Via AgentsROI field report: Dual AI audit engagement — professional services firm (Private Client)
One firm. Two questions. Most vendors only answer one.
A Private Client — a thirty-five-person professional services firm — had the stack modern owners recognize: Copilot trials, ChatGPT Team, a niche automation pilot, and a partner who wanted a single slide that said whether AI was working. They did not need another maturity model. They needed two audits that larger consultancies sell separately but rarely size for SMEs:
US search data clusters both intents under ai audit (~1,300/mo) and ai governance framework (~4,400/mo) — but SERPs mix enterprise GRC platforms with generic checklists. The Private Client wanted one accountable partner to run both gates in sequence, credit the first toward ongoing work, and deliver plain English the owner could act on without a steering committee.
“Risk audit without ROI is fear. ROI audit without risk is reckless. Owner-led firms need both — in that order.” — AgentsROI field observation
Inventory of sanctioned and shadow tools. Client-data exposure paths ranked. Monthly spend reconciled against IT invoices and personal reimbursements. Deliverables: risk register, acceptable-use policy draft, and immediate quarantine list for three workflows that could not wait.
With risk boundaries drawn, measure five information-heavy workflows: intake, follow-up, document retrieval, status reporting, billing narrative. Capture before-hours estimates from staff interviews and system timestamps. Deliverable: prioritized roadmap with one green-lit pilot, two deferred, and two killed — with numbers the owner could take to a partner meeting.
| Shadow tools discovered | 9 across 21 staff |
| Monthly AI spend (true) | $2,140 vs. $1,290 on books (+66% gap) |
| Workflows measured | 5 with before-hours baselines |
| Pilots killed | 2 (no integration path, no owner) |
| Pilot green-lit | 1 — client intake triage in controlled environment |
| Credit applied | Phase 1 fee credited toward Managed AI Operations scoping |
Running ROI first would have optimized workflows still leaking client data. Running risk alone would have left the owner without a costed plan. The Private Client sequence — govern, then prioritize — matches how owner-led firms actually decide: stop the bleeding, then invest where hours return.
Both audits are fixed-fee ($2,500–$7,500 each), creditable toward Managed AI Operations when the firm wants an operator, not another deck.
If you cannot answer both “what is exposed?” and “what earns?” you are not ready for a platform purchase.
Request the dual audit sequence — Shadow-AI Risk Assessment first, Workflow ROI Audit second, one partner accountable end to end.
This article summarizes a real, anonymized engagement conducted by AgentsROI.ai and is presented as an illustrative case study only — not a testimonial or promise of similar results. Search-volume figures reflect DataForSEO US keyword data collected July 2026 where cited. Individual revenue, lead, or compliance outcomes are not reported and should not be inferred. This article is for general informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal, tax, financial, investment, security, or compliance advice. AgentsROI.ai is not a law firm, accounting firm, or registered investment adviser. Readers should verify current information independently and consult qualified professionals regarding obligations specific to their industry, jurisdiction, and circumstances — including applicable New York State and New York City requirements.
