AI consulting and implementation
We bring AI into your business, and train your team to use it.
ottertail studio is an AI consulting and implementation firm. We spend time with your team, review your tools and processes, connect AI to the software you already use (or set up better tools where they fit), and train your staff until it's part of the routine.
We work inside the tools you already pay for
The problem
Most AI projects stall after the demo.
95% of generative AI pilots never show up on the P&L, according to MIT research. The model is rarely the problem. Most pilots are never connected to real systems and real data, and nobody trains the people who are meant to use them.
The pilot that never went live
A proof of concept that impressed in a meeting, then stalled because nobody connected it to the systems the team actually uses.
The tool nobody opened twice
A licence for every seat, a launch email, and nobody showing the team how it fits their actual work.
The roadmap with no first step
A long AI strategy deck with no budget, no owner and no first project.
Why a specialist
The right partner changes the odds.
MIT NANDA's 2025 report, The GenAI Divide, reviewed 300 public AI deployments. It found that most pilots stall, and that companies working with a specialist partner succeed about twice as often as those building on their own.
- of generative AI pilots show no measurable P&L impact
- 95%
- MIT NANDA, 2025
- success rate when companies work with a specialist partner
- 67%
- MIT NANDA, 2025
- success rate for companies building on their own
- 22–33%
- MIT NANDA, 2025
- from kickoff to a costed build plan
- 2 weeks
- with our AI Opportunity Audit
How we help
We come in, set it up, and train your team.
Every engagement follows the same four steps, on site anywhere in Canada or the US, or online. After launch, we stay on call.
Learn how you work
We spend time with the people who do the work, on site anywhere in Canada or the US, or online, and map how each process really runs.
Review your tools and processes
We review the tools, data and handoffs involved, find where the hours go, and rank where AI pays off first.
Put AI to work
We connect AI to the tools you already use, or set up new ones where they fit better, and test it on your real work.
Train your team
Hands-on sessions for each role, a written playbook and office hours, so your team can run it without us.
Where we help
Where we put AI to work
We focus on the teams where AI pays back fastest: the people who win customers and the people who keep the business running.
Marketing
We set your team up to produce more content, campaigns and reporting, with your brand rules built in.
AI for marketing about MarketingAI search visibility
Show up when buyers ask ChatGPT, Perplexity or Gemini for a recommendation, not just when they search Google.
How GEO works about AI search visibilitySales
We set up account research, lead routing and CRM updates, so reps spend their time in conversations.
Customer support
Repetitive questions answered instantly, and everything else routed to a person with the full context.
Operations and finance
Invoices, reconciliations, reports and internal questions handled with far less copy and paste.
AI for operations about Operations and financeAI training for your staff
Hands-on sessions that teach each role to use AI in their own work, safely and well.
AI training about AI training for your staff
Tools and process review
We start with what you already have
Before we recommend anything, we review every tool and process the work touches. You get a clear list of what to keep, where to connect AI, what to add and what to retire.
- Every tool your team uses, and what it's for
- Where the hours go in each process
- New tools only where they beat what you have
Training
Your team leaves knowing how to use it.
Most AI tools fail because nobody shows people how they fit their actual job. Training is part of every engagement, not an add-on.
- Hands-on sessions for each role, using your own work
- A written playbook and prompt library to keep
- 30 days of office hours after launch
Why ottertail
Why teams pick ottertail
We do the work ourselves
We have run the marketing and operations work we automate, and we set it up ourselves. No hand-off to a junior team.
Used every day, or it doesn't count
We measure success in hours saved, revenue earned, and whether your team actually uses what we set up.
Vendor-neutral
We take no commissions. We pick the right model and tool for each job, and tell you when you don't need anything new.
You own everything
Code, prompts, playbooks and documentation are yours. No lock-in, no licence to keep paying.
Who you'll work with
The person you meet is the person who does the work
Akshay spent years on infrastructure teams at AWS and Stripe, where systems have to work every time. He has also spent more than ten years running SEO and Google Ads for small businesses, so he knows the day-to-day work AI is meant to help with.
He leads every engagement himself, from the first interview to the last training session.
Most AI projects fail somewhere between the demo and Monday morning. Usually the tool is fine. Nobody fitted it to the work, or showed the team how to use it. That's the part we care about most.
Compare
How we compare
Three common ways to bring AI into a business, and what you typically get from each.
| Compare | ottertail studio | AI software tools | Large consultancies |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you get | AI set up in your tools and workflows, and a team trained to use it | A licence to a general-purpose product | Strategy, roadmaps and large transformation programs |
| Time to first result | A costed plan in 2 weeks, in everyday use 4 to 8 weeks later | Set up in days; adoption depends on your team | Typically several months |
| Typical cost | CA$10,000 audit, then projects from CA$25,000 | Per-seat or usage fees that grow with your team | Usually six figures or more |
| Fit to your workflows | Designed around how your team already works | Your team adapts to the product | Custom, after an extended discovery phase |
| Who does the work | The senior person who scoped it, on site or online | Your own team | Mixed teams, often with a large delivery bench |
| Integration with your systems | Included in every project | Limited to built-in connectors | Often scoped as a separate project |
| Training for your staff | Hands-on sessions by role and a playbook, included | Help articles and video tutorials | Often a separate change-management program |
| Ownership | You own the code, prompts and playbooks | You rent access to the vendor's product | Varies by contract and platform |
| Commitment | Fixed scope per project, no long-term contract | Monthly or annual subscription | Multi-month statements of work |
A general comparison of typical options, not of any specific company. Individual vendors and engagements vary. Our prices are in Canadian dollars and exclude applicable taxes.
FAQ
Common questions
What does an AI consulting and implementation firm do?
We come into your business, learn how your team works and find where AI will save time or earn money. Then we set it up inside the tools you already use, or bring in new ones where they fit better, and train your staff to use it. Strategy firms stop at the plan and software vendors stop at the licence. We stay until your team is using it.
Do you come on site?
Yes. We work on site anywhere in Canada and the US, or fully online if you prefer. We recommend on site for the kickoff and the training sessions, and online in between.
Do we have to buy new software?
Usually not. We start with the tools you already pay for. If a new tool would do the job better, we tell you what it costs and why, then set it up and train your team on it. We take no commissions from vendors.
We already pay for AI tools nobody uses. Can you help?
Yes, and it's common. We look at how your team works, set the tools up for real tasks and train each role to use them. Often the fastest win is getting value from software you already own.
How much does it cost?
The first consultation is free. Paid work starts with a CA$10,000 fixed-fee AI Opportunity Audit, credited in full to your first project. Implementation projects start at CA$25,000 and run 4 to 8 weeks, with training included. All prices are in Canadian dollars and exclude applicable taxes.
How long until something is in use?
Usually 4 to 8 weeks after the audit. We put one workflow into everyday use first and train the team on it, then add more once it's working.
Does our data need to be clean first?
No. Part of the audit is checking which data you have and how good it is. Many useful projects work with the documents, inboxes and tools you already have.
Will our data be used to train AI models?
No. We use business API terms where providers don't train on your data, and we keep your data in your own systems wherever possible. See our security page for details.
Is this about replacing people?
It's about removing repetitive work and teaching your people to use AI well. The time saved usually goes into growing without hiring as fast, or into work that needs judgement.
Who do you work with?
Companies with roughly 50 to 1,000 people across Canada and the US, usually led by an operations, revenue or finance leader who wants AI to show up in the numbers.
Find out where AI fits in your business.
Book a free 30-minute consultation. Tell us how your team works today, and we'll tell you honestly whether AI can help and where we'd start.