Framework for Finding ROI from AI

The highest value AI agents often aren’t the flashiest ones, but rather those that eliminate friction in existing processes.

I’ve had clients come to the table with ideas of things to build, but 50% of the time it’s not the most valuable agent for their business. How do you find the highest ROI?

My framework: MAP → IDENTIFY → PRIORITIZE → BUILD

Map: Start by building a customer journey map on Figma. Get the high-level view first, then drill into the details.

Identify: Look for repetitive, time-consuming steps with heavy text or voice components. With voice agents expanding rapidly, audio touchpoints are prime opportunities.

Prioritize: Focus on friction points that impact the most customers or consume the most resources.

Build: The cost to run an AI agent is negligible compared to development cost, so start with your highest-impact opportunity.

Real example: A SaaS company wanted a complex lead scoring agent. But mapping their journey revealed the real bottleneck was customer onboarding. A simple FAQ agent reduced their support tickets by 40% and freed up their team to focus on strategic accounts.

By starting with the customer journey instead of the technology, you’re more likely to land on solutions that drive real value. The opportunities we find this way are usually easier to build AND deliver higher returns.