Resser Solutions

Strategy · · 7 min read

Five Signs You Need an AI Consultant (And Two Signs You Don't)

When to bring in outside AI engineering help, when to build internally, and how to decide which problem belongs to which.

Written byAlen Žarković, CEO and Tech LeadAsk us first →

The signs you need an AI consultant, or more precisely someone who has shipped AI to production, usually show up before the team admits it. Most CTOs bring help in too late, after the prototype has quietly stalled and the budget conversation has turned awkward.

Five signs you need help

  1. 01Your prototype demos well but hasn't reached production in 3+ months.
  2. 02Costs are unpredictable, and finance cannot budget the feature for next quarter.
  3. 03The model 'behaves differently on Tuesday than on Monday' and no one knows why.
  4. 04There is no eval set in the repository. Quality is judged by someone spot-checking outputs by hand.
  5. 05Integration with the CRM, ERP or database is on the roadmap but keeps slipping.

Two signs you don't

  • Your team has shipped AI to production before and the system runs well. You need staff augmentation, not consultancy.
  • Your problem is generic and an off-the-shelf tool already handles it (Dust, Pipedream, Zapier AI, etc.). A consultant will tell you the same.

What a good AI consultant should hand you

Advice is only useful if you can act on it. Whoever you hire, the engagement should end in a document you keep, with a decision in it, not a list of possibilities. These are the shapes we offer, all fixed fee, so you can compare like with like.

SituationEngagementDurationFee
Deciding whether AI is worth building at allAI readiness assessmentTwo weeks€9,500 to €14,000
A pilot exists and is stuckFive day reviewFive working days€4,500 to €6,500
You know what to build and need a real numberDiscovery weekOne weekFixed, low five figures
No senior technical lead in houseFractional CTOThree months minimum€3,500 to €6,000 per month

The assessment fee comes off the first invoice if we go on to build what it recommends, on projects above €50,000, valid six months. If you take the document to another supplier, that is a fair outcome too.

FAQ

Frequently asked.

When should we hire an AI consultant?

Before you start the project if you've never shipped AI to production. Or as soon as a prototype is past 3 months without reaching real users. The longer you wait, the more sunk cost gets in the way of changing direction.

What's the difference between an AI consultancy and an AI development agency?

A consultancy that has never shipped writes recommendations and leaves. A development agency builds what it is told. The useful middle is advice from people who also build: a written assessment, and the option to have the same team deliver it. If you need a 60 page strategy deck for the board, we are not the right call.

Can a consultant work with our existing engineering team?

Yes, that's the most common engagement model at Resser. Small Resser team alongside your engineers, code review both ways, your team owns the system at handover.

What does an AI consulting engagement look like?

Usually a fixed fee assessment that ends in a written document. Two weeks if you are deciding whether to build, five days if something exists and is stuck, a discovery week if you know what you want. Ongoing advice runs as a fractional CTO arrangement with a three month minimum rather than an open ended retainer.

Still deciding? Get a straight answer first.

Tell us what you are weighing up. We reply within one business day with whether an assessment makes sense for you, which one, and what it would cost.

Request an assessment→Consulting options →