AI CONSULTANT, HAMPSHIRE
AI consultant for small businesses in Hampshire
I help owner-run businesses in Hampshire and across the south put AI to work on specific jobs: writing proposals and quotes, researching clients before a call, getting answers from your accounts, and training your team to use it well. I build it with you, using the tools you already pay for, and I can work in your office as well as remotely.
Start with a free 30-minute discovery call.
FREE DISCOVERY CALL
30 minon your business, where time goes and whether AI would help
Key points
✓ I support teams at every stage, from people trying AI for the first time to teams ready to run agentic workflows across their systems.
✓ Teams getting started: how AI works, where it helps, where a person needs to check, and a short policy on which data can go into which tool.
✓ Teams already using AI: setting it up for jobs they do every week, such as writing proposals and quotes or researching a client before a call.
✓ Advanced users: building agents in Copilot or Claude that work across your Microsoft 365 data and connect to systems such as Xero.
✓ Every piece of work starts with one process, and we measure the time it takes before and after.
WHAT AI CAN DO
What AI can do in a small business
01
Proposals and quotes
AI reads an enquiry, picks out what the client is asking for, and drafts a proposal or quote in your usual wording. Prices and availability come from your own systems or price list, so the draft is accurate as well as quick. Someone on your team checks it and sends it.
I’ve set up proposal workflows like this for several IT service providers. They estimate their proposals now take around 60% less time to produce. Each one follows the same structure built around what the client will get, and each can still be tailored to the client without hours of extra work.
02
Client research and due diligence
Before a sales call, or before taking on a new client or supplier, AI can pull together the company’s background, its Companies House filings and directors, and recent news, and set out what it means for you. I use this before every call in my own business, and I can set up the same for you.
03
Your accounts in Xero
Xero now connects to Claude and to Microsoft 365 Copilot. Once it’s connected, you can:
✓ Ask about profit, cash, overdue invoices and your top customers in plain English, without building a report
✓ See which clients make up most of your revenue and how quickly each one pays
✓ Ask follow-up questions on the same figures
✓ Use the answers straight away in a proposal, a board pack or a conversation with your accountant
Both connections are read-only, so the AI can’t change anything in your books. The Claude connector is free to add with a Xero subscription; Copilot needs a paid Microsoft 365 Copilot licence.
04
Email, spreadsheets and your other systems
AI agents can summarise long email threads, draft replies, pull figures out of spreadsheets and find documents across Outlook, Excel and Teams, limited to what each person already has access to. With an automation connected, it can also fetch data from other systems, such as stock or job management, so answers come from your own figures.
WORKSHOPS
AI workshops for your team
Workshops run from two hours to a full day, in your office or online, and are built around your business. Each one uses examples from your own work, so the team tries things out on real documents during the session.
LEVEL 1 · FOR TEAMS NEW TO AI
Getting started with AI
How AI models work, what tokens and context mean in practice, where AI helps and where a person needs to check, the guardrails to put in place, and a short AI use policy so everyone knows which data can go into which tool. We finish by walking through one of your own processes, such as a quote or a proposal.
LEVEL 2 · FOR TEAMS ALREADY USING AI
Putting AI to work
For teams already using Copilot, ChatGPT or Claude day to day. Projects and saved assistants for repeated jobs, writing proposals and quotes, researching clients, and getting answers from Xero and Microsoft 365. Each person leaves with an assistant set up for a job they do every week.
LEVEL 3 · ADVANCED
Agents, skills and integrations
For teams ready to connect AI to their systems. Building skills and agents, connectors and MCP, Copilot Studio, Power Automate and API integrations, and how to keep access read-only until it has proved itself. We build and test examples for your business during the session.
INVESTMENT
Ways to work together
30 MINUTES · START HERE
Discovery call
Free
30 minutes on your business, where time goes and whether AI would help.
TWO HOURS TO A FULL DAY · ONLINE
Remote workshop
From £595 + VAT
Two hours to a full day online, tailored to your team.
TWO HOURS TO A FULL DAY · AT YOUR OFFICE
In-person workshop
From £1,500 + VAT
Two hours to a full day at your office, tailored to your team.
HOW I WORK
How I introduce AI safely
Every piece of work follows the same five steps: one process at a time, a person checking what goes out, and read-only access to your systems until it’s proved itself.
01
One process first
The one where most of the time goes today, often quotes or proposals.
02
Use what you have
If you’re on Microsoft 365, that usually means Copilot. If not, Claude or ChatGPT. New software only where it’s needed.
03
A person signs off
Nothing goes to a client without someone checking it.
04
Guardrails from the start
Admin settings, which data goes into which tool, read-only access to your systems at first.
05
Before and after
We measure time per task and response time to clients, so you know whether it’s working.
CLIENT WORK
An example
An aviation parts supplier asked for help with quotes, which took most of its sales team’s time. We ran a workshop for the team: 20 minutes on how AI works and how it connects to their systems, then a walk-through of a real quote. The setup we’re building reads the customer’s email in Outlook, fetches price and stock data from their existing system, and drafts the quote for a person to check and send. It uses the Microsoft 365 and Copilot licences they already had.
ABOUT ME
Justin Neale
I’m Justin Neale, founder of The Value Alchemists, based in Bishops Waltham between Winchester and Southampton. I spent 25 years in corporate, including running NAVBLUE UK, an Airbus subsidiary, as Managing Director and VP Customer Experience. I have been using AI solutions long before ChatGPT was released and now use AI throughout my own business, for prospect research, proposals, reporting and finance, and give talks on how businesses can use AI to simplify and accelerate their own operations.
25 years
corporate experience, including Airbus group.
Stop Chasing AI
talk at South Coast Technology Leaders
AREAS COVERED
Where I work
On-site across Hampshire, including Southampton, Winchester, Portsmouth, Basingstoke and Eastleigh, and in Sussex and Dorset. Remotely anywhere in the UK.
Southampton Winchester Portsmouth Basingstoke Eastleigh Sussex Dorset
FAQS
AI consultancy FAQs
Do we need to buy new software?
Usually not. Many small businesses already have AI in Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, or can use Claude or ChatGPT on a business plan. I recommend extra licences or automation tools only where a specific job needs them, and tell you the cost first.
Is our data safe?
Business plans from Microsoft, Anthropic and OpenAI have commercial data terms, and Copilot only sees what each person already has access to. We also decide together which data can go into which tool, and start with read-only access to your systems.
Which AI tool should we use?
The one that fits what you already use. If you’re on Microsoft 365, Copilot is usually the place to start. If you use Google Workspace or nothing in particular, Claude or ChatGPT.
Can you train our team?
Yes. Workshops run from two hours to a full day, from an introduction for teams getting started through to building agents and integrations. Remote workshops start at £595 + VAT and in-person workshops at £1,500 + VAT.
Can you come to our office?
Yes, anywhere in Hampshire and across the south. Much of the follow-up work can be done remotely.
How quickly will we see a difference?
It depends on the process. We agree the measure at the start, such as time per quote, and check it before and after.
Next step
Book a free 30-minute discovery call. By the end of it you’ll know whether AI would help with the jobs that take your time, and where to start.