AI tools for consulting

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping nearly every industry, driving efficiencies, innovations and new ways of doing business. Business consulting—a profession built on human relationships and personalized expertise—is no exception. The impact of AI in consulting is evident through tools such as AI-powered assistants, agents and assets that enhance service delivery.

Consultants have traditionally relied on labor-intensive processes to generate data-driven recommendations. With advancements in AI, particularly generative AI and large language models (LLMs), these tasks can now be completed more quickly, accurately and at scale. AI-driven tools automate routine tasks like data analysis, financial modeling and performance tracking, freeing consultants to focus on higher-level strategy and innovation. This shift increases productivity, accelerates insights and ultimately delivers more value to clients and stakeholders.

AI tools for consulting also improve project management by automating routine tasks and tracking client needs and progress. These tools also give clients greater control by offering self-service options for tasks like data analysis and reporting, allowing them to manage some processes independently while consultants focus on higher-level work.

This shift turns consultants from traditional advisors into outcome accelerators, helping clients harness AI for long-term success. Integrating best AI practices such as AI platform solutions, gen AI, machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), computer vision and search engine optimization (SEO) into consulting workflows allows firms to alter their focus. Consultants can concentrate on strategy, digital transformation, optimizing customer data and fostering customer relationship management (CRM) while AI efficiently handles technical and operational tasks.

The increased use of AI in consulting has accelerated another trend: asset-based consulting. Rather than relying solely on human expertise and manual processes, consulting firms are increasingly developing and using technology-enabled tools, products and AI-trained models to support their services. These solutions apply to various use cases and business needs.

The appeal of asset-based consulting lies in its scalability and long-term value. By developing reusable tools and platforms, firms can turn their expertise into packaged products, reducing the need for human consultants to manually repeat similar tasks for each engagement.

This approach leads to innovative pricing models and enables firms to serve a larger number of clients simultaneously. This includes smaller businesses and startups that might not be able to afford traditional consulting services. Also, clients can continue to use the AI-powered tools and assets to generate insights and improve everything from content creation to operations and overall business efficiency.

The asset-based model also helps firms meet the growing demand for AI-driven services, as clients increasingly seek support in areas such as digital transformation, data science, AI adoption and AI ethics.

Asset-based consulting represents a significant change in how the consulting industry delivers services. By integrating AI-driven tools, firms can offer faster, more scalable AI solutions that reduce manual effort and enhance the accuracy of their insights. These assets help solve specific business problems, shorten project timelines, lower costs and provide clients with continued access to valuable insights even after the consulting engagement ends.

Asset-based consulting uses technology-enabled tools, products and methods to support the design and delivery of consulting services. These elements—assets, agents, assistants and methods—are curated and customized to streamline tasks, solve specific business problems and deliver outcomes faster.

1. Assets
2. Agents and assistants
3. Methods

Assets are software, including fine-tuned AI models, designed to deliver tangible outcomes such as labor productivity, cost efficiency or revenue growth for clients.

These assets can either accelerate the development of custom client solutions or be applied across broader domains, continuing to provide value long after the engagement ends. They offer key advantages such as deeper analytics into datasets, faster time to market, seamless integration across platforms, improved user-friendly experiences, enhanced visualization of data insights and more streamlined processes. Examples of assets include:

• AI models and algorithms that help consultants analyze data, predict outcomes and generate recommendations. Fine-tuned models, proprietary software, complex data and machine learning algorithms allow consultants to process vast amounts of data quickly. Patterns and trends can be identified that would take human teams longer to detect.
  
  
• Process automation tools, such as Robotic Process Automation (RPA), automate routine tasks in areas like supply chain management, finance and IT operations and allow clients to improve operational efficiency.
  
  
• Proprietary databases and benchmarking tools enable clients to compare their performance against industry benchmarks or competitors, providing a data-backed understanding of areas for optimization. Once implemented, clients can continue to use these AI technologies to generate insights and improve efficiency long after consultants have completed their work.
  
  
• Building and integration tools include software that helps generate new code or modernize legacy systems and facilitate seamless integration with other client applications. These tools are key for establishing a reliable, agile technology foundation that supports new business processes and models.
  
  
• Vendor-specific technology tools support the implementation, innovation or management of a specific vendor’s technology stack. This includes specialized providers in customer relationship management (CRM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer experience (CX), cybersecurity, human resources (HR) and more.

Agents and assistants work in tandem to enhance client support. Assistants are generative AI chatbots designed to manage everyday tasks and specific client needs. They handle routine queries, generate reports and provide summaries and recommendations based on real-time data or information specific to a client’s unique processes and business context. These capabilities make support more scalable and tailored.  Assistants can also be customized to support specific job roles or specialized business domains.

Assistants are integrated into asset-based consulting workflows to automate routine tasks, provide real-time insights and assist with complex decision-making. Agents further extend this capability by orchestrating multiple assistants and interacting with other agents. This enables them to handle a wider range and complexity of tasks. Together, agents and assistants deliver full capabilities when applied to client challenges.

For example, a user persona AI assistant might build a detailed profile of a product user, including their demographics and psychographics. Meanwhile, a consumer-focused agent might scan product reviews, extract a recurring complaint, suggest product enhancements to address it and provide implementation guidance. 

Methods are repeatable frameworks that combine various assets and AI tools to achieve specific project goals and client outcomes. These curated approaches allow consultants to consistently deploy technology-driven solutions that are efficient, scalable and adaptable across different types of engagements, ranging from strategy and design to technology implementation to ongoing operations. Methods can also be customized to align with the specifics of a vendor’s technology stack, helping ensure flexibility and relevance to each client’s unique needs.

For instance, consultants can use templates that incorporate AI models, digital platforms and process automation tools together in a framework tailored to a client’s needs. This method reduces the time needed to deliver results while maintaining high-quality outcomes.

Asset-based consulting helps clients harness the power of AI, providing them with AI-driven tools that enhance the traditional consulting model. The practice expands the role of consultants from problem solvers to enablers of digital transformation, guiding clients on the use of digital tools to generate valuable insights. Clients are then able to make more informed, data-driven decisions even after the consulting partnership ends.

By productizing services, consulting firms make expertise more accessible, allowing smaller businesses to benefit from AI-powered platforms and tools. Clients can independently manage tasks like forecasting and performance tracking, lowering costs and enhancing the customer experience.

The proprietary tools offered by consulting businesses also help clients gain a competitive edge by streamlining operations and delivering continuous insights. As data-driven decision-making becomes more crucial, asset-based consulting enables clients to implement more precise strategies and improve their long-term results.

Asset-based consulting offers several key benefits that enhance the delivery of consulting services.

Scalability: Consulting firms can expand their client interactions by deploying tools and platforms across multiple engagements without needing to increase the number of consultants. They can offer scalable solutions, such as SaaS products or AI-driven models, that clients can continue to use after the consulting phase is complete.

Efficiency: By using AI and automation, consultants can significantly reduce the time needed to gather and analyze data, leading to more productive client interactions and quicker project turnaround times. This efficiency enables consultants to move beyond routine execution and bring their expertise and creativity to client engagements. As true partners in transformation, they can focus on delivering better outcomes through actionable insights, all with less manual effort. 

Standardization and consistency: Digital tools and AI models provide consistent, repeatable results, helping ensure that the quality of the service is not dependent solely on individual consultants’ experience. This standardization helps consulting firms deliver reliable and high-quality outcomes across multiple projects.

Continuous value: Many asset-based solutions offer ongoing value through subscription models or continued access to platforms and tools, giving clients a continuous stream of insights and support even after the initial project is completed.

Cost effectiveness: Asset-based consulting enables clients to realize value more quickly, as its technologies allow consultants to deliver similar results in shorter time frames.