--- title: "Have an AI agent built that runs in production" description: "We build it on your own data, inside the systems you already use. It is live in 2 to 4 weeks, and your team owns it." canonical: "https://www.whatsnext-ai.com/ai-agents" --- # Have an AI agent built that runs in production We build it on your own data, inside the systems you already use. It is live in 2 to 4 weeks, and your team owns it. ## Built to be in the 5% that work. 95% of enterprise GenAI pilots return zero ROI. (Source: MIT NANDA, State of AI in Business 2025, https://nanda.media.mit.edu) - 2–4 wks to first agent live: Scoped, built and running, well within a quarter. - 80% fewer ad-hoc requests: At CustomerGauge, where agents handle product questions from start to finish. - €0.05 per resolved ticket, against €5.00 handled by staff: Live at Just Carpets, 100,000+ conversations handled. ## Three things that separate agents that run from pilots that die. - 01 It knows where it stops: Before we build, we write down what it does, what it never does and when it hands over to a person. - 02 It works inside your tools: Your CRM, your accounting, your mailbox. It reads and works there, so nothing has to move. - 03 It asks when unsure: When it is unsure, it asks before it acts. Anything that matters waits for a person, and you can stop it with one switch. ## From first call to running, in weeks. - 01 Explore (2–3 hours): We map the work and pick the one job an agent should take first. - 02 Design (2 days): We write down what it does, where it stops and who approves, and check it with your team before we build anything. - 03 Build and launch (2–4 weeks): We build it, test it against real cases from your own work, and switch it on. - 04 Improve (continuous): It runs, we watch, and it gets better every few days. ### How the agent works - Intake: request - Memory: what it knows - Reason: the model - Tools: your systems - Limits: what it may do - Handover: to a person ## Real agents, running in real companies. A sample of what agents do every day. - Tender Agent (Bid & Tender): 4 → 45 tenders / year. Researches, drafts and qualifies tender bids. Live at CIRFOOD. - Client Manager (Customer Success): 2,000+ client updates / month. Sends clients status updates before they ask, with no person in between. - Ads Agent (Marketing): 60 hrs editing time removed / month. Makes ad creatives and improves them based on results. - Reporting Agent (Finance): 30 hrs report writing removed / month. Pulls the numbers and writes the narrative. - Email Agent (Sales): 10 min urgent-email response time. Sorts incoming email by urgency and drafts replies as soon as it arrives. ## We pushed tender review timelines from weeks to hours. > The team at What's Next have proven to be strong, reliable partners in translating AI ambition into tangible results. > > Stefano Teatini, General Manager ## Runs from day one. Yours from day one. - Watched from day one: Every action is logged, someone gets an alert when it is unsure, and you can stop it with one switch. This is built in from the start. - You own everything: Code, documentation and access are yours. Your team can run, check and extend the agent without us. - Safe by default: ISO 27001 certified and GDPR compliant. Your customer data never trains a model. Hosted in the EU. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does it cost to have an AI agent built? We work with a fixed price for a clear scope instead of hourly billing, so you know the cost before we start. The amount depends on what the agent does and which systems it touches, weighed against the return you can expect. See our full guide to [what an AI agent costs](https://www.whatsnext-ai.com/blog/how-much-does-an-ai-agent-cost). ### Is this just a chatbot? No. A chatbot answers questions and waits for the next one. Our agents do the work themselves. They take actions in your existing tools and carry a task from start to finish, like a digital colleague who finishes the job. Curious whether your team is ready? [See if you're ready for an AI assistant](https://www.whatsnext-ai.com/tools/ai-assistent). ### How long does it take to build a production AI agent? Usually 2–4 weeks. First we map what the agent does and which systems it connects to. Then we spend about two weeks building it and connecting it to your systems, followed by testing and handover. Because we start with one clearly defined task, you see it working within weeks. ### What does it cost to run in production? Running costs depend on the scope, the volume of work and the models involved. We tell you what they are before you commit. We work out the expected return first, so you can weigh the running cost against the hours or money the agent saves. In most cases it costs a fraction of the manual work it replaces. For the full breakdown, see our guide to [what an AI agent costs](https://www.whatsnext-ai.com/blog/how-much-does-an-ai-agent-cost). ### How does it connect to our existing tools? Through the connections your systems already offer, so it reads and works inside your CRM, email, ticketing, accounting and document storage. Where a connection is missing, we build one. The agent fits the way you already work. ### What happens when the agent is unsure or hits an edge case? It stops and asks. When it is unsure, or meets something it was not built for, it hands over to a person with the full context. For sensitive actions a person approves before anything irreversible happens. The log shows what it did and why, and you can pause it at any moment. ### How do you handle safety and compliance? We are ISO 27001 certified and GDPR compliant, with a data processing agreement as standard. Agents run on your own systems or in an EU cloud. Every action is logged, you get an alert when something is off, and you control the stop switch. Your data is never used to train AI models. Access follows your existing security rules, so an agent only touches what it is meant to. ## Take one job off your team's desk this month. Start with one task. See it running in weeks. [Contact](https://www.whatsnext-ai.com/contact)