Most SA business owners we meet are over the marketing pitches and want a straight answer: where would AI actually deliver ROI for our specific business, what should we do first, what's a realistic budget, and which vendors aren't going to disappoint us. That's a different conversation from "let's transform your business with AI" — it's the planning conversation that has to happen before any meaningful spend.
We do that conversation. Audit, prioritise, model the numbers, recommend tooling, and lay out a sequencing plan that fits your actual budget and team capacity. Independent of any vendor. Output is a document and a clear next-three-moves list, not a slide deck full of buzzwords.
What we deliver
AI audit
Inventory of current AI/automation, gap analysis, capability assessment. Where you are vs. where you could be.
Opportunity mapping
Specific use cases scored on impact and feasibility for your business. ROI estimates per opportunity.
Prioritised roadmap
What to do in months 1-3, 4-6, 7-12. Sequenced for compounding value, not vendor convenience.
Vendor & tool selection
Concrete recommendations with pros/cons. Independent — no kickbacks, no preferred-vendor distortion.
Build-vs-buy analysis
Honest assessment of where to use SaaS, where to build custom, where in-house team should grow.
Team training
Briefings for leadership, hands-on workshops for operators, governance for risk/compliance.
Engagement options
One-off advisory call (R3,500). 90 minutes on a specific question — vendor selection, technology choice, build-vs-buy. Useful when you have one decision to make and need a second pair of eyes.
Focused engagement (R18,000-R32,000). 2-3 weeks scoped on one area — e.g. customer service AI strategy, document processing roadmap. Output: written recommendations + working session.
Full AI audit + roadmap (R45,000-R85,000). 4-6 weeks comprehensive engagement covering strategy, opportunity mapping, sequencing, tool selection, capability planning. Suitable for businesses planning meaningful AI investment in next 12 months.
Fractional AI advisor (R18,000-R45,000/month). Ongoing retainer for monthly strategy review, vendor management, decision support. For SA mid-market businesses without an in-house AI/data leader.
Team training (R12,000-R45,000). Half-day to multi-week formats. Leadership briefings or hands-on workshops.
How we differ from typical AI consultants
We've actually shipped. Most "AI strategy" consultants haven't built a working AI system in production. We have. Our recommendations come from operating experience, not slide-deck theory.
Vendor-neutral. No kickback agreements, no preferred-vendor distortion. We recommend what fits your situation, including occasionally telling you "you don't need consulting, you need to just buy this off-the-shelf tool".
SA-context aware. POPIA, FAIS, HPCSA, EAAB — we know the regulatory landscape. Cape Town/Joburg market dynamics, ZAR pricing realities, SA talent availability all factor into recommendations.
Honest about uncertainty. AI is moving fast. We tell you when our recommendation is high-confidence ("voice AI is mature enough to deploy now") vs. wait-and-see ("agentic AI for your use case isn't quite there yet"). No false certainty.
How to start
Free 30-min intro call to discuss what you're trying to figure out. We'll suggest the right engagement format — sometimes that's "you don't need consulting, here's the answer" and we don't sell you anything.
Email info@faautosolutions.com or use the contact form.