AI automation for small businesses
You don't need a big project to get value from AI. It can be a first draft of a reply waiting when you open your laptop, or a weekly report that's already built before Friday afternoon. As part of our AI services, we find the routine tasks taking your time and build something to handle them. That leaves you the decisions only you can make.
This page covers back-office work. If you want an assistant on your website that answers customers, see AI chatbots and agents for small-business websites.
Five tasks we automate first
What this looks like: invoice emails arrive in a shared inbox, the amount, vendor and due date get pulled into a spreadsheet, and anything that looks unusual is flagged for you to check before it's paid.
When a simple automation beats AI, and when it doesn't
If a task follows the same steps every time, like copying a form entry into a spreadsheet, a plain automation is cheaper and more reliable than AI. AI earns its place when the task involves reading or writing, like summarizing notes, drafting replies or pulling details out of messy documents. We'll tell you which one your task needs, even when the answer is "no AI required."
What's included
- Task audit: we look at where your week goes and pick the best place to start
- Build in your tools: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 and the other software you already pay for
- Testing with your real files and messages before you rely on it
- Documentation in plain language, so you know what it does and how to turn it off
- Team training so the people doing the work know how to use it
How it works
Why work with us
Wapiti is an AI agency and a web design and development agency based in the Cedar Valley. We build practical systems for small businesses, not big consulting projects.
- Dan's experience. Dan Ericson has 3 years of experience with AI, plus a background building and running client websites and the systems behind them.
- See it before you commit. Watch a demo automation built on a sample business, clearly labeled as a demo.
- You stay in charge. We agree with you on which results you check and which can run on their own.
- Free 15-minute AI fit call. For businesses in Waterloo, Cedar Falls and Waverly, we'll tell you whether a task is worth automating. Book the call
Demo: a sample business, not a client. Captions are built into the video.
Local help in the Cedar Valley
We're based in the Cedar Valley and work with businesses in Waterloo, Cedar Falls and Waverly. We meet clients in person in Waterloo and Cedar Falls, and you can walk in at our Waverly office. See all locations
Frequently asked questions
Routine tasks that involve reading or writing are the best fit: drafting emails and replies, building weekly reports, pulling details from invoices and forms, summarizing notes, sending reminders and tracking tasks. Tasks that need judgment stay with you.
It depends on the task, the tools involved and how much testing and training it needs. We quote after a call, because we first need to understand what your business needs. Book a free 15-minute AI fit call to talk through your first task.
Usually not. We build in the tools you already use, like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. If a task really needs another tool, we'll explain why before you buy anything.
We set things up with security in mind, give each automation access to only what it needs, and explain where your data goes before anything runs. See keeping your AI secure.
It depends on the task. We'll give you a timeline after the task audit, once we know what the task involves and which tools it touches.
We test on real work before you rely on it, and we set up checks so you review anything important before it goes out. At the monthly check-in we fix problems and adjust it. The documentation also shows you how to pause it.
We start with a task your team already dislikes, keep the steps simple and train the people who do the work. If it doesn't fit how they work, we change it.
Which task do you dread every week?
Tell us about it. We'll say whether AI can take it off your plate and how soon we could set it up.
