AI adoption & implementation for UK SMEs

From AI ambition
to everyday work.

We help small and mid-sized organisations find valuable use cases, redesign workflows, train their people and implement secure AI solutions that deliver measurable results.

30 minutes · No hard sell · Leave with a clearer next move

WorkflowRedesigned
PeopleConfident
ValueMeasured
SMB-focusedWorkflow-ledResponsible by designBuilt for adoption
01 The challenge

Most AI initiatives stall between possibility and production.

There is no shortage of demos, tools or bold claims. The hard part is choosing the right problem, connecting AI to real workflows, managing risk and earning adoption across the business.

ShakeSharp closes that gap. We combine strategic clarity, hands-on engineering and pragmatic governance in one senior team — so every initiative has an owner, an evidence-based business case and a path to measurable value.

AI theatreThe ShakeSharp way
Technology searching for a problem01 Business outcomes define the use case
Pilots that never reach production02 Delivery designed for real operations
Governance bolted on at the end03 Risk and controls built in from day one
Black-box vendor dependency04 Transparent systems your team can own
02 What we do

From first question to
working capability.

Four connected disciplines. Engage us for one, or combine them into an end-to-end transformation programme.

01

AI Strategy & Roadmaps

Find high-value opportunities, validate feasibility and turn ambition into an investable delivery roadmap.

  • AI opportunity discovery
  • Use-case prioritisation
  • Business case & roadmap
  • Technology and vendor selection

02

AI Product Engineering

Design, build and integrate reliable AI solutions around your data, systems and people.

  • GenAI applications & copilots
  • RAG and knowledge systems
  • Agentic workflow automation
  • APIs, integrations & MLOps

03

Responsible AI & Governance

Move quickly without losing control. Establish proportionate guardrails for safe, compliant AI adoption.

  • AI risk and readiness assessment
  • Policies, controls & model registers
  • Evaluation and human oversight
  • UK GDPR and regulatory alignment

04

AI Adoption & Enablement

Give your teams the skills, practical assets and confidence to use AI well — long after we leave.

  • Employee training workshops
  • Prompt libraries & playbooks
  • AI champions & office hours
  • Adoption measurement & coaching
03 AI adoption for SMEs

Practical OpenAI delivery
for lean teams.

We help organisations adopt ChatGPT Business and build OpenAI-powered solutions where they fit — connecting the technology to real work, clear ownership and the controls a growing business needs.

ChatGPT BusinessOpenAI APICodexSecure integrations
01 · EXPLORE

Find the right starting point

Translate business bottlenecks into a prioritised set of realistic AI opportunities.

Opportunity map + value case
02 · DESIGN

Redesign the workflow

Map people, decisions, information and controls before choosing the right tool or automation.

Future-state workflow + pilot plan
03 · ENABLE

Equip the team

Deliver role-based workshops, prompt patterns and reusable playbooks built around everyday tasks.

Training + prompt library
04 · EMBED

Make adoption stick

Support rollout, set responsible-use guardrails and improve the solution with evidence from real use.

Governance + adoption scorecard

What your organisation
leaves with

01 Prioritised workflow opportunity map
02 Working pilot with success measures
03 Role-specific prompt library
04 Hands-on employee training
05 Responsible AI starter controls
06 90-day adoption and improvement plan

ShakeSharp is an independent consultancy. Product recommendations are based on business fit, security, cost and the client’s ability to operate the solution.

04 How we work

Clear decisions.
Fast learning.
Durable value.

Our delivery model reduces risk early, creates evidence quickly and leaves you with a capability — not a dependency.

Discuss your challenge ↗
  1. 01

    Discover

    Align on outcomes, constraints, users and data. Map opportunities against value, feasibility and risk.

    1–2 weeks
  2. 02

    Prove

    Test the riskiest assumptions with a focused prototype, real users and success measures agreed upfront.

    2–6 weeks
  3. 03

    Build

    Engineer the full solution, integrate it into your environment and evaluate it against production standards.

    6–16 weeks
  4. 04

    Embed

    Roll out responsibly, transfer knowledge and improve performance using evidence from real-world use.

    Ongoing
05 Where we create value

AI that earns its place
in the business.

We focus on operational outcomes that can be observed, measured and improved.

01

Knowledge at work

Give teams trusted answers from scattered policies, projects and expertise — with sources and access controls.

RAGEnterprise searchCopilots
02

Smarter operations

Automate high-friction workflows while keeping people in control of judgement, exceptions and approval.

AgentsAutomationHuman-in-loop
03

Better customer journeys

Deliver faster, more relevant support and service experiences across digital and human channels.

AssistantsPersonalisationAnalytics
04

Decisions with signal

Turn complex data and documents into concise intelligence, early warnings and defensible recommendations.

ExtractionForecastingDecision support
06 Selected client outcomes

Proof in the work.
Value in the numbers.

Real UK engagements spanning professional services, ecommerce and education.

Client names are withheld to respect confidentiality. Engagement details and outcomes are published with identifying information removed; figures reflect the measurement periods used in each engagement.

Case study 01 · Legal services

Faster contract review, with professional judgement intact

London12-person firm~£1.5M annual revenue8 weeks

Lawyers were spending 12–15 hours each week on repetitive contract analysis and first-draft client communications. Unstructured ChatGPT use produced inconsistent results and created compliance concerns.

What we delivered

  • End-to-end contract triage, risk flagging and client-draft workflow
  • Integration using GPT-4o / GPT-4.1, the models selected for the engagement at that time
  • 12 version-controlled prompts for NDAs, service agreements and employment contracts
  • Three workshops plus one-to-one coaching for ten lawyers and assistants

Measured outcomes

58%less time on initial contract review
~7 hrsreleased per lawyer each week
92%internal team satisfaction
Embeddedinto the quality management system
“ShakeSharp took us from casually experimenting with ChatGPT to a standardised, auditable AI workflow. The training was genuinely practical, and the prompt quality was far beyond what we had developed ourselves.”Client feedback · Managing partner, London law firm
Case study 02 · Retail & ecommerce

Customer service and content operations that scale with demand

Manchester25-person brand£2–3M annual revenue6 weeks

More than 200 daily customer enquiries and a growing content backlog were stretching a lean team. Leadership wanted faster delivery without losing brand voice, human review or data security.

What we delivered

  • Enquiry classification, draft response, human review and knowledge-update workflow
  • Multi-channel product and campaign content workflow
  • Brand voice guides, prohibited-language rules and reusable prompt templates
  • Zendesk / Shopify integration and role-based training for 15 team members

Measured outcomes

4.2 → 1.1haverage first-response time
+45%standard enquiries handled
3×+weekly content production speed
Team-ownedprompt library after handover
“ShakeSharp didn’t just build the workflows; they made the training exceptionally practical. Our team can now improve the prompts themselves, and that is what we value most.”Client feedback · Online lifestyle brand
Case study 03 · Education & training

Reusable knowledge workflows for faster course development

UK Midlands35-person provider7 weeks

Course updates were slow and teaching teams repeated large amounts of preparation work. The organisation needed faster content generation without compromising academic rigour or GDPR responsibilities.

What we delivered

  • Standardised syllabus, lesson-plan, assessment-bank and quality-review workflow
  • Structured prompts for different subjects and difficulty levels
  • Citation requirements and fact-checking instructions built into prompt patterns
  • Prompt engineering and critical-evaluation training for teaching and content teams

Measured outcomes

40–50%less course preparation time
5–6 hrssaved per teacher each week
Reusableinternal prompt asset library
Extendedcapability shared with partner colleges
07 Ways to engage

Start where you are.
Scale when it works.

Choose the level of support that fits your stage, urgency and internal capability.

“

We don’t sell AI for AI’s sake. We help you make better decisions, build the right things and create the conditions for them to succeed.

01Senior people, hands-onStrategy and delivery stay connected. The people in the room are the people doing the work.
02Evidence before scaleWe test assumptions early and invest further only when the evidence supports it.
03Your capability, not our dependencyOpen standards, clear documentation and knowledge transfer are part of every engagement.
08 Company profile

Independent advice.
Accountable delivery.

ShakeSharp is the trading name of SHAKE SHARP LIMITED, a company registered in England and Wales. We support UK organisations from initial AI exploration through workflow design, implementation, employee enablement and continuous improvement.

Tao Liu, Founder of ShakeSharp
Founder profile

Tao Liu

Founder & AI Discoverability Strategist

Tao founded ShakeSharp and leads client discovery, workflow design, workforce enablement and responsible AI adoption programmes. He works directly with UK SMEs to turn operational knowledge into structured, usable AI workflows with clear ownership, evaluation and human review.

View Tao Liu on LinkedIn ↗
Legal entitySHAKE SHARP LIMITEDCompany number 15216774
Primary marketUnited KingdomSMEs and established operational teams
Delivery modelSenior-led and hands-onStrategy, implementation and knowledge transfer
Commercial positionIndependent consultancyRecommendations based on client fit and evidence
09 Frequently asked

Useful answers,
before we talk.

Do we need a defined AI use case?+

No. Many clients start with an ambition, a business problem or simply too many competing ideas. An Opportunity Sprint gives you a structured way to decide where AI is worth pursuing — and where it is not.

Can you work with our existing technology team?+

Yes. We regularly work as an embedded partner alongside internal product, data, security and engineering teams. We adapt our role to fill capability gaps and transfer knowledge throughout the engagement.

Can you support a ChatGPT Business rollout?+

Yes. We can help define priority workflows, prepare leaders and workspace owners, deliver role-based training, create reusable prompt playbooks and establish practical responsible-use guidance. We also support OpenAI API solutions where a tailored application or integration is the better fit.

How do you approach security and responsible AI?+

Risk is considered from discovery onwards. We use proportionate controls covering data, privacy, model behaviour, human oversight, monitoring and accountability, aligned to your existing governance and applicable UK requirements.

What size organisations do you work with?+

Our approach is designed for established SMEs, scale-ups and enterprise teams that have a meaningful operational challenge and are ready to involve the people who own it.

10 Your next move

Bring us the challenge.
Leave with a clearer path.

Tell us what you are trying to change, where you are stuck and what success would look like. We will tell you honestly where AI can help — and where it cannot.

30-minute discovery callNo commitmentPractical next steps

Start with a confidential email

Tell us briefly what you want to improve and where your organisation is in its AI journey. Please do not include personal, confidential or sensitive business data in your first message.

Email hello@shakesharp.co.uk ↗
Helpful context to include
  • Your organisation and role
  • The workflow or business outcome you want to improve
  • Any timing, security or compliance constraints