What professional services firms do you work with?

Primarily professional services firms and small-to-medium sized enterprises — including regulated businesses that handle sensitive client data, manage complex workflows, and run on multiple software systems. If that describes your firm, we are likely a good fit.

How do you handle data security and client confidentiality?

This is central to everything we build. We configure AI tools to use firm data only within the scope of the task, do not use client data to train external models, and build governance policies so your team knows exactly what data goes where. We are happy to work within your existing data security framework or help you build one.

Do AI agents work with our existing practice management software?

In most cases, yes. We build API integrations for the main platforms used in UK professional services — including Clio, LEAP, Xero, CCH, Iris, Intelligent Office, Salesforce and others. We assess compatibility at the start of every engagement.

How long does an AI agent project take?

A scoped single-agent project typically runs four to eight weeks from kick-off to handover. API integration projects vary by complexity. We always start with the free one-hour consultation to scope the work before committing to a timeline.

The free one-hour consultation costs nothing. Scoped agent and integration projects are priced on complexity. We usually start with some coaching and consultancy, billed by the hour, before working with you to scope out larger changes. This way means once you are comfortable with what AI can do to help, you get more out of us and the solution we help you build. We provide a fixed-price proposal after the consultation so there are no surprises.

Do we need a technical person in-house to work with you?

No. We work directly with practice managers, partners and fee earners. We design everything to be operated by non-technical staff and leave you with clear documentation and training.

What happens on the free consultation?

It is a one-hour conversation, by video call or in person. We ask how your business runs, which systems you use and where the time goes. We then suggest where AI would help most, what it would roughly cost and what we would leave alone. If nothing is worth doing, we will tell you.

Do I need a technical background for coaching?

No. Coaching starts from the work you already do, and we explain everything in plain English. One of our clients rebuilt his own business website after a few days of hands-on coaching.

Is the workflow app hosted by you or do we manage it ourselves?

We offer both. We can host and manage the workflow app on your behalf (fully managed), or deploy it into your own cloud environment if you prefer to retain control. We cover the options and trade-offs in the free one-hour consultation.

What kinds of businesses do you work with?

UK SMEs and professional services firms of all kinds — from sole traders and small teams to firms with 50+ staff. We have particular experience in financial services, accountancy, and legal, but the approach works for any business running on manual processes and disconnected systems. If your team is spending significant time on repetitive tasks that should be automated, we are likely a good fit.

What does a typical project cost?

The free one-hour consultation costs nothing. Scoped agent and integration projects are priced on complexity. We usually start with some coaching and consultancy, billed by the hour, before working with you to scope out larger changes. This way means once you are comfortable with what AI can do to help, you get more out of us and the solution we help you build. We provide a fixed-price proposal after the consultation so there are no surprises. Most clients see full payback within the first year through time savings alone.

AI agents & automation · UK professional services

AI that fits the way your business actually works.

AI agents, a connected workflow app, and API integrations — built as a system, not three separate projects.

Stour Valley AI helps UK SMEs and professional services firms replace slow manual processes with AI that actually does the work. We build AI agents for specific workflows, a web app so your team can see and manage what's happening, and API connections so your existing systems talk to each other automatically. Built around how your business operates — not a generic template dropped on top of it.

Book a free consultation Our services

Three products. One joined-up system.

We don't hand you a chatbot and walk away. We build AI agents, connect your existing systems, and give you a central place to manage it all.

What we do

Three products. One joined-up system.

AI Agents

AI that does the work, not just the drafting.

We build purpose-built AI agents for the specific workflows that consume time in your business: client onboarding, document processing, data extraction, meeting summaries, report generation, and data updates. Each agent is scoped to a defined task, tested against your real work, and handed over with documentation your team can operate day to day. No generic chatbots. No off-the-shelf tools that almost fit.

Workflow App — Your business data, organised and accessible

Collect, display and retrieve the information that runs your firm — from anywhere.

A web-based app configured to how your business runs: workflow tracking, document management, internal reporting dashboards, and team task management. Your AI agents write into it. Your team reads from it. It replaces the spreadsheets, shared drives, and email threads that currently pass for a system — and gives you a single place to see what's happening across the business.

API Integrations

Connect the systems you already pay for — and link them to your AI agents.

Most SMEs run on a patchwork of CRM, accounting software, project management tools, document storage, and client portals that don't naturally talk to each other. We build the API and MCP connections that make data flow between your existing systems automatically — and connect them to your AI agents so information moves between platforms rather than being re-keyed by hand.

Advice and support

Not ready to build yet? Start with advice.

AI Consultancy

A clear plan before you spend anything on a build.

We review how your business runs today, where the time goes and which tasks are worth automating. You get a prioritised plan: what to automate first, which tools fit your existing systems, the data and compliance points to check, and a realistic cost and payback for each step. It is useful whether you build with us, with someone else or in-house. It starts with a free one-hour consultation call.

AI Coaching

Help your team use AI properly, day to day.

One-to-one and small-group sessions for business owners and teams who want to use tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and Microsoft Copilot with confidence. We work on your real tasks, not generic examples: writing, research, summarising, spreadsheets and client emails. We also give clear guidance on what should never go into an AI tool. Book a single session or a short programme, in person across Suffolk and Essex or online.

“Stour Valley AI didn't just do the job for me; they gave me the skills and confidence to do it myself.”

Guy Williamson, Park Lane Business Centre

Book your free consultation

The founders

Dr Jez Bezant and James Everard bring business judgement and technical depth into the same room.

Dr Jez Bezant

Jez has spent his career in regulated, relationship-led service businesses — including financial services — where operational discipline and client trust are non-negotiable. He understands the pressure that builds inside growing firms and what it takes to introduce change without breaking what already works. He led the design of Stour Valley AI's AI agent suite, drawing directly on his experience of compliance-heavy, relationship-led service environments.

James Everard

James brings deep experience in AI, data engineering, automation and modern IT delivery. He has designed and built data pipelines, automation workflows and AI integrations for organisations ranging from small businesses to enterprise. He designed and built the API integration layer and intranet infrastructure that underpins Stour Valley AI's client deployments.

Reference

“James knows how to get things built. His expertise spans low-level software engineering to state-of-the-art methods in AI. He has been building product powered by Machine Learning for longer than I have had a career, and does not shy back from novel experimentation. When James joined our company, Humanising Autonomy, he added not just wisdom, but also a sense of play. He will not just help you build the technology you need, but do it whilst having the time of your life. Not only will he add taste to the initial idea, within days he'll have a working prototype of your vision, and make it run reliably. I would work with James again in a heartbeat.”

Leslie Nooteboom, Gemini Prototyping, Google DeepMind

Specialist experience in regulated financial services and legal environments
Data security and compliance built into every engagement
Practical advice before software spend
Training designed for non-technical teams
Clear governance for safe day-to-day usage

How the three parts work together

Most firms don't need three separate projects. They need a joined-up system.

Here's how it works in practice:

A client submits a document. The AI agent extracts the key data and writes it directly into our workflow app or your CRM — no manual entry, no re-keying.
Your workflow app shows the status of every matter in real time — who needs to act, what's outstanding, what's been completed — without anyone having to update a spreadsheet.
When the agent completes a task, the output flows automatically into the right system via the API connection. Data moves between platforms. People don't have to move it.

You can start with one part. Most clients end up with all three.

How we work

Small enough to be personal. Structured enough to be useful.

Understand your firm

We map your workflows, systems, data and compliance requirements before recommending anything.

Identify the right agents

We pinpoint the repetitive, structured tasks where an AI agent creates measurable time savings without introducing risk.

Build and test with your people

We build the agent or integration, test it against real work, and keep feedback loops short.

Deploy, document and support

We leave you with a working system, full documentation, and a plan for continuous improvement.

Workflow clarityKnow which processes are worth automating and which should stay human.

Measured gainsTrack time saved, quality improved and adoption across the team.

Confident teamsGive staff the language, habits and boundaries to use AI well.

Client outcomes

What does this actually deliver for a professional services firm?

IFA practice, 6 advisers

The problem: Advisers were spending 45–60 minutes after each client meeting writing up meeting notes, updating the CRM and drafting the follow-up letter — all from memory.
What we did: We built an AI agent that takes the meeting transcript, generates a structured summary, updates the CRM record and drafts the client letter — all reviewed and sent by the adviser in under five minutes.
The outcome: Post-meeting administration reduced from ~50 minutes to under 10 minutes per client meeting.

Illustrative example — representative of typical client outcomes.

Accountancy practice, 12 staff

The problem: The team was manually extracting data from client-supplied documents and re-entering it into their practice management system — a task that consumed several hours each week and introduced frequent errors.
What we did: We built an API integration that reads incoming client documents, extracts the relevant data fields using an AI agent, and writes them directly into the practice management system for staff to review and confirm.
The outcome: Data entry time reduced by approximately 80%; error rate on ingested data dropped to near zero.

Illustrative example — representative of typical client outcomes.

Solicitors' practice, 9 staff

The problem: Fee earners were spending significant time on first-draft contract review — reading documents to flag non-standard clauses, missing dates, and inconsistencies before passing to a senior.
What we did: We built a document review agent that reads a contract, flags non-standard clauses against a configurable checklist, and produces a structured review note for the fee earner to work from.
The outcome: First-pass review time reduced by approximately 65%; junior fee earners reported greater confidence in what to escalate.

Illustrative example — representative of typical client outcomes.

What clients say

Honest feedback from the firms we work with.

“Stour Valley AI transformed not only our website, but also my technical skills. They took me out of the dark ages and brought me bang up to date with AI. I now consider myself more experienced with AI than many of my peers: quite something for an old dinosaur!
Rather than simply rebuilding our website for me, they taught me how to use AI and Codex to develop parklanebusinesscentre.com myself.
They set up my PC with all the software I needed and then taught me hands-on, using my own website as the project. I spent the next few days developing the site myself, with the occasional call to Stour Valley AI when I hit a problem. They helped me find the solution, while ensuring I continued to learn by doing.
The experience has gone far beyond building a new website. I now use AI every day to help manage our business, making life easier and significantly improving productivity.
Stour Valley AI didn't just do the job for me; they gave me the skills and confidence to do it myself.
It works, and they work.”

Guy Williamson, Park Lane Business Centre

“We'd been manually updating three different systems after every client meeting. The agent Stour Valley AI built handles it all — the CRM, the file note, the follow-up letter. I'd estimate it saves each adviser the best part of an hour every day.”

— Practice Manager, IFA firm, East of England (name withheld at client request)

“James built an integration between our practice management software and our document vault that we'd been told wasn't possible. It's been running for four months without a problem. The time saving on onboarding alone has paid for the project several times over.”

— Managing Partner, accountancy practice, Suffolk (name withheld at client request)

Get in touch to discuss what we have helped similar firms achieve.

Common questions

Everything you need to know before getting in touch.

What professional services firms do you work with?: Primarily professional services firms and small-to-medium sized enterprises — including regulated businesses that handle sensitive client data, manage complex workflows, and run on multiple software systems. If that describes your firm, we are likely a good fit.
How do you handle data security and client confidentiality?: This is central to everything we build. We configure AI tools to use firm data only within the scope of the task, do not use client data to train external models, and build governance policies so your team knows exactly what data goes where. We are happy to work within your existing data security framework or help you build one.
Do AI agents work with our existing practice management software?: In most cases, yes. We build API integrations for the main platforms used in UK professional services — including Clio, LEAP, Xero, CCH, Iris, Intelligent Office, Salesforce and others. We assess compatibility at the start of every engagement.
How long does an AI agent project take?: A scoped single-agent project typically runs four to eight weeks from kick-off to handover. API integration projects vary by complexity. We always start with the free one-hour consultation to scope the work before committing to a timeline.
What does this cost?: The free one-hour consultation costs nothing. Scoped agent and integration projects are priced on complexity. We usually start with some coaching and consultancy, billed by the hour, before working with you to scope out larger changes. This way means once you are comfortable with what AI can do to help, you get more out of us and the solution we help you build. We provide a fixed-price proposal after the consultation so there are no surprises.
Do we need a technical person in-house to work with you?: No. We work directly with practice managers, partners and fee earners. We design everything to be operated by non-technical staff and leave you with clear documentation and training.
What happens on the free consultation?: It is a one-hour conversation, by video call or in person. We ask how your business runs, which systems you use and where the time goes. We then suggest where AI would help most, what it would roughly cost and what we would leave alone. If nothing is worth doing, we will tell you.
Do I need a technical background for coaching?: No. Coaching starts from the work you already do, and we explain everything in plain English. One of our clients rebuilt his own business website after a few days of hands-on coaching.
Is the workflow app hosted by you or do we manage it ourselves?: We offer both. We can host and manage the workflow app on your behalf (fully managed), or deploy it into your own cloud environment if you prefer to retain control. We cover the options and trade-offs in the free one-hour consultation.
What kinds of businesses do you work with?: UK SMEs and professional services firms of all kinds — from sole traders and small teams to firms with 50+ staff. We have particular experience in financial services, accountancy, and legal, but the approach works for any business running on manual processes and disconnected systems. If your team is spending significant time on repetitive tasks that should be automated, we are likely a good fit.
What does a typical project cost?: The free one-hour consultation costs nothing. Scoped agent and integration projects are priced on complexity. We usually start with some coaching and consultancy, billed by the hour, before working with you to scope out larger changes. This way means once you are comfortable with what AI can do to help, you get more out of us and the solution we help you build. We provide a fixed-price proposal after the consultation so there are no surprises. Most clients see full payback within the first year through time savings alone.

Free one-hour consultation

An hour with us. No charge, no obligation.

Tell us how your business runs and where the time goes. In an hour we will find two or three places where AI could make a real difference, tell you honestly whether each is worth doing, and outline what the next step would cost.

One hour, by video call or in person in East Bergholt
You speak directly with Jez or James
A short written summary within two working days
No obligation to go further

hello@svai.co.ukBased in East Bergholt, Suffolk. Working with businesses across the UK.

Book your free consultation