatable example (professional services):
After a client call, you paste the transcript into a language model: “Summarise actions, risks, and deadlines in bullet points.” Your CRM notes write-up drops from 30 minutes to 5.
A relatable example (tourism/hospitality):
You serve visitors who don’t speak English as a first language. Live captions and quick translations reduce mix-ups and improve reviews—without hiring extra staff.
Ask us to implement the template and live-captions example for your next client meeting.
Choosing your first use case
Tight cash or inventory complexity? Start with numbers.
Inconsistent brand presentation? Start with images.
Too much time spent writing or searching? Start with language.
Practical guardrails for NZ organisations
Privacy and data location: Prefer tools that store data in Aotearoa New Zealand or Australia and allow opting out of model training on your content.
Māori data sovereignty: If you process Māori data, confirm stewardship, purpose, retention, and access before automation.
Human review: Keep a review step for customer-facing outputs and financial decisions.
Audit trail: Save inputs and outputs for key automations so decisions can be explained.
Quick pilot plan for measurable value
Select one process with a clear pain point such as “month end takes two days.”
Enable the chosen tool and document the steps.
Define success, for example “reduce month end to one day” or “lift product page conversion by five percent.”
Run the pilot and train a backup user.
Decide whether to scale, refine, or stop.
If you would like a neutral, practical setup, we can configure a small pilot, apply the right governance, and deliver a result that pays for itself and can be repeated.