Client example

The right answer isn’t always the obvious one.

This firm was past the starting point: it already had a frontier model in use and wanted an assistant that could handle routine project admin straight from firm email. It ran Microsoft 365, so Copilot looked like the obvious answer. We recommended something else.

Professional services firm

Live

Platform selection

Starting point
A frontier model already in use, on Microsoft 365
The question
How to have AI handle routine project admin from firm email
What we recommended
A custom setup in Notion, connected to Microsoft 365, not Copilot
The situation
The firm already had a frontier model in use and ran Microsoft 365. It wanted an assistant that could take in firm email and carry out routine administrative tasks on its own. Copilot came with the suite, so it looked like the obvious choice.
How we worked
A separate, four-week engagement, outside AI Enablement for Knowledge Work. We built quick prototypes of several designs and worked through each with the firm before settling on one.
What we evaluated
Copilot, Microsoft Foundry (Microsoft’s platform for building custom AI), and connecting an outside tool to the firm’s Microsoft 365 email through Microsoft Graph. We judged each on what the assistant would need to do the work on its own.
What we found
Building the assistant on Microsoft’s own tools meant more cost and complexity than connecting a third-party tool to the firm’s Microsoft 365.
What we recommended
A custom setup in Notion, designed by us and connected to the firm’s Microsoft 365, to take on the routine admin. Being on a suite didn’t decide it.
Where it stands
Live. It now handles admin work that used to be a pain point for the firm.

What this shows

  • Chosen on the merits. The suite a firm already pays for doesn’t decide which tool fits its work.
  • No product to push. We resell nothing and take no commission or referral fee, so the recommendation is the only thing we sell.
  • One question is enough. If you’re past the starting point, we can take on a single question and answer it for your stack and the tools you already use.

Already past the starting point?

Monthly advisory: each month, what’s sticking, what’s noise and what’s worth piloting next, with flexible hours for calls or ad-hoc evaluations. Priced separately.

Or see where to start

Start with a conversation

Twenty-five minutes. Tell us where the firm is spending its time, and we’ll tell you honestly what AI can and can’t do about it, including when the answer is “not much, yet.”

Peter Barca, Co-founder

Start with a conversation (opens in a new tab)