How to choose the right AI tools for your business
By Denise Aitken, Founder of Suantraí Solutions
Published
Before you buy an AI tool, ask three questions: what are we connecting it to, what are we asking it to do, and where are we directing it?
Those questions turn a persuasive demonstration into a decision you can test. The right tool needs to work with your information, fit the people doing the work and produce a result worth the cost of using and checking it.
AI is extraordinarily capable. But it needs organisational context, and we need to be able to guide it.
1. What are we connecting it to?
A tool that helps rewrite a public service description has different requirements from one that searches client records or draws from a precedent library.
Start by identifying the information required for the task. Where does it live? Who owns it? Which version is authoritative? Who should be able to access it? What is missing because it still exists largely in someone’s head?
Then ask the vendor specific questions about the product and plan you would buy:
- What information is stored, for how long, and by whom?
- Is submitted information used to train models, and under which settings or terms?
- How are access restrictions applied when the tool connects to other systems?
- What can administrators see, control and remove?
- What happens to your information when you stop using the service?
Record the answers and their source. A broad security statement or a familiar brand name does not settle whether a particular configuration is suitable for your work.
If the tool depends on business documents that are scattered or outdated, include that preparation in the decision. We do not need everything to be perfect, but we do need to understand what we are giving AI to work with.
2. Are we automating the future or the past?
Many processes were designed around systems and limitations that no longer exist. Before making a process faster, ask whether all its steps are still necessary.
Suppose a team copies enquiry details from an email into a spreadsheet and then into a customer system. The first question is whether information can be captured once. AI might help interpret an unstructured enquiry, but straightforward integration may remove the duplicate entry without it.
Describe the improved workflow before comparing products. Be specific about what remains human, what the software should do and when an exception needs attention.
Also review what you already own. An existing platform may offer a suitable capability, although availability, licensing and configuration still need checking. Your Organisation Probably Has More Technology Than It Realises explores that question.
3. Where are we directing it?
“Better productivity” is difficult to evaluate. “Reduce the time needed to prepare a checked first draft” gives you something to measure.
Define the intended result before the trial. Agree what acceptable quality means, who assesses it and what would cause you to stop. Include review time, subscription costs, setup, training and ongoing administration.
Two tools may both produce fluent text. One may need more correction, handle your documents less reliably or create more work moving information between systems. Those differences matter more than a long feature list.
Use the same comparison sheet for each option
| Decision | Evidence to collect |
|---|---|
| Task fit | Results on the same representative examples |
| Information suitability | Relevant terms, settings, access controls and data flows |
| Output quality | Errors, omissions and reviewer corrections |
| Workflow fit | Steps removed, steps added and handovers needed |
| Team capability | Training and support needed to use it well |
| Full cost | Licences, setup, checking and ongoing administration |
| Exit | Ability to export necessary records and close access |
A serious information-handling problem should not be cancelled out by good scores elsewhere. Resolve it before using that information in the tool.
Is there one best AI tool for small business?
There is no useful universal answer without knowing the task. A standalone assistant, a feature inside your existing software and a specialist industry tool may solve different problems. Shortlist the category that fits the job, then test the actual products and plans.
Should I choose ChatGPT, Copilot or another assistant?
Use the same three questions. Start with your workflow and information boundaries, then examine the current products that could support them. A product name alone does not tell you which plan, controls or integrations you would need.
When the difficult decision is about your firm
If you cannot yet answer those questions for your law firm, Suantraí Core helps you examine the organisation behind the purchase: its information, knowledge, processes, technology and people.
AUD $650 - Founding Firm rate, including the assessment, personalised AI Readiness Report and 90 days of Decision Navigator access.