Quotes take too long
Requests arrive from different places, and someone retypes the same details into quotes, invoices or the CRM.
Ontario AI consulting · based in Ancaster
Steve WaltersFounder, Wallai · Ancaster, Ontario
Practical AI consulting for Ontario businesses.
I'm Steve Walters, founder of Wallai in Ancaster. I help Ontario businesses adopt AI and put useful workflows to work on the systems they already use. We start with one bottleneck, test the result, and train the team before expanding.
Manufacturing and ERP work shows what that approach looks like in practice. The same starting question applies when your challenge is quoting, reporting, admin work, or helping people use tools they already pay for.
Steve WaltersFounder, Wallai · Ancaster, Ontario
A sensible starting point
Repetitive workFind the bottleneck
Approved inputsTest one change
Checked outputTrain the team
Illustrative process, not a promised result.
Where to begin
Start with the work that keeps getting stuck.
You do not need an AI roadmap to name an awkward part of the week. These are useful places to investigate, then measure against how work happens today.
Reports have to be rebuilt
Useful answers live in an ERP or other system, but getting them means another export and spreadsheet.
Paid tools go unused
People have access to AI or automation tools without a safe, specific task they trust those tools to handle.
Answers are buried
Customer history, order patterns or recurring exceptions are there; the team cannot get a usable view quickly.
Two jobs, one practical plan
Build something useful. Help people use it.
AI implementation is only useful if the workflow fits the people who run it. Sometimes the better fix is simpler reporting, cleaner data or an ordinary automation.
Give each role a safe, useful task.
I start with what people actually do. Together we agree which tools and data are appropriate, where a human checks the output, and how the team will use the new workflow.
Why paid AI tools go unusedPut one bottleneck on a better path.
That might be a small AI assistant, a dashboard, or an automation built around the systems you already use. I check the outputs with you before building around them.
What a scoped Build involves
A clear path
One decision at a time.
We decide whether each step earns the next. Scope, deliverables and fees are agreed in writing before paid work starts.
- 01
Free conversation
Bring one recurring problem. We talk through the work behind it and whether Wallai can help.
What happens on the call - 02
Scoped assessment
When the problem needs deeper work, I review the operation and rank the useful opportunities with you.
See The Assessment - 03
Written-quote build
We agree on the workflow, data access, checks, timeline, training and handover before a build begins.
See The Build - 04
Agreed ongoing help
If the team needs hands-on guidance or continuing AI capacity, we agree what that work covers.
Compare ways to work
Evidence from real work
A useful result looks specific.
These are de-identified engagements, not typical results or a forecast for your business. Names are removed; the scope and limits matter.
Lapsed accounts surfaced for review
Six years of order history were classified by buying trajectory. The 264 accounts were found in that client's data; the public case does not say those accounts or their revenue were recovered.
Read the case studyLess retyping across quotes and invoices
One dashboard brought inbox orders and field requests into a templated quote flow, follow-ups and CRM handoff. This is a separate engagement from the manufacturer above.
See the full proofFor the ERP reporting example, see the Infor VISUAL KPI case and the VISUAL service page. Those are more projects with the same manufacturer, not additional independent clients.
How a build stays useful
Check the answer before you scale it.
The exact work changes by project. These checks keep a small test tied to a real task rather than a tool demo.
- 01
Name the bottleneck
Agree what takes time or hides a useful decision today.
- 02
Approve the data
Choose what can be accessed and what must stay out.
- 03
Test small
Compare a sample output with the current way of working.
- 04
Build and connect
Use the existing tools where they fit; agree any integration first.
- 05
Check the outputs
Keep a person responsible for decisions and exceptions.
- 06
Train and hand over
Show the team how to run it and agree what support follows.
Fit and limits
The work needs an owner on your side.
A useful project needs access to the right people and approved information. Someone in your business has to judge whether the output is right and help the team change its routine.
If data access is unclear, capacity is tight, or the problem is still too broad to test, I would start by narrowing the task. AI is not the answer to every broken process, and I cannot promise a specific saving before seeing the work.
Meet Steve and see how I workBefore a build starts
- One owner for the problem
- Approved access to relevant data
- A way to check the result
- Time for the team to learn the change
Buyer questions
What should you ask first?
The answer depends on the workflow. These are the checks I would make before suggesting a tool or build.
Where should a small business start with AI?
Start with a recurring task whose current time, errors or delays you can see. On the free call, we can pressure-test one candidate. The starting guide explains how to choose without launching a company-wide project.
Can you work with the ERP or software we already use?
Often, yes, but access and methods depend on the installation and permissions. A past Infor VISUAL project used a read-only API; that method should not be assumed for every system. I check the available data and a safe route before quoting an integration.
What happens to customer or employee data?
We agree which data is needed, who can access it, and what should stay out of consumer AI tools. Any tool or connection needs to fit your own rules. See the data safety guide for the questions to ask.
Will you train the team?
Training and handover should match the work being built and the people using it. We set those deliverables in the written scope. If you want to build capability alongside me, Concierge is another way to work.
What does AI consulting cost?
Cost depends on the data, integrations, scope, testing, training and ongoing help involved. I discuss the problem first, then put deliverables and fees in writing before paid work starts. The cost guide explains the drivers without pretending every project has the same price.
Do you work beyond Ancaster?
Wallai is based in Ancaster and works with Ontario businesses. The right working arrangement depends on the project, so we can discuss delivery and access needs on the first call.
Start small
Bring the bottleneck. We'll find the first useful move.
A free conversation is enough to decide whether a closer look would help. No prep deck required.